Gabriela Salaverria

Moods, Essence, and Self Love
Wood, acrylic, and resin
8x8 each

I am Gabriela Salaverria, I am 20 years old and a sophomore at PRATT  Institute. I was born and raised in El Salvador, a country where poverty,  social injustices, gender inequalities and violence control the day to day life.  In short, a lot of simultaneous threats and pressure to digest if you do not  have an escape valve. Of course, not the easy and temporary escape valves  such as drugs, alcohol or any vices which may throw us out of control, but a  positive escape valve, that allows you to grow and to contribute to build a  better world for all. Suddenly I realized I was not only liberating feelings  through art and design but I was passionate about it. Art has become my way  of expression. Saying this may sound trite, but It is my reality. Through my  designs, my collages, the moments I grasp on a photo, the crazy, swirling  effects of my paintings, I can transmit what is going through my mind and  heart. Sometimes transforming my feelings or beliefs into a piece of art has  allowed me to understand some of my feelings and even to see a different  side of my difficult days. There is no specific type of medium or material in  my art pieces. My style is basically a “free feeling type of style”. My  inspiration comes from that amazing freedom of expression where I can just  let my feelings flow away through art.