Gio Swaby
My work revolves around an exploration of identity, more specifically, the intersections of Blackness and womanhood. I am interested in the ways in which this physical identity can serve as a positive force of connection and closeness, while also examining its imposed relationship to otherness.
Each piece I create continues to build upon an integral aspect of my practice: to contribute to the visibility of Blackness in the art world. At many points in our lives, Black women can live within a paradox of hypervisibility and yet still not feeling truly seen. I want my work to function as a love letter of sorts to Black women, to create space for us not only to be represented but to be celebrated.

Pretty Pretty 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in
96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 10

Pretty Pretty 10 (detail)

Love Letter 8

Pretty Pretty 11

Love Letter 10

PrettyPretty12

Love Letter 9

New Growth Second Chapter 8

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 1

New Growth Second Chapter 7

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3 Detail

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 5

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4 Detail

New Growth Second Chapter 11

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 6

Pretty Pretty 8

Pretty Pretty 8(detail)

Love Letter 5

Love Letter 3

New Growth Second Chapter

Pretty Pretty 6

Pretty Pretty 6(detail)

New Growth Second Chapter 2

Pretty Pretty 7

Pretty Pretty 7(detail)

Pretty Pretty 5

New Growth 2

Love Letter 6

Love Letter 7

New Growth 1

New Growth 3
Gio Swaby
Pretty Pretty 10, 2021
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in
96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
- Tumblr

Expo Chicago, Stand 107
April 7, 2022 to April 10, 2022
Navy Pier, Chicago IL
View exhibit press release (pdf)
Claire Oliver Gallery is thrilled to announce our return to Chicago for a long-overdue in-person celebration of art. At this inception of EXPO CHICAGO, the Gallery will bring major new works by artists Gio Swaby, Robert Peterson, Adebunmi Gbadebo, and Stan Squirewell. These artists whose practices vary but share a commonality in their desire to reframe the often-politicized Black body.
In addition to these powerful voices the Gallery will present a special exhibition, "The Lost Negatives," the works of photographer Jeffery Henson Scales. Historically significant, culturally cool, and artistically framed, the works transcend the view into the artist's unique vantage point to history. The exhibition features photographs from the 1960s including Henson Scales’ earliest forays as a photographer during the electrifying summer of 1967 when, at age 13, he toured the Midwest to see relatives in Chicago. As a Black teenager, he saw the poverty and oppression of Northern Black communities and when he returned to Oakland, CA became immersed in photographing the milieu of the Black Panther movement in Northern California. These images chart the emergence of his awakening as a documentary photographer as well as a Black man in a pivotal moment in the 20th century that echoes today’s Black Lives Matter movement.

Current image:
Sunshine

Current image:
Iron Sharpens Iron

Current image:
Seeing You Through Her and Me: Vo
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2022

Current image:
Seeing You Through Her and Me: Carissa
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2022

Current image:
Seeing You Through Her and Me: Jodi
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2022

Current image:
Sacred Twins
Photo Collage, Mixed Media, Hand Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2022

Current image:
Papa Gimme Candy, Gramma Not At All
Photo Collage, Mixed Media, Hand Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2022

Current image:
In A Time Of Panthers 2
Gelatin Silver Print
1969

Current image:
In A Time Of Panthers 17
Gelatin Silver Print
1968

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In A Time Of Panthers 23
1968

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In A Time Of Panthers 19
Gelatin Silver Print
1968

Current image:
Blues People
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
2021

Current image:
Blues People 19
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
2021
UNTITLED ART, Miami Beach 2021
November 29, 2021 to December 4, 2021
Miami Beach, FL
View exhibit press release (pdf)
CLAIRE OLIVER GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT POINT OF CONTACT, AT UNTITLED MIAMI
The Four Person Exhibition Will Feature New Works by Gallery Artists
Barbara Earl Thomas and Gio Swaby and Debuting Works by Gallery Newcomers Robert Peterson and Stan Squirewell
On View at Untitled Miami, November 29 – December 4, 2021
Point of Contact features the work of four artists whose practices vary but share commonality in their desire to reframe the often politicized Black body. Featuring figuration across mediums including Thomas’s signature polychrome cut paper, Swaby’s thread line
drawings on textile and polychrome quilt portraits, Peterson’s monumental oil on canvases and Squirewell’s mixed media photo collage, each work presents an opportunity for engagement where the art historical “gaze” is reversed and viewers are met as equals. The four artists use their works as a striking rebuke to white supremacy, eschewing negativity, they uplift by depicting their community in beauty, joy, and power as the ultimate form of resistance

