ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is deeply rooted in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, a space synonymous with “movie magic” where costume shops and prop studios bring imagined worlds to life. I began as an object maker drawn to the aesthetics of design, but my practice has evolved into a fascination with the stories these objects tell—exploring the worlds they inhabit and the people they are made for. I am captivated by the transformative power of world-building, the ability to construct alternate realities, and the potential to reshape our own. Historical and religious objects, along with their narratives, frequently find their way into my work, reimagined within a contemporary framework. This process allows me to question and expand upon history’s “what ifs,” “ands,” and “buts,” addressing what feels absent by creating objects that ensure these gaps are no longer overlooked. Through this lens, I see my work as an act of imaginative restoration—a way to blend memory, possibility, and invention into tangible forms that provoke new ways of seeing and understanding.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gabrielle Egnater (she/her) is an artist and educator working in Grand Rapids, MI. She has exhibited at venues including the University of Albany, HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences, and Spertus Institute. Gabrielle received her BFA in Sculpture and Visual Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and MFA in the Sculpture Dimensional Studies Program at Alfred University. Her previous positions include Instructor of Record at Alfred University and Lecturer at California State University San Marcos. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in Sculpture and 3D Foundations at Grand Valley State University.
© Gabrielle Egnater