Gabriela Villalba is a Venezuelan-born photographer and graphic designer based in Sydney. Since moving to Australia in 2013, she has focused on documentary portraiture and artistic explorations. Her camera has documented much of the creative culture of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, capturing artists and their expressive processes.
Gabby’s journey into self-portraiture has expanded the boundaries of her documentary photography. Through handmade alterations using both ephemeral and permanent resources, she conveys intimate emotions, creating photographic hybrids that transcend traditional representation. Her work invites viewers to reflect on self-awareness, identity and the ways in which memory shapes our sense of self.
With a strong commitment to process, Gabby embraces experimentation and a more conscious approach to photography, working with reclaimed materials and less toxic photographic methods. She incorporates photograms, collages and 19th-century cyanotypes developed under sunlight, allowing time and slowness to become essential elements of her practice.
Gabby was a finalist in the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize in 2024 and 2025 and received an Honourable Mention in Photography at the Warringah Art Prize in 2015. Her work has been exhibited in Caracas, Miami, Sydney and Newcastle. With 18 years of experience in the advertising industry in Venezuela, she brings a strong foundation as a visual communicator. She is co-founder of Kayapa Creative Studio, where she documents artists and contributes to creative initiatives across the Northern Beaches, including La Crème Creative Inc. and Brookvale Arts District (BAD).
'As a resident of the Northern Beaches I extend my gratitude to the traditional custodians of this land. I pay my respects to Elders past, present, and future and celebrate the richness of Aboriginal cultures that continue to thrive here today.'