Thesis Exhibition

Between 2018-2021, Gabriel focused his sculptural and academic studies at Arizona State University on contributing to the scientific literature regarding facial approximations of modern and ancient hominids (reconstructions as they are referred to in common parlance). During this period, he co-authored three papers/studies with an international cohort of scientists including lead-author Dr. Ryan M. Campbell and senior researcher Dr. Maciej Henneberg which were published in peer-reviewed journals. This period of both scientific and creative collaboration yielded not just the papers but a profound realization of the gravity and perhaps impossibility of the task of accurately and reliably reconstructing beings from the distant past.

Gabriel’s goal of scientifically resurrecting the dead and to sculpturally meet the unmeetable, as he has put it, began to instead explore conceptual ways to visualize the uncertainty regarding the accuracy of not just his work, but of the enterprise of attempting to “reconstruct” beings from the past more generally. Thus, a newfound respect and acceptance of epistemic humility emerged as a central idea in his work. He wished for the presentation of his subjects to reflect the very real uncertainties and incomplete nature of the science of anatomical reconstruction instead of it offering a complete and thereby false sense of scientific certainty. This idea ultimately took the form of the full obscurity of his work during his Thesis Exhibition, in which all facial approximations of ancient hominids, while constructed using the best available methods, were presented behind a frosted translucent case. One could argue that this was a further exploration on proper data visualization by using the blurred image to more accurately present the science in-progress, however the exhibition instead became an exploration on what it means to purport to “know” and perceive the world around us. 

These blured visions of the ancient past became an analogue of not just the accurate yet limited vision offered by the equations but the literally miopic vision of the artist himself. This newfound curiosity over how we make literal and conceptual models of the world around us became the logical next focus in Gabriel’s artistic career. In this vein, Gabriel has begun to focus his work around these ideas and taking a hiatus away from scientific collaboration. That said, this research attempting to peer into the past using the tools of biological science and statistics with his cherished friend Dr. Campbell and mentor Dr. Henneberg will continue in the future. For now, Gabriel will explore unknowing, scientific epistemology, and the limitations of human perception in an artistic context.