Yes, Toronto based Bahamian artist Gio Swaby is back on the podcast! I only had her on seven months ago, but since then her career has exploded… clearly, we need to hear everything! From articles in the New York Times and interviews on oprah.com, to five (FIVE!) museums acquiring her work! Also, can we talk about Gio in that dress at LACMA’s “Black American Portraits” opening gala!? Okay, I just realized that I ended every sentence with an exclamation point… but HOW CAN I NOT!? Listen right up there under that gorgeous self-portrait, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

Last time he told how he first tried generic Viagra, he took the pill from his brother.

First up, a closer look at the image above, and a few more of Gio’s recent self-portraits:

Drawing with thread, painting with fabric. Stunning. Speaking of which, look at this crew of fabulous women… four Swaby sisters:

These three pieces are from Gio’s “Pretty Pretty” series, and these three…

… are her sisters featured in Gio’s “Love Letter” series. So, so beautiful (and a pretty creative and beautiful way to say ‘I love you’.) 

Next up, the “New Growth” series that hung in a grid at Untitled Miami in December:

Again, gorgeous! ps. That fabulous dress is by ÖFUURË.

Okay, from an art fair in Miami to 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London:

I had to include those outtakes… Gio has such a great laugh, and here it is in action!

Okay. You guys, here is THE dress:

FABULOUS. That’s Gio (wearing Greta Constantine) with Claire Oliver (galleriest-extraordinaire), Bisa Butler (insanely talented artist), and while she mentioned jumping the drink line with Paris Hilton, somehow Gio neglected to mention hanging out with Lil Nas X. Whaaat?! Yep.

And finally, a few bits and pieces of very exciting, much-deserved press:

[CRAZY APPLAUSE HERE]… ah, it’s all so exciting, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she’s back on very soon to talk about another giant list of amazing stuff (book signings, anyone!?). Huge thanks to Gio for taking time to talk to me again; thank you to “Ask Ronna” Podcast for supporting this episode; and, of course, thank YOU for listening. There will be a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Gio on Instagram
2. Gio’s website
3. Gio on Oprah.com
4. Claire Oliver Gallery
5. Amy Sherald / on AFYE
6. Bisa Butler  / on AFYE
7. 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London
8. Untitled Miami
9. Ruffly dress (Miami) by ÖFUURË
10. LACMA’s “Black American Portraits”
11. Lime & Lavender dress by Greta Constantine
12. Tern Gallery, Bahamas
13. Rizzoli Books
14. Nikole Hannah-Jones, Writer at NYTimes Magazine
15. Museum of St.Petersburg / Gio’s solo show: May 28/22 – Oct 9/22
16. Refinery29 Article
17. New York Times Article

Supported by : “Ask Ronna” Podcast

This is the absolutely fantastic work of London based artist Lakwena Maciver. This show, titled “Homeplace”, was installed at Hastings Contemporary in the Spring of 2020. Here are Lakwena’s words about these paintings:

“I’m an artist and a mother, and I’m looking at where those two roles cross over. My art is concerned with mythologies; things we hold to be true, and I want to tell the truth to my kids. I know that they go out into the big wide world and I can’t control what happens out there. They’ll hear things and be influenced by things that I have no control over. But I can ensure that in my home I am sending them clear messages about who they are, their value, their worth, what to do in times of need, where to go to for help, what to set their hearts on, what is important. So that’s what these paintings are about. They contain words of affirmation, words that will encourage, warn and inspire. 

My intention is to create a safe space. As these paintings and images of them travel, literally and virtually, my hope is that they might act as sparks to encourage others to define spaces of safety, and also as signs to point people to places of safety.”

So beautiful, in both execution and message.

