The work and practice of artist Gabe Weis is rooted in the spontaneity of street art and the enduring wisdom of Stoic philosophy. Weis’s creative approach is fluid and intuitive, guided by his constant stream of thoughts as he explores perceptions of reality.
The result consists of fragmented figures, melded together by colour, chaos, and order, yet rooted in Stoic influence. With their solemn expressions, these figures exude a contemplative essence that encourages viewers to engage in self-reflection and see beyond surface appearances, echoing the Stoic call to probe deeper into the essence of meaning. Weis’s last NFT project, a 5,000-piece collection titled “The Stoics,” inspired by his personal philosophy of resilience through the teachings of Stoicism, literally sold out in minutes.
Image courtesy of the artist
In his latest digital project, as part of Base’s Onchain Summer campaign, Weis has partnered with NPC Labs to release a collection of NFTs in his signature cubist-esque style. The collection featured a digital and physical print and a t-shirt of Weis’s Changing piece; the collection was well received and acquired upon release.
Weis has exhibited his physical and digital works internationally, including at the Venice Biennale, Picasso Museum, Seattle Art Fair, and numerous galleries throughout Asia and the United States. We caught up with Weis to learn more about his practice, his project with NPC Labs, and more.
Your work is deeply influenced by stoic philosophy. How do you translate the principles of stoicism, such as resilience and acceptance, into visual art? Can you share specific examples from your pieces that embody these philosophical ideas?
Gabe Weis: My work is influenced by stoic philosophy. I think the most obvious examples of where it shows up is in the mouth, which I never really put a frown or a big smiley face, because I’m trying to make sure that people can kind of decide what the emotion that they maybe see in it, or hopefully kind of see some bravery and urgency with just kind of staying without super big emotions. And then, as far as other examples that it embodies in my stuff, there’s a lot of hidden words and easter eggs in my work, and I would just encourage you to please take a deep as look as you possibly can. It would be appreciated.
Gabe Weis
Image courtesy of the artist
Your works often convey a strong sense of narrative through fragmented imagery. How do you approach storytelling within the abstract confines of your art? Are there particular themes or stories that repeatedly influence your work?
Gabe Weis: I’m really into the idea that we as individuals are infinitely more complex than maybe we let on, or that we even know ourselves, and that the universe itself is infinitely more complex than maybe what’s considered base reality or how we think about the world most of the time. So the work always explores that and trying to maybe show some wonder or things that are on my mind when I’m kind of in a free space to just create exactly what I’m feeling and sort of my stream of consciousness.
Your use of mixed media, including unconventional materials like cereal boxes and old maps, is both a technical and philosophical choice. Can you delve into how these materials influence the texture, narrative, and overall message of your pieces? How do you choose which materials to incorporate?
Gabe Weis: I have been blessed that my work is shown all over the world, recently in Qatar, London, and also in Portugal. And it’s kind of impossible for it not to shape your work. When you make a lot of collage work, I make sure to take some paper, recyclable stuff back from me, from everywhere I go, so I can incorporate it in the work and take a little piece of a place with me. Or create a lot of site-specific work, which comes from the kind of materials that you can find laying around a city.
Image courtesy of the artist
Engagement with NFTs! Your NFT collection, “The Stoics,” sold out in minutes, demonstrating a strong connection with the digital art community. What do you think draws people to your digital works, and how do you see the role of NFTs evolving in your overall artistic practice?
Gabe Weis: I think my work acts as a bridge between contemporary art, fine art, and digital work. And I think that resonates a lot with people who kind of like to see that mix. As far as how I see NFTs evolving in my practice, it’s hard to really say because the space changes every few minutes. So I think more than anything, it’s just staying engaged, going to conferences, staying up-to-date of everything cool going on. And I expect to have it part of my career for the rest of my life.
NFT Art vs. Physical Art! As an artist who works in both physical and digital realms, how does your creative process differ when creating NFTs compared to physical pieces? Do the different mediums allow you to explore different aspects of your artistic vision?
Gabe Weis: As far as how the creative process differs between creating NFTs to physical pieces, I mean, I think maybe less than other people, in the sense that most of my NFTs start with a physical piece, and then I kind of digitally paint on top of it. My bigger generative works are something that probably give me the most excitement when it comes to NFTs, just because I’m able to change colors or backgrounds or add collage material in a way that I think really worked for my 5000k PFP, The Stoics, and some of my favorite drops like Frens, which was 1 piece. But that was done in 7777 different kind of colorways, so that’s something that really excites me about the difference between NFT art and physical art is just being able to mass produce really interesting work on the digital side.
Gabe Weis
Image courtesy of the artist
Can we discuss your future directions: Given your wide-ranging experiences from physical galleries to digital marketplaces, where do you see your art evolving next? Are there new themes, techniques, or mediums you are excited to explore in the near future?
Gabe Weis: I see my art evolving to hopefully be a little bit more accessible than I have been. I just got a really nice printer, so I’m excited to make prints and more collage work that hopefully is at price points that are a little bit more reasonable than the work has been going for the last few years. I’m just really excited to see what that looks like, and I’ll be doing a weekly newsletter and excited for what that looks like going forward.
Gabe Weis
Image courtesy of the artist
Lastly, could you share the philosophy that guides your art? How do you understand the core importance of art in your life and career?
Gabe Weis: So the philosophy that guides my art, I would say urgency. I’m really drawn to the immediate and getting work out and stream of consciousness, but trying to kind of channel something. So as far as the importance of art in my life, I mean, it’s something that’s kind of almost like meditation. I need to do it at least once a day or something doesn’t quite feel right. So it’s of the most importance to me having a fulfilling life.
©2024 Gabe Weis, NPC Labs
Len is a curator and a contributing writer at Art Plugged, a platform for contemporary art; he also engages in web development, design, and marketing.
