Mike Swaney, MS0016/2023 Untitled ceramic, 2023

Nacido en Kimberley, Canadá (1978). Vive y trabaja en Barcelona.

Swaney trabaja desde la imaginación, como un elemento opuesto al uso de imágenes fotográficas, y acude intencionadamente a referentes como Jean Dubuffet, el Art Brut o el Outsider Art, y a canales de búsqueda infinitos como Internet.

Su obra está plagada de personajes de apariencia naif y fuerte carga simbólica. Figuras humanas de rasgos muy esenciales, recortadas sobre fondos planos y que no parecen interactuar entre sí. Rostros simplificados que Swaney utiliza no exento de ironía, a modo de emoticonos de la sociedad actual. Los descontextualiza y manipula hasta perder su significado original, un ejercicio que da pie a la reflexión sobre los efectos de la revolución digital en nuestras vidas.

Conocido por su pintura expresiva y sus esculturas, Swaney invita al espectador a indagar sobre las costumbres, los rituales y los objetos desde la perspectiva del absurdo. Su afán por reproducir situaciones de nuestra vida cotidiana provoca que, una vez introducidos en la obra, se adhieran a una lógica surrealista que no deja indiferente a nadie.

Óleo, acrílico, gesso y bolígrafo sobre tela le bastan para jugar con el folclore contemporáneo en textos, recortes de periódicos y artefactos. El resultado son botijos multicolores, simétricos castellets y emoticonos como que llevan el humor hasta en el título.

Swaney ha expuesto su obra en galerías y ferias de arte de todo el mundo; desde Barcelona a Nueva York, pasando por Miami, Toronto, Copenhague y Bruselas.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS | EXPOSICIONES INDIVIDUALES (SELECTION)

2024 No Games, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona

2023. Jardín de Luz. Delimbo Gallery. Sevilla

2022. 4 Hands, Steve Turner, Los Angelese
2022. How Many Paintings in a Roll of Canvas?, NBB Gallery, Berlin
2021. Finger Family, Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens
2021. Torrential Avalanche Sandwich, Breach Miami

2019. Peanut Butter & Honey Moon, Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels

2018. Here I am, here I am, how do you do? L21, Mallorca, Spain

2017. Ongange Lellow, Gnyp Gallery, Berlin
2016. Papisho, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus
2015. Physiology of Taste, Rafael Pérez Hernando, Madrid

2015. Sculptures & Groceries, Louis 21 – The Envelope, Palma de Mallorca

2014. Subtropics, Krets, Malmö

2014. Hut 1 Paintings 4, Blokker, Madrid
2013. Sleeping Beauty Painter, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus

2013. You just got blogged, me & the curiosity, Barcelona

2013. :•), noestudio, Madrid
2012. Efecto Dubuffet, Mulherin + Pollard, New York

2012. Go West, Escala, Valencia, Spain 2011 Ding Dong , Alice Gallery, Brussels

2012. Ancient Scrolls, Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, Miami 2010 The Corner, Victor Saavedra, Barcelona
2009. Zulu Voodoo Buddha Guru, Iguapop Gallery, Barcelona

2009. Safari Arc Performance, Locust Projects, Miami
2008. Butler’s Credit, Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Toronto

2008. Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Red Deer, Atelier Gallery, Vancouver

2007. Artifacts from Finland, Iguapop Gallery, Barcelona

2006. Onoffonoffonoff (w/ Human ve collective), Art Firm, Calgary
2004. Spirit in the sky takes rest..., (w/ Human ve collective), The Crying Room, Vancouver

2003. Human ve (w/ Human ve collective), Compound Gallery, Portland

GROUP EXHIBITIONS | EXPOSICIONES COLECTIVAS (SELECTION)

2024. La Invitación, Gaviota, Madrid
2024.To Build A Home, Mini Galerie, Rotterdam
2024.New Portraits, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona
2023 “la terre est bleue comme une orange“, Alzueta Gallery, Madrid
2023. MAMA, I’M COMING HOME, Tim Contemporaneo, Santiago
2022 Familiar Faces, Mini Galerie, Rotterdam
2022. Plays Well With Others, Freight+Volume, New York
2022. Paradisio, Breach, Miami
2022. Dream Paper, Galerie Slika, Lyon
2022. NBB III, NBB Gallery, Berlin
2021 NBB PAPERWORKS VOL II, NBB Gallery, Berlin
2021. Paper, BEERS London