“The Great American Fact”, referencing an 1892 book by educator Anna Julia Cooper, was the title of Baltimore based artist Amy Sherald’s show at Hauser+Wirth, LA (March-June/2021). All five of these large-scale pieces are stunning, but “As American As Apple Pie” {with the woman wearing the Barbie t-shirt} might be my favorite! Here’s an excerpt from the gallery’s description of the exhibition:

“[Amy Sherald’s] paintings celebrate the Black body at leisure, thereby revealing her subjects’ whole humanity. Sherald’s work thus foregrounds the idea that Black life and identity are not solely tethered to grappling publicly with social issues, and that resistance lies equally in a full interior life and an expansive vision of selfhood in the world.”

Not only do the images reflect “whole humanity”, Amy purposely hangs the work a little lower than usual, purposely creating a direct relationship between the viewer and the subject. Sigh. I wish I was eye-to-eye with these beauties right now.

*Photography by Joseph Hyde, Installation shots by Fredrik Nilsen Studio, bio photo by Shaniqua Jarvis for Interview Magazine

Fine, I won’t try to eat any of these pieces, but wow, that’s alotta eye candy! This absolutely gorgeous, joy-filled, I-wish-I-could-lick-it show is titled “Curious Matter”. Oh, how I’d love to sit in the middle of that happy space for an afternoon… so therapeutic. “Curious Matter” was installed at Skye Gallery Aspen, and featured the work of three fabulous female artists: Dan Lam, Yellena James, and Meghan Shimek. Now, who wants some sugar?

*Install shots by Jason Siegel

From a little kid growing up in the Bahamas, to a young woman setting the art world on fire! Bahamian born, Toronto based artist Gio Swaby is my guest today, and I could not be more thrilled. I met Gio a few years ago at an art show in Vancouver, and I’ve been following her ever since… lately she’s been hard to keep up with! Spoiler Alert: She just had her first solo show in New York and it SOLD OUT. I asked Gio all of my questions, and her answers covered everything from going to church in a bathing suit and jeans, to preparing for her first solo museum show… yep, quite the gamut! Look/listen right up there under Gio at her recent show in New York, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First, this is some of Gio’s work I saw the night we met, way back in 2018 at the “Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series” show:

See? THAT is why I had to track her down at the party! So. Good.

The next series I saw – thanks to Instagram – included a few of these pieces. These are the ones she often hangs in large grids and or salon style:

Love! The pieces above are from two series. The solid silhouettes are from “New Growth”, and the ‘drawings’ are part of “My Hands Are Clean”.

Next, just a few of my faves from Gio’s recent solo show, “Both Sides of the Sun”, at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York:

I said it before and I’ll say it again… What the wha!? I love them all so much.

And, what Gio and I both love more than we can say:

… Black women and girls “seeing themselves” in Gio’s work. No wonder she cried when those photos started showing up online. And yes, that’s Claire with Gio in the final photo. A force of nature x TWO! Thank you so much to Gio for taking time out of her insane schedule to talk to me for so long; thanks to Wireframe for supporting this episode; and thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Gio on Instagram
2. Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem NY
3. New York Times article
4. Museum of Fine Art St. Pete {Florida}
5. College of The Bahamas
6. Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver
7. Ontario College of Art & Design
8. Bisa Butler, Artist
9. Bisa Butler on ART FOR YOUR EAR
10. John Oliver ‘Last Week Tonight’ : Black Hair
11. Wireframe {Podcast}

HAPPY! That’s the word that pops into my mind when I see the vibrant, candy-colored work of Canadian painter Andrea Soos {who’s clearly been an artist since childhood!} Andrea’s process is just as joyful as the final piece: “she may not know the outcome of the piece when she begins – the artwork evolves as a visceral and therapeutic practice, driven by music and song lyrics.” LOVE! Andrea’s work is part of a group show that opens TODAY. It’s titled “Brushstrokes”, and can be found at ARTWRK.ca {an online gallery by Alissa Sexton}. Here’s the description of the show:

“Do you speak brushstroke?

