In 2007, the rafts were reconfigured into smaller vessels, and new members joined who built new rafts. She studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and inspired by her surroundings began to put up posters and stickers on city walls and billboards, altering existing advertising in an act of ‘brandalism’. 8. She says "I hope it represents this very basic need in people while rebuilding to rebuild joyfully and with imagination. Street and installation artist Swoon, aka Caledonia Dance Curry (b. The project culminated in a public conference at the University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Gabor Mate as the keynote speaker, a private workshop with members of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, and a public mural, Healing Begins with Connection, across the street from Prevention Point in Kensington. 2011, Swoon: Thalassa (The Great Hall Project), site-specific installation, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, July 8 - September 25. 2016, The Light After, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI, October 8 - November 26. Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. All rights reserved. The boats were tethered by ropes to the skirts of a twenty-five-foot-high paper sculpture of two sisters embracing, the central image of the massive indoor portion of the show. 2020, Swoon: Time Capsule, multi-city travelling exhibition, Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, Munich, Germany, May - August. ©2021 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. 2020, The Slow Reprise, Galerie LJ, Paris, France, June 25 - September 26. 2019, Cicada, Deitch Projects, New York, NY, November 14 - February 1. She moved to New York City at age nineteen following her creative aspirations, and specializes in life-size wheat paste prints and paper cut-outs of figures. A fleet of three rafts, named Maria, Alice and Old Hickory navigated an open crossing of the Adriatic Sea, before moving into the protected in-land Littoral canals of Italy. 4. She said “they’d tell me this is how you paint, these are the galleries that you will work with, and this is how your life is going to be.”[4], In 1999, searching to carve her own pathway and make her work more accessible to everyday people, she began pasting her paper portraits to the sides of buildings. Price slider. Since 2005, Swoon has created over 20 solo exhibitions, most of which are immersive, site-specific installations, in museums and commercial galleries around the world. Curry imagined that if the water of the East River were to rise, her boats could float into the shelter of the gallery space. The project was the last in a series of river-based projects founded or led by Swoon, which included Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea (2008) on the Hudson River, and The Miss Rockaway Armada (2006-2007) on the Mississippi River. Curry cites multiple sources of inspiration for Serenissima, including a brief time living on a sailboat in the Netherlands, Viking boats, and the impact of her first visit to Venice where she was struck by the conversation between the water and architecture. [25], Swimming Cities of Serenissima was a fleet of sculptural junk rafts that crashed the 2009 Venice Biennale. In 2008, Swoon returned to Deitch Projects for an ambitious, two-part exhibition Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea. Swoon, The Canyon: 1999 - 2017. £511. Her memorial portrait of Silvia Elena Morales (2008), who was murdered in Juarez, Mexico, addressed the ongoing femicides that have claimed the lives of thousands of women in Mexico and Central America since 1993. The rafts pushed off at White Sands in 2006, and performed musical variety shows and arts workshops in the towns along the river. She received a classical Western education in both technique and career trajectory, which she viewed as too limited. Swoon has wheatpasted her intricate portraits on city streets around the world, including New York, Detroit, San Francisco, London, Bilbao, Hong Kong, Djerba, Cairo, Tokyo, and Jogjakarta. She studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and started doing street art around 1999 and large-scale installations in 2005. Biography / SWOON Born in New London, Connecticut, Swoon moved to Brooklyn, New York at the age of 19 to study painting at world renowned Pratt Institute, where she received her BA in fine art in 2002. [1][2] Her work centers the transformative capacity of art as a catalyst for healing within communities experiencing crisis. Swoon is a Brooklyn-based street artist famous for her life-sized woodblock and cut-paper portraits and her humanitarian projects in Haiti. 