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Point Of Contact Installation View
2021

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Lady With Flowers
Paper cut with hand printed color
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Gio Swaby
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 10 (detail)
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Watch Over Us
Oil on Canvas
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Robert Peterson
2021

Current image:
Lil Benny
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Lil Benny
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Stan Squirewell
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Robert Peterson
2021

Current image:
You Before Me
Oil on panel
2021

Current image:
CRWN
Oil on Canvas
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Easter Sunday
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 8
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
All my life
Oil on Canvas
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Stan Squirewell
2021

Current image:
Crystal Mae
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Point Of Contact Installation View
2021

Current image:
Soufside Louie
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Soufside Louie
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 11
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 9
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
PrettyPretty12
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Bonita Sioux
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021

Current image:
Saintpaulia
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
2021
1-54 Contemporary, London 2021
October 14, 2021 to October 17, 2021
Somerset House, London
View exhibit press release (pdf)
"A major aspect of Ms. Swaby’s practice is using her work as a celebration. For her, being joyful as a Black woman, as well as connecting and sharing in that joy with other Black women, is a form of resistance. “What I’m trying to achieve, over all, is to have that moment of joy with the viewer, and understanding that Black joy can actually be a form of resistance to white supremacy,” she said."
-Mr. Pierre-Antoine Louis from The New York Times

Current image:
1-54London2_21

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4 Detail

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Gio_460x345

Current image:
New Growth Second Chapter 8
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

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1-54London3_21

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 1
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 2
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

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1-54London1_21

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1-54London5_21

Current image:
New Growth Second Chapter 7
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
New Growth Second Chapter 11
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 5
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
New Growth Second Chapter 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
New Growth Second Chapter 9
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3 Detail

Current image:
Another Side To Me Second Chapter 6
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
2021
Gio Swaby: Both Sides of the Sun
April 10, 2021 to June 5, 2021
Claire Oliver Gallery
View exhibit press release (pdf)
My work revolves around an exploration of identity, more specifically, the intersections of Blackness and womanhood. I am interested in the ways in which this physical identity can serve as a positive force of connection and closeness, while also examining its imposed relationship to otherness.

Current image:
Love Letter 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 6(detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 6
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 5
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 7
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 7
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
New Growth 1
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 5
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 5 (detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 6
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 9
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Love Letter 4
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 8
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 8(detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
New Growth 2
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021

Current image:
New Growth 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2021
Four Now; Leonardo Benzant, Barbara Earl Thomas, Adebunmi Gbadebo & Gio Swaby
December 1, 2020 to January 23, 2021
Claire Oliver Gallery
View exhibit press release (pdf)
Four Now Is A Presentation of The Gallery’s Booth at Untitled Art Fair,
Telegraphing the Excitement of Miami Art Week To Claire Oliver’s Harlem Headquarters
With A Dynamic Program of Virtual Talks

Current image:
That Which Weaves All Of Time Together
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
2020

Current image:
That Which Weaves All Of Time Together (detail)
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
2020

Current image:
Four Now
Exhibition Installation Photograph
2020

Current image:
Holding Fire 2
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
2020

Current image:
Holding Fire 2 (detail)
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
2020

Current image:
Four Now
Exhibition Installation Photograph
2020

Current image:
Production 1
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
2020

Current image:
Production 1 (detail)
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
2020

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2020

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 3 (detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2020

Current image:
That Which Weaves All Of Time Together
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
2020

Current image:
On Fire
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
2020

Current image:
A Dilemma of Inheritance: pages 7-15-10
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
2020

Current image:
Pretty Pretty 4
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
2020
Sunshine

