We are excited to announce our second artist-in-residence, Gabriele Jacobs.

Jacobs was born in 1997 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up in Midrand. Between 2016 and 2022 they studied at the University of Cape Town, completing an MFA from Michaelis school of fine art. Their work predominantly makes use of animal imagery to discuss contemporary concerns- both environmental and societal. Jacobs explores examples from nature which contradict the heteronormative lens through which contemporary society has been framed by western hegemony. The use of animal subjects to discuss queer identity posits a non-heterosexual lifestyle as a part of nature, rather than an anomaly.

In 2020 Gabriele was featured in the Investec Cape town art fair, as part of a presentation by Tatjana Pieters gallery. In 2021, 2 sculptural pieces of his were included in the New Breed Art competition exhibition at the Oliewenhuis art museum in Bloemfontein, for which they received 2nd place in the competition. In 2023 they were an artist in residence at the Nirox foundation. Through their sculptural pieces, Jacobs aims to celebrate and honour the act of self-acceptance and queer love.