Robert Gabris

Critical text

Robert Gabris (b. 1986, Slovakia) has been living in Vienna for more than a decade, where he trained as an artist. His focus is on the drawing process itself, from the slightest initial mark that the graphite tip leaves on the paper, through to the finished drawing in coloured pastel shades. Gabris possesses the so-called happy hand , and is one of the most talented and unconventional draughtsmen one might encounter in this age of everything easily and everything right now . Drawing a passion cultivated by the artist over the years with a great deal of exercise and a genuine love for the medium and the sheet of paper is homaged in this series for Disegni, outlining every step of the process. Taking inspiration from the ancient tradition of botanical drawing, Gabris dedicates a series to the creation of floral forms, from the barely sketched outline of a flower to the highly refined coloured pencil composition depicting a detail of a meadow, with blades of grass, leaves, and petals of various species.

Text by Irina Zucca Alessandrelli

The artist’s voice

I describe the content of my work as a critical confrontation with identity issues, especially confrontations of different groups, excluded from society. The starting point of my work deals with new experimental forms of drawing as resistance to exclusion and racism.