7. [32] Swoon was one of several New York City-based artists that founded the initial concept, and who was instrumental in raising funds and other resources for its execution; however the project was led using a co-operative model that had as many as 70 rolling members over two years, and was not directed by Swoon. [26] She also credits the experience of the Miss Rockaway Armada for leading her to explore the possibilities of floating sculptures as a way to live and travel, while also building the knowledge and community necessary to attempt the complicated logistics of navigating rafts through the Ventian lagoon. Street artist Swoon grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida but moved to New York at age nineteen, following her creative aspirations. Swoon (born Caledonia Dance Curry in 1978) is a street artist who specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of human figures. The Road Home hosted daily drop-in workshops at the Kensington Storefront, located across the street from Prevention Point, a center that provides services to people experiencing homelessness and addiction. I’ve [become] a focused, confident artist because of them. After completing her studies at the Pratt Institute, Swoon realized that she would not be content to only exhibit in galleries and museums. (2011). The project’s mission centered on the belief that the creative process can help in this time of crisis. Swoon worked with collaborators Lisa D’Amour (playwright), Sxip Shirey (circus composer), and Dark Dark Dark (original music) to create the performance that was set on the boats. Swoon (American, b.1977) is a notable Street artist, who has contributed to the Pop Art movement. Caledonia Dance Curry, widely known as the street artist Swoon, bounces and glows with the paint-splattered youthful optimism of an art school undergrad, despite the recent and somewhat sudden passing of her mother, frequent trips to a ravaged but recovering Haiti for her “Konbit Shelter” sustainable housing project—and of course, the mounting pressure of her massive upcoming solo … She is best known as one of the first women Street Artists to gain international recognition. Swoon, creates street art, installations, and sculptural assemblages, merging art and activism with the intent of improving the world. 9. A residence/art studio for artist, Rebecca DiDomenico. Biography Caledonia Curry, a.k.a. [21] Curry’s intention was to cultivate a space for collective play to support the process of healing from disaster. "Street Artist Swoon on Why Her Work Can Be Girly and Gritty", "New York Street and Installation Artist Swoon Uses Humanity as Her Most Powerful Tool", "Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea - Swoon", "CALEDONIA CURRY Five Stories with SWOON", "In The Music Box, New Orleans Residents Hear Hope", "Finding Good in Our Own Limitations | Caledonia Curry | TEDxPittsburghWomen - YouTube", "Interviews: Swoon – "The Swimming Cities of Serenissima" « Arrested Motion", "Sending Out the Signal: Swoon Interviewed by Katie Peyton - BOMB Magazine", "Jerry Saltz on the 53rd Venice Biennale - artnet Magazine", "Art Down the Mississippi. When asked about how she felt about the project ending before reaching their New Orleans destination, Swoon said “The deep, deep truth of the matter is that I don’t regret it. Swoon’s signature works include life-size human forms that she creates from recycled newsprint paper. The short film addresses the trauma of growing up in an opioid addicted family through mythological figures and feminine allegory, including the “Tarantula Mother.”[11], Jeffrey Deitch has been credited as the gallerist that introduced Swoon to an international art audience, and has continued to advocate for her work. 2013, Petrichor, Manatee-Sarasota Fine Art Gallery, State College of Florida, Brandenton, FL, March 1 - April 3. 2013, Motherlands, Galerie LJ, Paris, France, November 30 - January 15. Braddock Tiles began with the intention of restoring the roof of the church entirely from handmade artisanal tiles that would be created in a ceramics workshop in the basement of the church. Over the next 10 years, Swoon participated in a number of projects that focused on rehabilitating the structure in a way that would also engage and benefit the immediate surrounding community. 2011, Thekla, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, February 14 - March 5. [24], Curry and the Heliotrope Foundation are currently working to pass the care of the building into new hands. Usually the works are posted on abandoned buildings, bridges, fire … [1][2] She was part of a group of artists early 00’s, including JR and Banksy, that were committed to pushing the forms and conceptual limits of the Street Art genre.[4]. Apply Filters. Both of her parents struggled with opioid addiction; her father became clean, but her mother did not. In 2015, she began working with Philadelphia Mural Arts on the multi-platform project 5 Stories. Swoon’s initial excitement at being included in a group art show at Moma, NY, was deflated by her realisation that they still only represent a relatively low percentage of female artists… By continuing to use our sites and applications, you agree to our use of cookies. [2], Swoon’s site-specific exhibitions are in close dialogue with her activism and advocacy efforts, which explore the power of art to respond to crises caused by natural disasters, structural violence, and addiction. Both Maya and Daytona-born artist Caledonia Curry, aka Swoon, concur on the premise that women are largely tokenised in their field. The classes addressed the relationship between trauma, loss, addiction and mass incarceration. 