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Gabriel Marini
Gabriel Marini is an artist from Hamilton, Ontario. Gabriel is a digital and traditional illustrator with a focus on sports, music, art history, and metaphor. His interests and aesthetic approach steer him in the direction of editorial, advertising, and marketing illustration. When not making art, Gabriel can often be found checking his sports fantasy teams, working out, listening to his favourite albums, or doing all three at the same time.
Contemporary Classics
Contemporary Classics represents Gabriel’s love letter to metaphor and symbolic illustration. The project blends classical compositions from art history with contemporary Hip Hop, Rap, and R&B artists. The series integrates research to creatively link the original paintings to the subject matter of each artist’s discography.
Malcolm Swims
A painting depicting Mac Miller as Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The original composition was painted by John Everett Millais in 1852. The converging themes between Mac and Ophelia, being swallowed by circumstance and tragedy, lends to a narrative of loss.
Nighthawks at Blonde’s
A rendition of Edward Hopper’s classic painting highlighting the artist Frank Ocean. This painting conveys the many themes in Ocean’s music: lost love, grief, loneliness, and the struggle with sexual identity.
Another Lost ‘Ville Son
Based on the painting Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan, painted in 1885 by Ilya Repin. Comparing the scene to the tragic subject matter of J. Cole’s critically acclaimed album, 4 Your Eyez Only, shows the pain, survivor’s guilt, and the cost of losing a loved one in an untimely and violent fashion.
Kanye Devours Kanye
A grotesque image showcasing the self-destructive tendencies that are now synonymous with the rap superstar, Kanye West. Borrowing imagery and influence from Francisco Goya and George Condo’s work on West’s studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the painting exudes raw grittiness and shock value.
Mortal Man and the Magi
This painting based on Maarten De Vos’ Adoration of the Magi, originally created in 1599, is a blend of the concepts and themes tackled by industry leader and acclaimed recording artist, Kendrick Lamar. The work acknowledges Black excellence, Black art, and the reclaiming of Black heritage. It offers a visual metaphor for Black representation in the public eye.“Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night”
“Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night” is a 6-page narrative depicting feats of human ingenuity in modern history, accompanied by the titular poem by Dylan Thomas. Each page focuses on mastery of power, forces once beyond comprehension, and the highest highs and lowest lows of the planet’s surface. The work offers snapshots of people from all walks of life raging against the dying of the light. The narrative also highlights lesser-known and minority figures, such as Ana Bertha Ludwig and the African American soldiers who manned the USS Mason defense submarines during World War 2.
“The Best of ‘23”
“The Best of ‘23” are a series of material design posters showing expressive action shots, moments, and iconography associated with the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and UFC. The designs of each poster are contained within the silhouette of a notable player or athlete that represents the whole of the sport or organization. The five superstars featured are: Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, MMA fighter Leon “Rocky” Edward, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.