"Torn fibers, charred marks, and voids do not decorate—they testify."

 

Manifesto 

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Rooted in the ethos of Arte Povera and the philosophy of Wabi-sabi, my practice unfolds within the realm of material poetry. In the search for essence, I begin from the Cosa Mentale, where abstract intuition becomes embodied through the resistance of matter.

 

Drawing on Leonardo da Vinci’s conception of painting as “mute poetry,” I explore the evocative power of raw materials: mulberry paper, bamboo, pumice, waxes, charcoal, and pure pigments. Through the alchemy of Yakisugi, fire transforms matter and reveals traces, engravings, and writings: these scars do not narrate, but testify.

 

The elements do not support the work: they are the work itself in its continuous becoming. Whether in the structural folds of textile architecture or in inscriptions inspired by the ancient Oracle Bone script, the mark emerges through subtraction, combustion, and material imprint, giving life to true Material Haiku: poetic presences in which absence takes on tangible consistency, far removed from any notion of loss or melancholy.

 

No scale, medium, or inhabited space defines the project. Each work asserts the same necessity: to give form to the presence that arises through absence.

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Manifesto (Italian)

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Radicata nell’ethos dell’Arte Povera e nella filosofia del Wabi-sabi, la mia pratica si sviluppa nella poesia materiale. Nella ricerca dell’essenza, parto dalla Cosa Mentale, dove l’intuizione astratta si concretizza attraverso la resistenza della materia.

 

Accogliendo l’idea leonardesca della pittura come “Poesia muta”, esploro il potere evocativo di materiali grezzi: carta di gelso, bambù, pomice, cere, carbone e pigmenti puri. Attraverso l’alchimia dello Yakisugi, il fuoco trasforma la materia e ne rivela tracce, incisioni e scritture: segni che non narrano, ma testimoniano.

 

Gli elementi non sostengono l’opera: sono l’opera stessa nel suo continuo divenire. Che si tratti delle pieghe strutturali dell’architettura tessile o delle iscrizioni ispirate all’antico script Oracle Bone, il segno emerge attraverso sottrazione, combustione e impronta materica, dando vita a veri e propri Material Haiku: presenze poetiche in cui l’assenza assume consistenza tangibile, lontana da ogni idea di mancanza o malinconia astratta.

 

Non importa la scala, il mezzo o lo spazio abitato dal progetto. Ogni opera afferma la stessa necessità: dare forma alla presenza che nasce attraverso l’assenza.

 

Manifiesto (Castellano)

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Arraigada en el ethos del Arte Povera y en la filosofía del Wabi-sabi, mi práctica se desarrolla en la poesía material. En la búsqueda de la esencia, parto de la cosa mentale, donde la intuición abstracta se encarna a través de la resistencia de la materia.

A partir de la concepción de Leonardo da Vinci de la pintura como “poesía muda”, exploro el poder evocador de materiales en estado bruto: papel de morera, bambú, pómez, ceras, carbón y pigmentos puros. A través de la alquimia del Yakisugi, el fuego transforma la materia y revela huellas, incisiones y escrituras: estas cicatrices que no narran, sino que testimonian.

Los elementos no sostienen la obra: son la obra misma en su constante transformación. Ya sea en los pliegues estructurales de la arquitectura textil o en las inscripciones inspiradas en el antiguo Oracle Bone Script, la marca emerge a través de la sustracción, la combustión y la impronta material, dando vida a verdaderos Material Haiku: presencias poéticas en las que la ausencia adquiere consistencia tangible, lejos de toda idea de carencia o melancolía abstracta.

No importa la escala, el medio o el espacio habitado por el proyecto. Cada obra afirma la misma necesidad: dar forma a la presencia que surge a través de la ausencia.

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Biography: 

Gaby Oshiro is a visual artist based in Colorado Springs. Born in Buenos Aires, she is the daughter of Beba Bresolin—photographer, pianist, and founder of the group Familiares de Desaparecidos de la Colectividad Japonesa, and Oscar Takashi Oshiro, a labor lawyer who defended factory workers before becoming a desaparecido during Argentina’s military dictatorship.

She was trained in Italy at the Liceo Artistico Statale di Treviso and in Argentina under Guggenheim Fellow Carlos Gorriarena.

Her major research project, Kintsugi, examines the legacy of the disappeared through site-specific installations. The project debuted at the Espacio Cultural de la Biblioteca del Congreso de la Nación in Argentina (Kintsugi I). It later evolved into Kintsugi Part II: The Presence of Your Absence, an installation featuring portraits on chairs, which was presented at the Galleria dell'Artistico in Italy and the CMA Centro Municipal de Arte Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Most recently, Oshiro was the Featured Artist for the Denver Art Museum's Dream Studio (2024), where she produced two installations and a modular origami sculpture.

 

Biografia:

Gaby Oshiro è nata a Buenos Aires. Nel 1986 si è trasferita in Italia, terra natale della madre.

