Featured Artist- Book Publication- 2021
I’m so honored and humbled to be included in Dr. Kathryn Barush’s upcoming book, Imaging Pilgrimage- Art as Embodied Experience. The book is out in July 2021!
Imaging Pilgrimage- Art as Embodied Experience
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing,
While place-based pilgrimage is an embodied practice, it can be experienced in its fullness through built environments, assemblages of souvenirs, and music. Imaging Pilgrimage focusses on contemporary art that is created after a pilgrimage and intended to act as a catalyst for the embodied experience of others. Each chapter focusses on a contemporary artwork that links one landscape to another-from the Spanish Camino to a backyard in the Pacific Northwest, from Lourdes to South Africa, from Jerusalem to England, and from Ecuador to California. The close attention to context and experience allows for popular practices like the making of third-class or "contact" relics to augment conversations about the authenticity or perceived power of a replica or copy; it also challenges the tendency to think of the "original" in hierarchic terms.
Imaging Pilgrimage brings various fields into conversation by offering a number of lenses and theoretical approaches (materialist, kinaesthetic, haptic, synaesthetic) through which to engage objects that become sites activated through religious and ritual praxis and negotiated with not just the eyes, but a multiplicity of senses.
Volando (sombras), 2017, 8 in x 8 in, ink and gouache on paper
Exhibition- Benefit- Art Kala 2021
I’m honored to participate in Art Kala 2021 Auction & Benefit! Check out the array of amazing artworks and support!
Exhibition:
March 11 – May 16, 2021
You can view and bid on the artwork on Artsy or in the Kala gallery (open Tues-Fri, noon to 5 pm and Saturdays by appointment) at 2990 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702. No appointment needed for the regular gallery hours on Tue – Fri. For Saturday appointments, schedule your visit here.
All proceeds from this event support educational and cultural programs that directly serve artists, children, and the community-at-large.
Exhibition: Fall 2019
Material World
September 23 - November 15, 2019
Dawn Ertl, Gisela Insuaste, and Coe Lapossy
William Blizard Gallery
Springfield College, MA
Through materials, we make ideas tangible. Themes such as memory, inheritance, trauma, myth, romantic love, queer narrative, and cultural history are embodied in the material explorations by the artists in this exhibit.
Gallery closing reception for artists and the public: Friday, November 8
4-6 p.m.
Artist Interview - Online: Spring 2019
Check out this interview with the New York Foundation for the Arts about art, life, and my involvement with NYFAS’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program in Oakland!
Click here to read the full interview: https://current.nyfa.org/post/185751127248/conversations-gisela-insuaste
For Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: Oakland consultant Gisela Insuaste, all experiences can inform her practice, from a bike ride in the hills to a leisurely walk along a lake or a plane ride across the ocean. Born and raised in New York City & the Jersey Shore by Ecuadorian parents, she is an artist, arts administrator, educator, and cultural producer, who works as a Communications & Program Specialist at the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI).
Read our interview below to learn about Insuaste’s experience moving from New York City to the West Coast five years ago, and the importance of connecting with the landscape and the people…
Ocean Avenue footbridge, originally built in 1880.
Artist Project - Public Art Commission: Spring 2019
Recently, I was informed that I was chosen for a public art commission through the NYC School Construction Authority, Public Art for Public School (NYCSCA PAPS). The public art commission proposal was for a sculptural installation that would hang from the atrium of a new school addition at PS 254, an elementary school in Sheepshead Bay, scheduled to open by August 2021. During my research stage, I tapped into the school’s neighborhood for inspiration. The installation consists of a suspended bridge-like sculpture reminiscent of the Ocean Avenue Bridge, a historic pedestrian footbridge that connects Sheepshead Bay with Manhattan Beach. This bridge represents a space of transition, with openness to new places and other neighborhoods. Like in my previous work, I am interested in how the landscape and built environments shape our experiences.
Tentatively titled “Crossings & Bridges” the sculpture functions like a drawing in space, a process that mirrors my walks through cities and spaces. Other suspended pieces will consist of local imagery such as native plants and architectural forms from the neighborhood. As part of the commission, I will also be leading several workshops with students that relate to my artistic process, including walking, observational drawing, and mapping. I’m still working out design ideas and will be submitting a preliminary design to the core review group (consisting of PAPS, project architect, project design manager, etc.) sometime early fall before moving forward on final design and fabrication. Unfortunately, I can’t share any designs or images until the work is installed at the school but here’s an image of the bridge that helped me visualize the sculpture project.
