gabe fonorow

a self-taught artist, he began his art career in Brooklyn, New York debuting abstract pen-and-ink work at the Brooklyn Fire Proof in a 2014 Exhibition. Since then, he has returned to North Carolina where he clarified his style: undulating, organic shapes systemically composed of straight lines. That his style is so deeply tied to rhythm and movement is no surprise, given Gabe’s formal education in jazz bass from William Paterson University.

The connection between his visual work and music is most apparent in The Marathon – a series of twenty-six works, each composed of one mile (with the exception of Miles 13 and 26, at 1.1 miles each) of lines. This series premiered at Sawtooth School for Visual Art in April 2018, an exhibition that cemented his place in the contemporary Southern art scene, both among peers and collectors.

Each piece begins with a set of rules or a central concept. sometimes the system is followed through to the completion of the piece (complete coverage of the paper). Other times it is followed until something unexpected emerges and a new route is chosen. Although the work is system/concept-driven, the primary goal is always a beautiful image.

featured work

2023 - current: kevin barry art advisory, contracted artist
2023 - current: area environments public, minneapolis, mn
2022 - current: grand image & grand image home, seattle, wa
2021 - 2022: piedmont triad international airport, “drawings of north carolina” exhibition
2019 - current: area environments wallcoverings, minneapolis, mn
2019 - current: visual index gallery, winston-salem, nc
2018 - sawtooth center for visual art, winston-salem, nc
2018 - greenhill center for north carolina art, winston-salem, nc
2014 - brooklyn fireproof gallery, brooklyn, ny
2014 - the artery, greensboro, nc

representation

Area Environments Wallcoverings
Grand Image & Grand Image Home