Ha studiato al Liceo Artistico Statale di Treviso. Dopo il diploma (1990) ha lavorato nel il laboratorio fotografico di sua madre. Nel 1993 si trasferisce a BuenosAires dove frequenta l’Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova e l’Universidad de Palermo.

All’Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova ha frequentato i corsi del pittore argentino Carlos Gorriarena allievo di Lucio Fontana e Guggenheim fellow; inoltre da Gorriarena riceve l’invito ad approfondire la sua ricerca assieme ad un gruppo di allievi nel suo atelier.

Nel 1997 ritorna il Italia, dove collabora per alcuni anni con lo scultore Valeriode Marchi; inoltre forma gli Oshiro band dove suona e compone insieme al chitarrista Stefano Silenzi.

Nel 2001 si trasferisce negli Stati Uniti, dove tutt’oggi vive con marito e figli ed esercita la sua attività artistica.

Sitografia:

http://goshiro.wixsite.com/goshiro

http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/author/ oshiro-gaby/

https://www.instagram.com/oshirogk/ 

 

EDUCATION

 

Mentorship: Atelier of Carlos Gorriarena (Guggenheim Fellow), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

Liceo Artistico Statale di Treviso, Italy (Fine Arts/Architecture), 1986-1991.

 

Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires (Graphic Design), 1993-1995.

 

RESIDENCIES & PUBLIC PROJECTS

 

Nov. 2023–2024: Denver Art Museum, Featured Artist (Dream Studio), Hamilton Building.

Six-month engagement featuring two site-specific installations and a mega-origami lotus.

 

2022: Pikes Peak Library District, Artist in Residence (Maker in Residence).

Created a 10ft x 4ft community-collaborative modular origami mulberry paper sculpture.

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (Selected)

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2026 Carbondale Arts. April 17 - May 21

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2026 (Upcoming): Kintsugi-Traces of You, Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche (UNAJ), Buenos Aires.

 

2025: Material Haiku, Manitou Art Center (Hagnauer Gallery), Colorado. Curated by Germano Dalla Pola.

 

2024: Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO.

 

2024: Material Haiku, Surface Gallery, Old Colorado City, CO.

 

2024: Solo Exhibition, Auric Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO.

 

2019: Kintsugi Part II: The Presence of Your Absence, CMA Centro Municipal de Arte, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires.

 

2018–2019: Kintsugi Part II: The Presence of Your Absence, Galleria Dell’Artistico, Treviso, Italy.

 

2016: Kintsugi I, Espacio Cultural Biblioteca del Congreso de la Nación (National Library of Congress), Buenos Aires.

 

2010: Solo Exhibition, Antlers Hilton Hotel (World Aquatic Health Conference), Colorado Springs, CO.

 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (Selected)

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2026 Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, March 2026 (deco-boco)

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15th Annual Carbondale Fashion Show: Step Right Up March 12-14, 2026  ⁠(deco-boco)

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2025–2026: Stories We Share, Tales, Myths and Traditions. The Collective, Lafayette Arts & Cultural Resources Department, CO.

 

2025: Ensō Collection, 14th Annual Carbondale Fashion Show, CO. (deco-boco)

 

2025: House of GOCA: Psychedelic Garden, UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art, Colorado Springs, CO. (deco-boco)

 

2024: Absolute Immunity, Emmanuel Art Gallery (alongside Shepard Fairey), University of Colorado Denver.

 

2024 -ARTcade, curated by the Denver Theatre District.

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2020: Artists Respond to Kintsugi, Japanese Arts Network, Denver, CO.

 

2017: Bienal Sur (Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo de América del Sur). Project Pre-selected (Shortlist).

 

AWARDS & HONORS

 

2025: People’s Choice Award (Avant-Garde Fashion), House of GOCA, UCCS Ent Center for the Arts.

 

2025: People's Choice Award (Maximalism), Denver Fashion Week.

 

2019: Career Advancement Grant, Colorado Creative Industries.

 

2017: Finalist, Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, Denver, CO.

 

2017: Shortlisted, Bienal Sur (Selected 324 from 2,543 international applicants).

 

COLLECTIONS

 

Pioneer Museum, Colorado Springs, CO (Permanent Collection, Acquired 2025).

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SELECTED WRITINGS & PUBLICATIONS

• 2016: 17 No Sabian Que Somos Semillas- Los 17 Desaparecidos de la Colectividad Japonesa en la Argentina by Andrés Asato.

  • Co-Author: Wrote the historical chapter "Con Alma Tanguera" regarding the enforced disappearance of Oscar Takashi Oshiro.

     

• 2010–Present: Discover Nikkei (Japanese American National Museum).

  • Contributing Writer: Authored multiple essays on Nikkei identity, Latin American history, and art.

• 2017–2018: Revista La Roca.

  • Author: Series of articles on contemporary art practice and cultural memory (Italian/Spanish editions).

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