YG15 Showcase: Gabe Liberti

Shining the spotlight on this year's Young Guns winners

Young Guns 15, arguably the most prestigious portfolio-based competition for creatives under 30, is going out with a bang! This year's winners were unveiled earlier this month, and it's safe to say that this is one of the most eclectically talented classes in Young Guns history. 

This Thursday is the traditional Young Guns ceremony and party, (you've scored your tickets, right?) and nearly all of this year's winners will be travelling from across the globe, across the country, or across the Williamsburg Bridge to attend. Ahead of the festivities, the One Club for Creativity is highlighting many of the winners you'll be able to meet.

GABE LIBERTI
Installation Artist + Music Producer
Based In: Brooklyn, NY
Originally from: Bucks County, PA
daveandgabe.care

SEE GABE'S YG15 PROFILE + WORK

What does winning this award mean to you?

When I started designing interactive projects, I was lucky to personally know a handful of folks whose work I greatly admired. Many of those same artists went on to win the Young Guns award. I hope that the work I am doing can be an inspiration for the next generation of designers.

What sorts of challenges have you encountered to get where you are today?

Building large scale interactive projects can require a significant amount of resources to achieve. Building relationships with brands and agencies has been the way forward to enabling these projects at scale. While the creative designs can be challenging to make, the most difficult obstacles have related to navigating the industry as a small studio and winning work that we can control.

My partner Dave Rife and I have been lucky to have found support on the client-side — unconventional creative work takes confident, visionary partners that are excited to sail into uncharted territory.

Since Young Guns 15 allowed you to submit six projects for consideration, some self-curation was required. How did you decide what to enter?

My studio was founded on a love of sound and music. I knew that the majority of the projects I would be submitting were ones that demonstrated the pursuit of forging these passions into interactive installations.

I also was excited to share the work we’ve been doing to establish our shared warehouse studio space as a venue for presenting our most experimental projects and a place for other members of the extended community to show their work as well.

Can you name any past Young Guns winners who you look up to

George Michael Brower (YG14), Santiago Carrasquilla (YG14), Ezra Miller (YG14), Lauren McCarthy (YG14) and Masashi Kawamura (YG6)

What keeps you going, creatively speaking? What drives you and your work?

I believe that artists, designers, and musicians have new opportunities to present their work in physically immersive and interactive ways.  I also believe that audiences are ready to experience the work in these ways. I am inspired to continue developing projects with my studio that demonstrates the opportunities in this landscape and to build bridges between creators and new fans.

Now that you’re a Young Guns winner, what’s next?

Excited to meet new friends! Hi I'm Gabe :)

Gabe and his fellow winners will be honored at the Young Guns 15 Ceremony + Party, taking place on Thursday, November 16 at Highline Stages in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. 

Young Guns 15 is presented in proud partnership with Shutterstock, Levene/Leavitt and MTV.

GET TICKETS