Iron Sharpens Iron

Seeing You Through Her and Me: Vo
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
84 x 48 x 1.5 in | 213.4 x 121.9 x 3.8 cm
2022

Seeing You Through Her and Me: Carissa
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
78 x 62 x 1.5 in | 198.1 x 157.5 x 3.8 cm
2022

Seeing You Through Her and Me: Jodi
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
78 x 62 x 1.5 in | 198.1 x 157.5 x 3.8 cm
2022

Sacred Twins
Photo Collage, Mixed Media, Hand Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
48 x 47.5 x 2.5 in | 121.9 x 120.7 x 6.4 cm
2022

Papa Gimme Candy, Gramma Not At All
Photo Collage, Mixed Media, Hand Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
38 x 52.75 x 2.5 in | 96.5 x 134.0 x 6.4 cm
2022

In A Time Of Panthers 2
Gelatin Silver Print
22 x 14.75 in | 55.9 x 37.5 cm
1969

In A Time Of Panthers 17
Gelatin Silver Print
22 x 14.75 in | 55.9 x 37.5 cm
1968

In A Time Of Panthers 23
22 x 14.75 in | 55.9 x 37.5 cm
1968

In A Time Of Panthers 19
Gelatin Silver Print
14.75 x 22 in | 37.5 x 55.9 cm
1968

Blues People
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
60 x 70 x 1.5 in | 152.4 x 177.8 x 3.8 cm
2021

Blues People 19
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
18 x 22 x 1 in | 45.7 x 55.9 x 2.5 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Installation View

Lady With Flowers
Paper cut with hand printed color
38.25 x 40 in | 97.2 x 101.6 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Gio Swaby

Pretty Pretty 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 10 (detail)
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Watch Over Us
Oil on Canvas
114 x 60 x 2 in | 289.6 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Robert Peterson

Lil Benny
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
30.75 x 54 x 3 in | 78.1 x 137.2 x 7.6 cm
2021

Lil Benny
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
30.5 x 54 x 3 in | 77.5 x 137.2 x 7.6 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Stan Squirewell

Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Robert Peterson

You Before Me
Oil on panel
36 x 60 x 2 in | 91.4 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

CRWN
Oil on Canvas
18 x 24 x 2 in | 45.7 x 61.0 x 5.1 cm
2021

Love Letter 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Easter Sunday
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
45 x 51.5 x 3 in | 114.3 x 130.8 x 7.6 cm
2021

Love Letter 8
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

All my life
Oil on Canvas
72 x 48 x 2 in | 182.9 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Visitors looking at Stan Squirewell

Crystal Mae
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
20.25 x 25.5 x 3 in | 51.4 x 64.8 x 7.6 cm
2021

Point Of Contact Installation View

Soufside Louie
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
16.5 x 18.5 x 3 in | 41.9 x 47.0 x 7.6 cm
2021

Soufside Louie
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
16.5 x 18.5 x 3 in | 41.9 x 47.0 x 7.6 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 11
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Love Letter 9
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

PrettyPretty12
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021

Bonita Sioux
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
20.5 x 25.5 x 3 in | 52.1 x 64.8 x 7.6 cm
2021

Saintpaulia
Mixed Media Collage with Carved Shou Sugi Ban Frame
23 x 19 x 3 in | 58.4 x 48.3 x 7.6 cm
2021

1-54London2_21

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 4 Detail

Gio_460x345

New Growth Second Chapter 8
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
16 x 20 in | 40.6 x 50.8 cm
2021

1-54London3_21

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 1
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 2
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

1-54London1_21

1-54London5_21

New Growth Second Chapter 7
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
16 x 20 in | 40.6 x 50.8 cm
2021

New Growth Second Chapter 11
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
16 x 20 in | 40.6 x 50.8 cm
2021

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 5
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

New Growth Second Chapter 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
16 x 20 in | 40.6 x 50.8 cm
2021

New Growth Second Chapter 9
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
16 x 20 in | 40.6 x 50.8 cm
2021

