Gabriel-Bello Díaz, also known as GABO, is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary artist, designer, educator, and community organizer based in Seattle. His practice bridges architecture, digital fabrication, and fine art to tell stories rooted in ancestry, identity, and futurism.
Díaz’s creative foundation began in architecture. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology, a Master’s in Architectural Sustainability and Design from the University of East London, and a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona. His training in design, sustainability, and robotics introduced him to digital fabrication as a tool for building and a medium for storytelling, bridging structure with creativity.
In 2014, Díaz founded Efficio, a design studio that merges leatherwork with laser cutting and 3D printing to create jewelry, bags, and garments. He has curated multiple fashion shows, treating clothing as an art form for dialogue. Showcased at the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Waterfront, Bemis Arts Building and other community spaces. His project Ancestral Future remains his proudest vision, blending ancestral textile traditions and digital fabrication to highlight community narratives.
Beyond his personal studio, Díaz is a cultural organizer and mentor. He has curated and published AntiSocial, a fashion-art editorial featuring over 150 Seattle artists, and has organized exhibitions, workshops, and mentorship programs supporting over 30 emerging artists as they build sustainable careers. Currently, Díaz is Program Manager at Shunpike, where he leads the Seattle Restored and ACES programs, while also teaching at Seattle Central College, where he integrates art, technology, and community engagement into education systems.
As a full-time artist, Díaz’s work spans painting, beading, clay, and immersive technologies. His recent series Mi Gente draws on his early architectural gesture drawings and his love for 1970s–80s fashion illustration, creating expressive figures that honor resilience and collective joy. His art has been exhibited across Seattle, including the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Hotel Crocodile, and numerous galleries, residencies, and public installations.
Whether through a brushstroke, a digital model, or a community initiative, Díaz continues to merge tradition with innovation, uplifting cultural memory while building infrastructures of care and imagination for artists and communities.
Díaz’s creative foundation began in architecture. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology, a Master’s in Architectural Sustainability and Design from the University of East London, and a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona. His training in design, sustainability, and robotics introduced him to digital fabrication as a tool for building and a medium for storytelling, bridging structure with creativity.
In 2014, Díaz founded Efficio, a design studio that merges leatherwork with laser cutting and 3D printing to create jewelry, bags, and garments. He has curated multiple fashion shows, treating clothing as an art form for dialogue. Showcased at the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Waterfront, Bemis Arts Building and other community spaces. His project Ancestral Future remains his proudest vision, blending ancestral textile traditions and digital fabrication to highlight community narratives.
Beyond his personal studio, Díaz is a cultural organizer and mentor. He has curated and published AntiSocial, a fashion-art editorial featuring over 150 Seattle artists, and has organized exhibitions, workshops, and mentorship programs supporting over 30 emerging artists as they build sustainable careers. Currently, Díaz is Program Manager at Shunpike, where he leads the Seattle Restored and ACES programs, while also teaching at Seattle Central College, where he integrates art, technology, and community engagement into education systems.
As a full-time artist, Díaz’s work spans painting, beading, clay, and immersive technologies. His recent series Mi Gente draws on his early architectural gesture drawings and his love for 1970s–80s fashion illustration, creating expressive figures that honor resilience and collective joy. His art has been exhibited across Seattle, including the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Hotel Crocodile, and numerous galleries, residencies, and public installations.
Whether through a brushstroke, a digital model, or a community initiative, Díaz continues to merge tradition with innovation, uplifting cultural memory while building infrastructures of care and imagination for artists and communities.