Artist Project - Shoemaking: Spring 2019
In spring of 2019, I took another shoemaking class and lucked out—it was in San Francisco! The week-long intensive workshop was at Beneduci Shoemakers where I chose a chukka boot design, modified it to my style, and then made the shoe (with lots of help of the shoemaker). These “Arroyo” (creek in Spanish) boots have a wonderful design—an Italian toe and a rugged American heel. The design was inspired by the the curves and colors I encountered during my wanderings along a creek in the East Bay.
Curatorial Project Fall 2018
From Here to There:
A Constellation of Gestures
curated by Gisela Insuaste
From Here to There: A Constellation of Gestures
Curated by Gisela Insuaste
October 26, 2018 – December 8, 2018
Opening reception: Friday, October 26, 7-9 PM
“Each gesture is an event – one might even say a drama – in itself.” –Walter Benjamin
From Here to There: A Constellation of Gestures features artists who, by intention or chance, create artworks that recall gestures in the natural and the urban landscape. These gestures can be events, signs, or moments of expression. Through a variety of media, these artists capture the surfacing of ideas, actions or movement in time and space. In this exhibition, each artwork becomes part of a constellation of gestures, forming a map of shifting, yet interconnected moments.
Participating artists: Blanka Amezkua, Paola Cabal, Jamie Kim, Rena Leinberger, Darrell Roberts, Sumakshi Singh, Edra Soto, Michelle Stone, and Weston Teruya.
Glow Exhibitions / 4540 N. Lawler Ave, Chicago, IL 60641 / glowexhibitions.wordpress.com /
By appointment only.
September / October 2018 - Exhibitions
Exhibition: September - December 2018
Saunter Trek Escort Parade… (S.T.E.P.)
Curated by Christina Freeman, Emireth Herrera and moira williams
September 6 – 30th at Flux Factory +
October 28 – December 2 at Queens Museum’s Community Partnership Gallery
Saunter Trek Escort Parade… (S.T.E.P…. ) is a co-curated walking based art show embracing the many ways and bodies we walk. While asking how walking as a creative act, can challenge notions and open conversations around visibility, gender, labor, exploration, counter mapping, colonialism, feminism, motherhood, contesting borders, community building, calling out gentrification, street harassment, (dis)ability, carbon debt, who sets the pace and measurement of the world, to the power of dreams and our entanglements between all of these and one another.
Gisela Insuaste: Exploratory Walk: 1- Looking up and bending back around (Circle Walk)
Gisela Insuaste: Exploratory Walk: 2- Looking down and looking ahead (Color Connection)
Artist Project - Shoemaking: February 2018
SHOEMAKING INTENSIVE AT BROOKLYN SHOE SPACE
In February 2018, I participated in a 6 day intensive shoemaking class at Brooklyn Shoe Space in Williamsburg. It was an amazing experience! I am so happy to have made this pair of rugged urban mid top boots inspired by the 4th Ave subway platform in Brooklyn. And yes, they fit and are comfortable!
Photos by Gisela Insuaste unless otherwise noted.
Artist Residency: September - December 2017
DESIGNER RESIDENCY IN SEOUL, S. KOREA
From September through December 2017, I participated in a designer-in-residency program in Seoul where I designed shoes (shoes=sculptures), and worked closely with master shoe craftsmen to construct them. I designed three pairs of shoes which were inspired by my pedestrian experiences and the natural and architectural elements along the river and city streets. From caterpillars, to blue streams and tall grasses, to bridges and buildings, Seoul provided a plethora of visual imagery to work from.
While in S. Korea, it was unbearable to listen to the US news—as a foreigner, what could I do but walk and seek familiarity and comfort by nature and the art/architecture around me?
To see more images of my experience in Seoul, check out my instagram feed @giselanycoak.
Peruse these links to learn more about the designer residency and neighborhood in Seoul, S. Korea:
Seongsu Handmade Shoes Hope Platform Designer Residency in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.
Learn more about Seongsu-dong and the handmade shoe industry, click here
L-R: Oxford "City River," Ankle Boot "Bridge," and Loafer "Caterpillar" were designed by Gisela Insuaste and constructed by master craftsmen in Seongsu, Seoul.
Artist Project - Book Illustration: November 2017
Get your copy!
So honored to have illustrated Renee Gladman's new book "Houses of Ravicka," which will be out in November 2017. You can pre-order the book here.
