Artist Spotlight – Swoon

Caledonia Curry, better known as Swoon, is an American artist and filmmaker who gained popularity as the first woman street artist to achieve international recognition in a traditionally male-dominated field, paving the way for a future generation of female street artists.

As a classically trained printmaker, Swoon has innovated new approaches to create large-scale relief prints, screenprint editions and intricate papercuts. Through intimate portraits, immersive installations and multi-year community based projects, she has spent over 20 years exploring the depths of human complexity in her work.

Swoon is recognised around the world for her pioneering vision of public artwork. She regularly creates large-scale installations that combine her prints with found objects, such as furniture and other discarded materials, in order to ask how art can fundamentally re-envision the communities we live in towards a more just and equitable world.

In addition to her street art, Swoon is also known for her community-based projects, which often involve working with local residents to create art installations that represent their neighbourhood and its history. She has worked with residents of New Orleans to create large-scale installations in areas that were affected by Hurricane Katrina, and with residents of Detroit to create a public art project that involved repurposing abandoned houses.

Want to see Swoon’s art up close and personal? Book now for The Urban Frame – Mutiny in Colour, running until 12 September.