Gabriel Isak

Gabriel Isak was born in 1990 in Sweden.  In 2016, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.  Since that time, his work has been exhibited around the world and it is now part of the permanent collection of the Falsterbo Photo Art Museum in Sweden.  His surreal photographs have been featured in numerous exhibitions of note, including “Acclimatize” at the Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Isak has been honored with 1^st Place in the Fine Art Photography Awards, the Rangefinder Fine Art Photography Awards, winner in PX3 Prix de la Photographie in Paris 2024, and in 2018, he received a PDN Emerging Photography Award. As well, his work has been published in many prestigious platforms such as Juxtapoz Magazine, VICE, Adobe, PDN, and Elle magazine.

Artist’s statement:

My images can seem very minimal, but in-fact they take anywhere from weeks to months of planning and preparations before each artwork come to life. My work first takes forms when I research or brainstorm on the project I want to create. I then sketch out my ideas with notes of how the image will come to life from my vision into reality. I will decide, location,weather, mood, colors, props, subject, outfit etc. before I photograph the image. Many times I have to travel to specific locations in the world to create my work in order to bring my vision into life. Once on location I create my images usually around sunrise/sunset in a limited time constrain, or in foggy weather. If I have to composite something, I will shoot all the details on location to later merge them together digitally. Post-production plays an important role to enhance my work into a more surreal and otherworldly atmosphere. The blue thread you see in my work is used to depict a tranquil dimension, often relating it back to themes of dreams, serenity, peace, origins, existentialism and melancholia.