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Swoon is Coming this Fall to the Contemporary Arts Center

Organized by the Contemporary Arts Center; Curated by Steven Matijcio

CINCINNATI, OH – The CAC is organizing the first major survey of era-defining artist Caledonia Curry, better known as Swoon, to celebrate the last 19 years of her career and to mark her next dynamic chapter. This self-titled exhibition showcases dimensions of Curry’s multi-faceted practice, including a new large-scale public installation, re-stagings of past landmark projects and a survey of her socially-driven work in countries like Haiti and Kenya and cities like Braddock and New Orleans. She takes a site specific approach with each piece in this exhibition to respond to the museum’s unique architecture.

Swoon is a pioneering social champion in a field traditionally dominated by men and typically deemed illegal. She overcomes every barrier to re-define what “street art” means today.
Curry uses drawing, printmaking, wheatpaste and cut paper to give life to faces and figures who take on an extraordinary presence when placed in public space. She explains, “I make [the figures] human-scale and close to the ground, so you have a one-on-one experience. I like to think of them as vessels of empathy.”

To expand the impact of Swoon’s time in Cincinnati, the CAC initiated her participation in the Cincinnati Ballet’s 2017 New Works performance that took place April 20-29, where she collaborated with renowned choreographer Jennifer Archibald to design a newly created stage set that will subsequently become part of the CAC exhibition. The CAC also hopes to present a new large-scale public work by Swoon that animates the core spirit of her street art.

Coinciding with her solo exhibition, Swoon is also launching the Archivist’s Circle. This website will house a selection of her works representative of each year dating back from 1999 to 2017. These works serve as a great showcase for the breadth of Swoon’s career and offer a taste of what the CAC exhibition will look like.

For more information visit contemporaryartscenter.org

Swoon, Thalassa, 2016. Courtesy Detroit Institute of Art © Sal Rodriguez