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 3 Detail

Another Side To Me Second Chapter 6
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
28 x 36 x 1 in | 71.1 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Love Letter 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 6(detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 6
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Love Letter 5
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 7
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Love Letter 7
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

New Growth 1
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 14 x 1 in | 96.5 x 35.6 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 5
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 5 (detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Love Letter 6
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 9
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Love Letter 4
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 8
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

Pretty Pretty 8(detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 84 x 1 in | 96.5 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2021

New Growth 2
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 14 x 1 in | 96.5 x 35.6 x 2.5 cm
2021

New Growth 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
38 x 14 x 1 in | 96.5 x 35.6 x 2.5 cm
2021

That Which Weaves All Of Time Together
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
40 x 150 x 15 in | 101.6 x 381.0 x 38.1 cm
2020

That Which Weaves All Of Time Together (detail)
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
40 x 150 x 15 in | 101.6 x 381.0 x 38.1 cm
2020

Four Now
Exhibition Installation Photograph

Holding Fire 2
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
26 x 40 x 1 in | 66.0 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm
2020

Holding Fire 2 (detail)
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
26 x 40 x 1 in | 66.0 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm
2020

Four Now
Exhibition Installation Photograph

Production 1
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
36 x 84 x 3 in | 91.4 x 213.4 x 7.6 cm
2020

Production 1 (detail)
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
36 x 84 x 3 in | 91.4 x 213.4 x 7.6 cm
2020

Pretty Pretty 3
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
36 x 84 x 1 in | 91.4 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2020

Pretty Pretty 3 (detail)
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
36 x 84 x 1 in | 91.4 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2020

That Which Weaves All Of Time Together
upholstery fabric, string, monofilament, leather, gel-medium, acrylic, pony beads, semi-precious stones and seed beads
40 x 150 x 14 in | 101.6 x 381.0 x 35.6 cm
2020

On Fire
cut Tyvek and hand-rolled lithograph
26 x 40 x 1 in | 66.0 x 101.6 x 2.5 cm
2020

A Dilemma of Inheritance: pages 7-15-10
Human Black Hair, Cotton, Rice Paper, Denim, Indigo, Hair Dye, Silk Screen Print
77 x 30 x 1 in | 195.6 x 76.2 x 2.5 cm
2020

Pretty Pretty 4
thread and fabric sewn on canvas
36 x 84 x 1 in | 91.4 x 213.4 x 2.5 cm
2020

Museum Collections
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Museum of The Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA
- Museum of The Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
- Harper House, Detroit, MI
- Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
- Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
- The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Solo Exhibitions
- Both Sides Of The Sun, Claire Oliver Gallery 2021
- Rooted: An Exploration of Blackness and Womanhood –
The Current | Nassau, Bahamas – 2018 - We All Know Each Other – Unit/Pitt Projects | Vancouver, BC – 2017
Selected Group Exhibitions
- FOUR NOW, Claire Oliver Gallery 2020
- Net Worth – UNITED CONTEMPORARY | Toronto, ON – 2020
- Transforming Spaces – The D’Auguilar Art Foundation | Nassau, Bahamas – 2019
- Die Textile: Stoffsuche – Kunsthaus Alte Mühle | Schmallenberg, Germany – 2018
- 5th Annual Art Competition – Central Bank of The Bahamas |
Nassau, Bahamas – 2018 - Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series (Vancouver Finals) – Gallery Jones |
Vancouver, BC – 2018 - Going Out Clothes – Cheeky Proletariat | Vancouver, BC – 2018
- Übersee: Cuba and The Bahamas – Halle 14 | Leipzip, Germany – 2017
- National Exhibition 8 – National Art Gallery of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas – 2016
- Graduate Exhibition – Emily Carr University of Art & Design | Vancouver, BC – 2016
- Nassau Calling – HilgerBROTKunsthalle | Vienna, Austria – 2015
- Black Girl in Unnatural Habitat – Abraham Rogatnick Gallery | Vancouver, BC – 2015
- 32nd Annual Art Competition – Central Bank of The Bahamas | Nassau, BahamasMap of the New Art – Giorgio Cini Foundation | Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice – 2015\National Exhibition 7 – National Art Gallery of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas – 2014
- Intersect: Junior Residency Artists’ Exhibition – Popopstudios ICVA | Nassau, Bahamas – 2013
- Celebrating 40 Years of Bahamian Independence – Bahamian Embassy | Beijing, China – 2013
- SINGLESEX – National Art Gallery of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas – 2013
- Harry C. Moore Library Mural Project – The College of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas -2012
- Independence Invitational – Central Bank of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas 29th Annual Art Competition – Central Bank of The Bahamas | Nassau, Bahamas -2012
- Transforming Spaces – The Hub | Nassau, Bahamas -2012
- Transforming Spaces – The Pro Gallery | Nassau, Bahamas; Bahamas International Film Festival | Nassau, Bahamas – 2011
Awards and Distinctions
- BC Arts Council Grant – Project Assistance for Visual Artists | 2020
- Emily Carr University – President’s Media Award for Best Art Installation | 2016
- Emily Carr University of Art & Design – Scholarship | 2015
- Charitable Arts Foundation – Tuition Grant | 2014
- Ministry of Education of The Bahamas – Tuition Grant | 2013
- Popopstudios ICVA – Junior Artist Residency Prize | 2013
- College of The Bahamas – Tuition Bursary | 2011
Articles and Reviews
- Cascone, Sarah. Meet Artist Gio Swaby, the 29-Year-Old Phenom Whose Sold-Out Debut Boasted Buyers Including Eight Museums (and Roxane Gay), news.artnet.com, June 4, 2021
- Louis, Antoine-Pierre. A Love Letter to Black Women, New York Times, April 10, 2021

