About · Visual artist
Gabriela Sánchez
painting, matter and gesture · Mexico — Madrid
01 — Statement
The process matters more than the result
My work is a constant exploration of the materials and emotions that shape each piece. I find inspiration in personal memories, nature, and the simplicity of Zen philosophy.
I combine encaustic, monotypes and Zen painting, where gesture and movement are central. The line appears again and again in my work, creating visual narratives with multiple layers of meaning.
02 — Biography
A life between line and matter
Gabriela Sánchez Apodaca (Mexico City, 1972) is a visual artist and educator. Trained in Textile Design at Universidad Iberoamericana with a master's degree in Visual Communication, she has built a language of her own where technique and emotion are in constant dialogue: layers, traces, fragments and transparencies that speak of memory, transformation and presence.
She has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions across Mexico, the United States and Europe. In 2026 she received the Denis Diderot Grant and completed an artist residency at Château d'Orquevaux, France. She lives and works between Mexico and Madrid, combining her studio practice with workshops and learning experiences for artists.
03 — Career
Selected exhibitions and recognition
Solo exhibitions
- 2024Ecos de Identidad · UAM Xochimilco, Mexico City
- 2023Re-Framed · Escuela Moderna Americana, Mexico City
- 2019Transiciones. Ciclos del Tiempo · Galería Torre del Reloj, Polanco
- 2018Grafismo · Galería Torre del Reloj, Polanco
- 2016Resonancias · Radio Educación, Mexico City
- 2012No-Dos, Todo está Conectado · Centro Cultural del Pedregal
- 2007Arteknia · Club de Industriales, Polanco
Group shows · selection
- 2026Group exhibition · Galerie Diderot, Château d'Orquevaux, France (April)
- 2024Self Topography on Paper · Paper Lab Berlin, Berlin-Mitte, Germany (September)
- 2019Nekros Opsis · UNAM (C3 & Geology Museum), Mexico City
- 20188x8 Self Portrait · 33 Collective Gallery, Chicago
- 2018Otherness & Dimensions · Leipzig, Germany
- 2018Artbox Project NY 1.0 · Stricoff Gallery, New York
- 2018Hispania · Galería Yuri López Kullins, Madrid
- 2017Flawed in Abundance · New Art Center, Massachusetts
- 2015Mini Print International · Cadaqués, Spain
- 200910th Havana Biennial, Cuba
Grants & residencies
- 2026Denis Diderot Grant · Artist residency at Château d'Orquevaux, Grand Est, France
- 2018Residency grant · Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Massachusetts
- 2007Founder of FI Diversidad Artística, Polanco (2007–2009)
Education
- 2002MA in Visual Communication · Universidad Simón Bolívar
- 1997BA in Textile Design · Universidad Iberoamericana
- 2015Japanese calligraphy · Shu-ken, Mexico City
- Ongoing training in encaustic, cold wax, sumi-e and large format across Mexico, the US and Japan