2008, Swoon, site-specific installation, Deitch Projects, New York, NY, July 7 - August 13. Artist page for Swoon (born 1977) Caledonia Curry (born 1977), whose work appears under the name Swoon, is a contemporary artist who works with printmaking, sculpture, and stop-motion animation to create immersive installations, community-based projects and public artworks. Swoon is a Brooklyn-based artist whose l ife-sized woodblock and cut-paper portraits hang on walls in various states of decay in cities around the world. The Miss Rockaway Armada, was a collectively realized semi-utopian experiment in communal living and home-made raft navigation that travelled down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis during two summers in 2006 and 2007. In 2011, Swoon, with co-founding members Jay Pennington, Taylor Shepard and Delaney Martin, developed the concept of musical architecture and invited 25 artists to create site-specific installations that would become the initial prototype and sound laboratory. Curry said, "the 80-year-old retired painters adopted me; they taught me how to paint. [7], When the exhibition opened on July 7, 2005, guests were greeted by the surprise arrival of the band Japanther, which played from the back of a Penske box-truck to a street crowded with over 1,000 people. She is best known as one of the first women Street Artists to gain international recognition. Curry returned to Philadelphia in 2018 to continue her harm-reduction advocacy with Philadelphia Mural Arts, Jessica Radovich, Heather Box, and Julian Mocine-Mcqueen. The show highlighted the development of the artist’s practice beyond street art, featuring her first stop-motion animation. Over the 9-month initial run, the Music Box received local and national attention, and began to sell out performances, with lines wrapping around the block. [4] At the age of 10, her mother enrolled her in art classes for retirees. Curry cites Dr. Gabor Mate, author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, as someone who changed her perspective by helping her understand that addictions are a desperate attempt to soothe unmanageable pain. [27], Swimming Cities of Serenissima entered the Venetian Lagoon in May 2009. Biography Swoon is a contemporary American street artist best known for her large-scale wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts. She is best known as one of the first women Street Artists to gain international recognition. Read Swoon's bio and find out more about Swoon's songs, albums, and chart history. Flanj, who plays the role of bandleader in Swoon, considers 2" Crucible to be his primary undertaking. She called me a one-hit-wonder. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions at key galleries and museums, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art.Swoon's work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from $55 USD to $28,117 USD, depending on the size and medium of the artwork. She doesn’t appreciate the endearing nickname I gave her. The band released their debut EP, Pikul, in July 2005, and their debut album, Carnavas, on July 26, 2006.Their second album, Swoon, was released on April 14, 2009. [21], In 2007, Swoon and a group of friends were invited to purchase and restore an abandoned church in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Dorian Tomasiak (born 6 June 1993), known professionally as Tom Swoon (and previously as Pixel Cheese), is a Polish former DJ and record producer.. Tom Swoon used to host Lift Off Radio on Electro City on Dash Radio.He debuted in the DJ Mag ' s 2015 Top 100 DJs voting poll as No. Her imagery is drawn from friends, family and other people she has met whose lives she wants to honor. Submerged Motherlands. Swoon, born Caledonia Dance Curry, studied at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, before bringing her art to the streets in 1999, wheat pasting her large linoleum- and woodcuts on the sides of the industrial buildings of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. At Least, That's the Plan", "Banksy: 7 stories from 'The Man Behind the Wall, "Swoon: From the Streets to the Galleries", October 10, 2008 "Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea", Scribe Media video, November 2008, "A Two Way Street", ARTNEWS, interview with Swoon about the Portrait of Silvia Elena at Honey Space, New York, Article and Interview in Time Out London, November 25, 2011, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swoon_(artist)&oldid=1009659706, Wikipedia articles with RKDartists identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, street art, community engaged art, site-specific installation, printmaking, sculpture, stop-motion animation, This page was last edited on 1 March 2021, at 18:02. Käthe Kollwitz, née Schmidt (German pronunciation: [kɛːtə kɔlvɪt͡s]; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945), was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture.Her most famous art cycles, including The Weavers and The Peasant War, depict the effects of poverty, hunger and war on the working class. 