Peter Gabriel – o\i – The Artwork

Once again, Peter Gabriel has accompanied each track on his new album with a work of art. This follows the same principle as on i/o. Once again, suitable artists and works of art were sought out worldwide – though the works were not always created specifically for the song.

Gabriel feels a strong connection to the visual arts – whether paintings, sculptures, or photographs. He loves it when there is an exchange, a dialogue between his music and other forms of expression. He has long been inspired by interdisciplinarity. In the case of album artwork, he has also liked to draw on material from the field of science.

Here we present the 12 artworks for o\i, the artists, and some background information.

1 – Janaina Mello Landini: "Ciclotrama 156 (palindrome)" for Been Undone
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overview of the o\i article series

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Release #1 from January 3, 2026: Been Undone

The Track

Been Undone is a rather quiet song that enumerates a bitter, long list what has ruined or destroyed in life. However, Gabriel also says that he actually sees these negatives in a positive light. Because you also learn from difficult and painful moments in life – often the most.

And so the song continues with an optimistic "just listen and feel." And at the end, even "and I feel it in you, you feel it in me." So the sombre conclusion is that you can feel something after all – in others, in yourself.

The Artist

Janaina Mello Landini (born in Brazil in 1975) initially studied architecture, then fine arts; her work also incorporates insights from physics and mathematics.

She initially worked as an architect for ten years, then designed stage sets and costumes for theater productions and films between 2003 and 2006. In 2013, she moved to São Paulo to devote herself exclusively to her art. She still lives and works there today.

In 2010, Landini began experimenting with space, using threads, nails, and knots, twisting and tension. She now works almost exclusively with strings and ropes, which she weaves and knots into wall hangings and expansive webs. Many of them resemble roots, branches, and trees. They are also reminiscent of lichen growth or the structures of blood vessels.

Her work is characterized by skilled technique, often taking months or even years to complete. She frequently draws on the Fibonacci sequence and other patterns found in nature, contrasting the rigid logic of artificial structures with the wisdom of organic forms. She seeks to explore themes such as connectedness and interdependence, time, and diversity.

Landini's objects have been exhibited in Brazil, France, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Her works were on display at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2016, at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire in 2019, and at the 13th Mercosul Biennial in 2022.

Her website provides a comprehensive insight into her work.

The Artwork

The first artwork for the album is called Ciclotrama 156 (palindrome), measures 138cm x 138cm, was created in 2019 and consists of handmade green cotton rope on linen.

Two separate fabric panels spread out in semicircular, highly branched structures. Both extend toward each other, and there is a knot at the connecting center. In a sense, it is the center of everything.

The title Ciclotrama combines the word "cycle" with the latin word "trama" (meaning "chain" or "weaving"). The additional designation palindrome refers to the mirrored arrangement, which allows the work to be "read" forwards and backwards.

At the moment, Landini's existing piece has been selected for Been Undone. But Gabriel is delighted to announce that another work, created especially for the track, is to follow.

The Connection

Gabriel finds several connections to his song in the depiction: the theme of knots and entanglement or disentanglement, the thread that either does us up or undoes us, perhaps also the thread of life in general. He also recognizes something like brain hemispheres. This fits in with his current theme of the brain project, to which he adds the song Been Undone.

He probably also likes the exciting connection between technical precision (he also sees fractals here) and natural, organic structures.

Fun fact: Gabriel pronounced the name of the upcoming album also as "Oi". This is a greeting in Brazilian Portuguese, similar to 'Hi'.

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Author: Thomas Schrage