Pretty Pretty 10
cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin
38 x 84 x 2 in
96.5 x 213.4 x 5.1 cm
2021
Download Biography

/Dialogues: Textile Artists Now
Panelists | Gio Swaby (Artist), Kimberli Gant (Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art | Brooklyn Museum), LJ Roberts (Artist). Moderated by Michelle Millar Fisher (Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston).

Gio Swaby: Visual Artist Centers on Black Joy as a Radical Act | Juneteenth Artist Showcase | OWN
As the daughter of a seamstress, Bahamian-born artist Gio Swaby says she grew up in a house that was teeming with colorful fabrics and threads. Today, Swaby uses textiles to convey the beauty, power and joy of Black womanhood.

Press
Gio Swaby’s Textile Portraits Are a Love Letter to Black Womanhood
Harper's BAZAAR
April 6, 2022

Museum & Institutional News
Gio Swaby: Fresh Up
Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg
May 28, 2022 - October 9, 2022

Press
MFA Boston Reframes the American Experience in ‘Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories’
ARTFIX daily
October 17, 2021

Press
Harlem’s Trailblazing Claire Oliver Gallery Premieres At Untitled Miami 2021
harlem world
November 23, 2021

Press
In Miami, Buyers Hit the Beach for Untitled Art Fair—to Gallerists’ Palpable Relief. Here’s What’s Sold So Far
artnet news
November 30, 2021

Press
The Need-to-Know Artists From 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2021
Elephant news
October 15, 2021

Press
‘Are There Any Left?’: A Sales Frenzy at London’s 1-54 Fair Reflects the Heated Demand for African Contemporary Art
artnet news
October 14, 2021

Press
Oprah Taps Artists Bisa Butler, Gio Swaby and More for Juneteenth Series
ARTFIX daily
June 16, 2021

Press
Meet Artist Gio Swaby, the 29-Year-Old Phenom Whose Sold-Out Debut Boasted Buyers Including Eight Museums (and Roxane Gay)
artnet news
June 4, 2021

Museum & Institutional News
Framing Black Sisterhood: an interview with Gio Swaby by Nya Lewis
Femme Art/Review
June 1, 2021

Museum & Institutional News
Diaspora, Darning and “Die Textile”: Giovanna Swaby takes her place in Germany
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
July 24, 2018

Museum & Institutional News
The Translation Conversation: Migration and navigating blackness in Bahamian womanhood
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
January 24, 2017