Gio Swaby Explained

Gio Swaby
Birth Date:September 9, 1991
Nationality:Bahamian
Alma Mater:OCAD UniversityEmily Carr University of Art and DesignThe University of The Bahamas
Website:gioswaby.com

Gio Swaby[1] (born Giovanna Swaby in 1991) is a Bahamian[2] textile artist[3] who grew up in Nassau, Bahamas.[4] [5] She currently lives and practices in Toronto, Ontario.[6] [3]

Swaby is well known for her textile portraits and silhouettes’ which she has created as "a love letter to Black women".[7] Her works are included in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston among others.[6] [8]

Early life and education

Gio Swaby grew up in Nassau, Bahamas, with three older sisters and one younger brother. They were raised by their mother who was a seamstress.[7] As a child, Swaby was taught how to sew clothes for her dolls by her mother. Her mother became a direct influence on her approach to art and creation.[4]

Swaby first studied art at the College of the Bahamas, before moving to Vancouver, Canada to attend Emily Carr University of Art and Design.[4] In 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, Video and Integrated Media.[9]

In 2022, she completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at OCAD University.[5]

Media reception

Swaby was featured in the September 2022 edition of Essence magazine.[4] Additionally, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) featured Swaby's work in its “Juneteenth Artist Showcase".[10]

Exhibitions

Swaby’s first solo museum exhibition Gio Swaby: Fresh Up![11] [12] was co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Saint Petersburg and the Art Institute of Chicago.[13]

Gio Swaby: Fresh Up! first opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL on May 28, 2022 and was scheduled to run until October 9, 2022, however, due to hurricane Ian, the exhibition was closed one week early on October 2, 2022. Gio Swaby: Fresh Up! is set to open at the Art Institute of Chicago on April 9, 2023.

On April 12, 2022, a monograph of her work was published by Rizzoli Electa to coincide with her first solo museum opening.[14] It includes an exclusive interview between Swaby and Pulitzer Prize winner, Nicole Hannah-Jones.[13]

In 2022, she also exhibited at EXPO Chicago andher work was written about in the Chicago Sun Times.[15]

Public collections

Solo exhibitions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Diaspora, Darning and "Die Textile": Giovanna Swaby takes her place in Germany. – National Art Gallery of The Bahamas . 2023-01-27 . en-US.
  2. Web site: The Translation Conversation: Migration and navigating blackness in Bahamian womanhood – National Art Gallery of The Bahamas . 2023-01-27 . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2021-06-01 . Framing Black Sisterhood: An Interview with Gio Swaby By Nya Lewis . 2023-01-27 . Femme Art Review . en-US.
  4. Web site: Visual Artist Gio Swaby Wants To Leave A Legacy Of Love Through Her Work . 2023-01-27 . Essence . 27 September 2022 . en-US.
  5. Web site: Alum Gio Swaby's meteoric rise OCAD University . 2023-01-27 . www.ocadu.ca.
  6. Web site: Cascone . Sarah . 2021-06-04 . Meet Artist Gio Swaby, the 29-Year-Old Phenom Whose Sold-Out Debut Boasted Buyers Including Eight Museums (and Roxane Gay) . 2023-01-27 . Artnet News . en-US.
  7. 2022-04-06 . Gio Swaby's Textile Portraits Are a Love Letter to Black Womanhood . 2023-01-27 . Harper's BAZAAR . en-us.
  8. Web site: Redazione . 2022-06-07 . GIO SWABY: FRESH UP . 2023-01-27 . ArteMorbida . en-US.
  9. Web site: Mag . S. A. D. . Meet December's Featured Artist, Gio Swaby! . 2023-01-27 . SAD Mag . 27 December 2017 . en-CA.
  10. Web site: Juneteenth Artist Showcase - OWN Your Shine . 2023-01-27 . Oprah.com.
  11. Web site: Gio Swaby . 2023-01-27 . Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg . en.
  12. Web site: Gio Swaby: Fresh Up . 2023-01-27 . The Art Institute of Chicago . en.
  13. Web site: Gio Swaby: Fresh Up . 2023-01-27 . The MFA Store . en.
  14. Donaldson . Tara . Textiles, Triumphs and Love Letters to Black Women: Gio Swaby's Solo Museum Debut . Women's Wear Daily . 28 May 2022 . 28 January 2023.
  15. Web site: 2022-04-06 . Navy Pier's newest installation: Expo Chicago . 2023-01-27 . Chicago Sun-Times . en.
  16. Web site: Swaby . Gio . 2021 . Love Letter 5 . 2023-01-27.
  17. Web site: Claire Oliver Gallery . Gio Swaby CV .
  18. Web site: Pretty Pretty 3, Gio Swaby ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art . 2023-01-27 . collections.artsmia.org.
  19. Web site: Whitewall: Art, Design, Fashion, and Luxury Lifestyle . 2023-01-27 . Whitewall . en.
  20. Web site: Higgins . Kay . 2017-08-19 . Gio Swaby: We All Know Each Other . 2023-01-27 . UNIT/PITT . en-CA.
  21. Web site: Higgins . Kay . 2017-10-03 . Artist tour and discussion with Gio Swaby . 2023-01-27 . UNIT/PITT . en-CA.

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