2018, Swoon: New Works, Galerie LJ, Paris, France, October 11 - November 24. The project drew from her experience growing up in an opioid addicted family. [17], Swoon’s first museum retrospective, The Canyon: 1999-2017, opened on September 22, 2017 at the Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati. From sofas to sideboards, and desks to … She moved to New York City at age nineteen following her creative aspirations, and specializes in life-size wheat paste prints and paper cut-outs of figures. These are the perfect tools for making things as old as time new again -- including an art world turned dangerously into itself. The project dry docked at a restaurant and biker-bar called Ducky’s Lagoon in the Quad Cities when the weather became too cold to continue. Wall art. Get recommendations for other artists you'll love. I only regret that [the boats] were disposed of in an irresponsible way. In 2014 when I first moved to New York, I visited the Brooklyn Museum and saw the exhibit Submerged Motherlands.It was a dreamlike, larger-than-life experience created by the artist Swoon… [29]”, Konbit Shelter was founded in 2010, in response to the earthquake in Haiti killed more than 100,000 people and destroyed more than 250,000 homes. Biography. The artist’s real name is Caledonia Dance Curry. Caledonia Curry was born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her work centers the transformative capacity of art as a catalyst for healing within communities experiencing crisis. Music Box Village currently runs a calendar of regular night-time performances, as well as daytime hours for guests to explore and play the musical structures. [20] This compassionate approach helped Curry forgive her own family members and deepen her conviction that our culture could destigmatize addiction and cultivate healing in our individual responses and public policies if we understood the trauma behind it. Konbit Shelter has focused on creating meaningful work and well-paid jobs for local residents while collectively creating beautiful permanent architectural answers to the problem of rebuilding from disaster using new strategies with limited resources. This was conceived as a way to create well-paid jobs locally, fostering community reinvestment that would address the economic devastation caused by the closure of the manufacturing sector in Braddock. She has a crush on a douche bag. "[22], On Oct 22, 2011, The Music Box hosted its debut performance. [35], Swoon is widely known as one of the first women to achieve large-scale recognition as a Street Artist. Each week, Klub Obzevatwa teachers introduce 30-40 local kids to arts, crafts, and building design concepts that range from drawing, cooking, tile-setting, earthquake preparedness, Haitian culture and history, and games, song and dance.[31]. artnet and our partners use cookies to provide features on our sites and applications to improve your online experience, including for analysis of site usage, traffic measurement, and for advertising and content management. 2011, Anthropocene Extinction, site-specific installation, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts, September 3 - December 30, 2012. Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center, 2017. [9] Sort By ... Swoon and carefully selected third parties use cookies on this site to … Biography by Jon O'Brien + Follow Artist The brainchild of dEUS co-founder Stef Kamil Carlens, ever-changing Belgian indie rock collective Zita Swoon have since become a multimedia project with their ventures into dance, theater, and visual… Swoon (American, b.1977) is a notable Street artist, who has contributed to the Pop Art movement. These efforts included collaborating with local artist collective Transformazium on a deconstruction (as an alternative to demolition) initiative for fire-damaged sections of the building, creating a Super Adobe dome in the building’s disused parking lot, and, finally, the creation of Braddock Tiles.[24]. The flotilla travelled south to St. Louis, where they made an emergency landing on Bob Cassilly’s land, the founder of the City Museum of St. Louis, after river conditions became too dangerous to navigate. Curry led a small group of artists, engineers, and builders who connected with the village of Komye (Cormiers in French), 15 miles from the epicenter of the quake. She is also known as a designer of several large-scale installations, most notably the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea in 2008. Artist Biography by John Vallier The duo Swoon is comprised of Hood and Flanj, two musicians who have collectively and individually done stints with Wait for Nothing and a number of other projects. The program directed the resources collected through their fundraising efforts to paid apprenticeships that would teach local youth ceramic fabrication and leadership skills, as well as host field trips and workshops to foster re-interpretation of local history and youth-led projects that included creating decorative murals for their community. Swoon is a contemporary American street artist best known for her large-scale wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts. Heliotrope projects have been supported by hundreds of donors and individual patrons through Kickstarter campaigns, fundraiser events, and through ongoing affordable print sales featuring the work of contemporary artists and local artisans from the communities served. Artist Biography by John Vallier The duo Swoon is comprised of Hood and Flanj, two musicians who have collectively and individually done stints with Wait for Nothing and a number of other projects. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. While the remaining collective members camped on Cassilly’s land, the rafts were eventually all burned, or cut loose from shore and disappeared. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by Swoon. 2019, Swoon, Galerie Henrik Springmann, Freiburg, Germany.