Royal Scottish Academy

Explorationation, Experimentation, Growth

Gabriele says ‘I applied for the Barns-Graham Trust Travel Award in 2013, just before graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. When I wrote my proposal to travel to Poland to explore brutalist architecture, I remember thinking, “I’m definitely not going to get this, but at least I tried.”

It’s now been more than ten years since that trip, which took me through Kraków, Warsaw, Katowice, Wrocław, and the places in between. I remember getting lost in unfamiliar places, which often led to unexpected discoveries. With a vague agenda, I was able to experience environments intuitively. I documented the journey using analog photography and a sketchbook. My phone didn’t even have a camera or navigation.

I’ve continued to make abstract work. While my approach to making and processes have shifted since my twenties, the need for abstraction, precision, and detail has remained. It felt brave to make non-representational work, and I’m grateful that the foundation supported that vision. Reflecting on this early stage of my career, I realise how significant that experience was. It gave me the confidence to continue drawing and printmaking and to imagine a future where I could make a living from it.

Today, I work in Higher and Further Education and in a sculpture workshop. Watching new graduates step out into an increasingly uncertain creative world makes me appreciate how fortunate I was to have that early support—the time, space, and a deadline—to explore, experiment, and grow.’

Above: Gabriele Jogelaite, wiggleroom (2), detail, 2023, ink on paper, 65.5 x 47.5 cm.