Marisabel Gonzalez is a storyteller who creates abstract compositions delving deep into human nature's emotional and psychological facets by exploring the myriad ways in which colour communicates and affects us. Rooted in her background in diagnostic medical imaging, echo patterns of ultrasound pictures, find their way to impact her colour decisions and mark-making techniques. The concept of Palimpsest – poignant in her work by the incorporation of text, collage elements and eclectic materials, such as aluminium and wood – accentuates the unique correlation between the act of painting and medical imaging, which can be seen as a back-and-forth, question-and-answer process, and a metaphor to her life’s journey.
Marisabel was born in 1973 in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently resides and works in Sydney, Australia. She studied Drawing and Painting (2002) at the Armando Reveron National Art School in Caracas, Venezuela; Drawing and Oil Painting (2003) at the Weston Art Institute in Weston, Florida, the United States of America; Mixed Media Painting (2013) at the Ewart Art School and Gallery in Sydney, Australia; Painting (2016) at the National Art School in Sydney, Australia; and Art History and Appreciation (2017) at the Art Institute in Sydney, Australia. She also obtained a Diploma in Medical Imaging (2008) and the title of Doctor of Medicine (2001) at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela.
Notable exhibitions include solo presentations at Art Gallery Lane Cove (2025), Hake House (2024 and 2023), Curl Curl Creative Space (2020) in Sydney, Australia, and Arianne Paffrath (2017) in Düsseldorf, Germany, accompanied by group shows at the Parliament House of NSW (2019) in Sydney, Australia; the Manly Art Gallery and Museum (2019) in Sydney, Australia; ASD (2017) in Den Haag, the Netherlands; to name just a few.
Marisabel has received various honours over the past years encompassing most recently a selection as a finalist for the Paddington Art Prize (2021), winner of the Collabor8 Women's Art Prize (2023), semi-finalist selection at the Luca Biennale Cartasia, Italy (2024), finalist of the LEDA Art Prize (2024) and finalist of the Northern Beaches Environmental Art Prize (2024 and 2025). As a result, her works feature in various public collections, encompassing the Barclays Private Bank in Sydney, Australia; the Stiftung Kleine Kunstdialog West/Ost in Düsseldorf, Germany; the Axicorp Corporate Collections in Singapore and London, the United Kingdom and various private collections across the globe.
Statement
All that I am comes through my art. My background in medicine, my career as an artist, my experiences of motherhood, and my life as an immigrant all blend into my practice. I draw inspiration from various sources, usually with a strong link to memories, and create gestural abstract compositions that explore the psychological effect of colour and how it can be used as an effective tool for communication.
My artwork involves the application of imagery and words, which are quickly twisted, transformed, and sometimes lost altogether within the multiple layers of mixed media. The creation of my work involves a constant back-and-forth question-and-answer process that resembles how I used to interrogate and create medical ultrasound images.
Through my paintings, I aim to give insight into the emotional aspect of human nature, attempting to inspire conversations on universal matters and concerns.