20.5 × 20.5 cm

Cyanotype Photography on arches cotton paper

Framed in white timber with museum-quality glass

Self esteem & Anchor

This body of work explores the body as a site of memory and transformation. Through self-portraiture, I examine identity as something layered and evolving, shaped by both internal landscapes and natural elements. In these images, organic materials such as seaweed and feathers become extensions of the self. They speak of vulnerability and strength coexisting while navigating change. The body becomes a space of reflection while remaining open to movement and renew.

Gabby Villalba is a Venezuelan-born photographer whose work moves between self portraiture and experimental approaches. Based in Australia since 2013, her practice explores memory, transformation and the relationship between body and its surroundings.

Living between Venezuela and Australia deeply shapes her perspective, allowing her to reflect on place as both territory and emotional space. Her images often use the seascape as a metaphor for transition, while the body becomes a site of memory and change. Working with slow-crafted processes, she creates cyanotypes using sunlight as an essential part of her image-making.

Gabby was a finalist in the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize in 2024 and 2025. Alongside her artistic practice, she documents artists and cultural life while nurturing creative communities through La Crème Creative Inc. and the Brookvale Arts District (BAD).