Gisela McDaniel
b. 1995, United States
Born 1995 in Bellevue, Nebraska. Lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.
Gisela McDaniel is a diasporic, indigenous Chamorro artist. Her work is based in healing from her own sexual trauma and reflecting the healing of womxn and non-binary people who have survived sexual trauma. Interweaving assemblages of audio, oil painting, and motion-sensored technology, she creates pieces that “come to life” and literally “talk back” to the viewer upon being triggered by observers. She intentionally incorporates survivor’s voices in order to subvert traditional power relations and to enable both individual and collective healing. Working primarily with women and non-binary people who identify as Black, Micronesian, Indigenous to Turtle Island, Asian, Latinx, and/or mixed-race, her work disrupts and responds to historical/contemporary patterns of silencing in fine art and popular culture.
She aims to heal those who have experienced gender-based sexual violence, giving a voice, space, as well as a confidential vehicle for survivors to not only share their experiences, but to also explore how those experiences have affected them long-term.
[Biography courtesy of Pilar Corrias]