May 2017
Exhibition: Juan Rulfo Turns One Hundred / Juan Rulfo Cumple Cien
Curated by Virginia Grise and Blanka Amezkua
Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno (May 16, 1917 - January 7, 1986) would turn one hundred this May. Best known as Juan Rulfo, he is one of Mexico's foremost writers of the 20th century -- without whom Gabriel García Márquez said he could not have imagined writing One Hundred Years of Solitude.
To honor him and his work AAA3A is preparing an exceptional art show, displayed in two different locations, and a unique celebration. AAA3A will exhibit the work by invited artists from the Bronx and beyond who have created very special pieces for this show, inspired by the work, writing or photography, of Juan Rulfo. Complete list of participants will follow. The art will be displayed inside AAA3A as well as La Morada, a casual restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine, with a lending library & a Poet in Residence. A place we all love and frequent in Mott Haven.
This special exhibit will close with a celebration organized by award winning theater artist Virginia Grise, "24 Hours with Juan Rulfo." The celebration will include food, video screenings, music, live performances and a reading of Pedro Paramo and from his short stories found in The Burning Plain.
The 24 hour celebration will begin on Saturday May 27 at 4pm and will end on Sunday May 28 at 4pm.
Opening Saturday May 6, 6-9pm @ AAA3A and at La Morada Restaurant in Mott Haven, South Bronx: JOIN US!!!
visitando (almas), 2017 / gouache and ink on paper / 8 in x 8 in
Podcast - Interview: February 2017
(un)making @ Art Practical
Art Practical explores contemporary art and visual culture in the San Francisco Bay Area.
episode 2: Gisela Insuaste
In this episode, we talk with artist Gisela Insuaste about her installations and drawings, fragmented landscapes, her travels, and working as an educator.
https://soundcloud.com/artpractical/unmaking-episode-2-gisela-insuaste/sets
Exhibition- Art Fair: UNTITLED, San Francisco 2017
Artadia will present work by 22 Artadia Awardees at the inaugural UNTITLED, San Francisco art fair, January 12 – 15, booth C13. Additionally, limited editions by Joseph Havel (2004 Houston) and Richard T. Walker (2009 San Francisco) will debut at the fair.
Exhibition: January - April 2015
In the winter, I flew out to Hanover, NH to install a site-specific wall installation at the Hopkins Center as part of the Dartmouth's Alumni Art Biennial Exhibition. Click here for more images.
Review: March/April 2015 Issue of Artscope
Review: "Finding the Art in Dartmouth: Diverse Perspectives at Alumni Biennial" by Elizabeth Michelman
Click image to read the entire article.
Exhibition: November- December 2014
XBUS: Haciendo Marcas Otra Vez
This fall, I worked with Xbus a former prisoner transport bus transformed into a roving artspace. This site-specific project examines the traces we leave behind and how these connect to our past and present spaces. The project ran from mid-November 2014 to early December.
Check out these links for more information:
The Xbus made it's way from Oakland to San Francisco, ending it's journey in front of the Mission Playground, parked at Valencia St, between 19th & 20th.
***Current snapshots on Flickr.
Unexpected Project and Unexpected Projects Facebook
Arist Residency: apexart: International Fellowship Program
Name: Gisela Insuaste
Destination: Bangkok, Thailand
Dates of Fellowship:May 1-31, 2013
Gisela Insuaste is an artist, arts administrator and educator. In her paintings, sculptures and site-specific installations, she explores the intersection of architecture, topography, and memory. While mapping the subtle idiosyncrasies of urban landscapes, she questions individual and shared cultural space and identity. She has received several awards such as the Lower East Side Printshop Keyholder Residency; Bronx Museum AIM Program; EFA NYC Arts Worker Residency; Laundromat Project PD Fellowship; Smithsonian LMSP Fellowship; Aljira Emerge10 Fellowship; Artadia Award (Driehaus); and MacDowell Colony Fellowships. Exhibition venues include El Taller Boricua; Aicon Gallery; Queens Museum of Art; El Museo del Barrio; Praxis Gallery; MCA, Chicago; and Chicago Cultural Center. Her work was featured in The Upset: Young Contemporary Art by Die Gestalten Verlag, a resource of international artists working with visual subcultures. She received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Anthropology & Studio Art from Dartmouth College. She works as the Art, Nature and Wellness Programs Manager at Wave Hill. giselainsuaste.com
FELLOWSHIP TALK: Gisela Insuaste in conversation with Amanda Browder from Bad at Sports and apexart Fellow Konstantin Adjer; June 27, 2013: download audio (79 MB .mp3)
http://apexart.org/fellowship/insuaste.php
Recommended by: Amanda Browder
NYC artist and co-founder of Bad at Sports