2021. Now Now, Breach, Miami
2021. Perfect Conditions, Galerie Slika, Lyon

2021. CRYSTAL. Delimbo Gallery, Spain

2020.Then and Now, Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens

2020.The Edge of Chaos, The Newsstand Project, LA

2018. 3 person show, Ever Gold Projects, San Francisco

2018. As If A Field Could Become Some Dream, No Place, Columbus, Ohio

2018. Velvet Ropes GIFC, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen
2017. In Paper We Trust, The Dot Project, London- curated by Sara Clarken & Brigitte Mulholland

2017. Three-way Ticket, Needles And Pens, San Francisco- curated by Pablo de Pinho

2017. 21, Left Field Gallery, San Luis Obispo, USA

2016. Grand Opening Show, Allouche Gallery, NY

2016. Itch Under The Skin, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark
2016. GIFC VOL 2-6, David Risley Gallery, Happy Ending, HAIK HQ, Steinsland Berliner, Agnes B’s Gallerie du Jour
2016. Christmas Show, Versace Versace Versace, Miami

2015. Second Show, Eddys Room Gallery, NY

2015. Art Copenhagen w/ Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Denmark Sun Spot, Big Medium Gallery at Canopy, Austin, Texas Summer Mixer, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York

2015. Crossing the Line, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark
2015. Group show – Koelsch Gallery, Houston, Texas
2015. Creative Expressions, organized by Jonathan Rajewski, College for Creative Studies, Detroit 2015. Art Herning w/ Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Herning, Denmark

2014. Ingràvid group show curated by Me & the Curiosity, Galería Lola Ventós, Figueres Swab Art 2014. Fair w/ me & the curiosity & Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Barcelona Summertimes, Galeria Yusto/Giner, Marbela

2014. Salat, 3 person show, CCA Andratx, Andratx

2014. Arti cilia, Cyan Gallery, Barcelona
2014. Still Life, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus
2014. Just Before Brazil, Alice Gallery, Brussels
2014. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Curated by Mónica Álvarez Careaga, Galería Astarté, Madrid

2014. Lost in Space, curated by Aliceday, Alice Gallery, Brussels

2013. The Hanging (w/ Huskmitnavn), Ruttkowski 68, Cologne

2013. Whole, In Part. Artists' Publications from the MACBA Collections, Musac, Leon Groupshow, 2013. Gallery Steinsland Berliner, Stockholm
2013. Swab Art Fair w/ me & the curiosity, Barcelona
2013. Living Video, Demolden, Santander, Spain
2013. Wintershow, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark

2012. Art Copenhagen w/ Alice Gallery and Charlotte Fogh Gallery Paperworld, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark Domesticated Souls, Alice Gallery, Brussels

2012. Blaque Lyte, ADA Gallery, Richmond, USA

2012. Esto no es graffiti, Cicus, Sevilla, Spain

2012. Fun, Riihimäki Art Museum, Riihimäki, Finland

2011. Pulse Miami w/ Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts

2011. BYOB Barcelona, Fundació Met.room
2011. Funky Pretty, Gallery Steinsland Berliner, Stockholm Art Brussels w/ Alice gallery

2010. Pintura? cuatro respuestas, Adhoc Galeria, Vigo, Spain

2010. Relationships, Galleri Christoffer Egelund, Copenhagen
2010. Guasch Coranty Painting Prize exhibition, Centre d’Art Tecla Sala, Barcelona Draw, Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
2010. Group show, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco
2010. To the road less travelled..., V1 Gallery, Copenhagen

2009. The Pop of Colors, POVevolving Gallery, Los Angeles

2009. Hello My Name Is, Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Los Angeles

2008. SCOPE Miami with Iguapop Gallery

2008. Landscape Portrait Pattern, Hallway Projects, San Francisco
2008. Out of STH, group show at Awangarda BWA, Wroclaw, Poland
2008. White Noise Drawn Together, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen
2008. How Clouds Dream (2 person show), Deluge Contemporary, Victoria, Canada Art Chicago & Art Cologne w/ Galeria Altxerri
2008. SCOPE New York w/ Iguapop Gallery
2008. White Noise, Space 1026, Philadelphia

2007. SCOPE Miami w/ Iguapop Gallery

2007. Slump (2 person show), Galeria Altxerri, San Sebastian, Spain Swab Art Fair w/ Iguapop Gallery, Barcelona

2005. Humble Beginnings, Belkin Satelite, Vancouver

2002. Dollhouse, The Crying Room, Vancouver

2002. It’s a Small World, Gallerie le Deco, Tokyo & Sis Boom Bah, Toronto

2002. Suggestive Line, Belkin Satellite Gallery, Vancouver
2001. Live installation/performance with Human ve, Helen Pitt Gallery, Vancouver

2001. Residents, Bubble Gallery, Vancouver