Gabriel Massan

Gabriel Massan is a multidisciplinary artist, working with 3D animation, digital sculpture, games, sound and installation to examine the inequalities that pervade the Latin American experience. In a process the artist labels ‘fictional archaeology’, Massan drafts incredibly expansive projects, developing apocalyptic digital worlds with abstract entities who navigate the vestiges of Brazilian colonialism. Both societal and ecological ills pollute these spaces, as characters try to move through these dystopian universes. Massan often works collaboratively, a working methodology which was sparked during years as a teenager developing Simms realms with friends. After being disappointed with the rigidness of their video art degree in Brazil, Massan moved to Berlin in 2020, where a thriving scene for digital art was taking hold. Their 2023 Serpentine show, Third World: The Bottom Dimension was developed with a group of designers, musicians and artists and resulted in a free downloadable game for remote audiences to participate in. Incorporating stylistic traits of manga and botany, this ongoing project subverts stereotypes surrounding the term ‘third world’ and celebrates other forms of cultural ‘otherness’ which break societal moulds. Massan continues to create mind-bending projects which force viewers to reassess reality.