An artist’s brushstroke can be as unique as their voice, and as recognizable as a written signature. For this show, I’ve brought together a handful of my favourite artists, who, on the surface, could be seen to be painting similar subjects. However, the beauty here is in comparing the individual brushstrokes, or voices, of the artists. In one show, we’re able to compare individual strokes and methods of paint application, to fully understand the diversity of this painted language.

Featuring some of our favourite painters: Kara McIntosh / Sharon Barr / Johanna Reynolds / Sue A Miller / Andrea Soos“

“Brushstrokes” runs until March 25th, 2021.

Loooove! These banners {fabric and stitched thread} are the work of California based artist Christopher Martin. All of these pieces are part of his current solo show at Hashimoto Contemporary SF {804 Sutter Street}, titled ‘Homeward Bound’. It’s a “mixed media collection of paintings and banners highlighting the duality of the African Diaspora and its hidden connection to American traditional sailor tattoos.” Here’s a description of his work via the gallery’s site:

Through his art, Martin tells the story of a young man coming from the South. While attending school at North Carolina A&T for graphic design, Martin was prone to create hand cut and sewn banners with logo-like images to tell a story relevant to his own culture and history. With cotton representing the toil/labor of those captured in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Martin hand-cuts and sews tapestry pieces that are representative of the modern-day experience of the African diaspora.

Brilliant and beautiful. ‘Homeward Bound’ runs until March 27th, 2021.

…….. NOTE: This is the final week that new posts will be going up on the blog. Starting next Monday, March 15th 2021, all new content will be packaged up and delivered directly to YOUR INBOX! If you haven’t already become a member of ‘The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society’, you can SUBSCRIBE right here. 

Be still my collage-loving heart! This is the gorgeous {and beautifully cut!} work of New York based, South Asian artist Maya Varadaraj. In all of her work, Maya “engages South Asian material culture to redefine feminine narratives and representations.” I came across her work because some of these collages are currently included in a group show, curated by Nico Wheadon, at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Here is the gallery’s description of “Home Body”:

In ‘Home Body’, Elia Alba, Baseera Khan, Sola Olulode and Maya Varadaraj offer visions of personhood that transcend the labels, limits, and roles prescribed on Earth. Here, the body is not merely a vessel for participation in the material world. Instead, it is what poet Rupi Kaur describes as a colony of miracles—a home, or interior world, to return to and find refuge in. As we approach a year of learning to live with social distance and self quarantine, a reimagining of the body as sanctuary has never felt more timely or essential.

Ah, so well said. Happy Monday.

Giant, ‘not-quite-right’ dollhouses? I can’t think of more perfect way to kick off a Monday morning! This is the work of Geneva based artist Denis Savary, and these images are from his current show, titled “Ithica”, at Galerie Maria Bernheim in Zurich. Here is the gallery’s description:

The name of the exhibition Ithaca refers to the American city home to the famous and liberal Cornell University, one of the main areas of development of the American film industry, which owes its name to the dreamed homeland of Odysseus. 

Three disproportionately large dollhouses are displayed on antique rugs, based on models of very common houses, a typical Swiss Villa. They seem pushed to the limit of their stability, revealing the weakness and the narrowness of their original suburbs, like those cut out by Gordon Matta Clark. Their intentional blandness lets through glimpses of strange interior scenes, forcing the viewer to approach them cautiously. Their dimensions, the meticulousness of their structures and the effects of distortion open them to our interpretation; simultaneously art historical and literary references come through, a room is plastered with a wallpaper based on Marcel Duchamp, who painted a reduced version of the “Nude descending a staircase” for the dollhouse of one of his collectors. One thinks of Robert Gober, whom Denis Savary had already evoked a few years ago, when he appropriated the gallery owner’s doll house, realizing a full exhibition as an extension of this work in a space whose architecture echoed it (La Villa, villa Bernasconi 2010), publishing as the only exhibition catalog views of the interior of this dollhouse. These new sculptures also recall early videos by Savary that seemed to be shot from the window of his family home, located on the outskirts of a small town with no specific quality.

“Ithica” runs until February 27th, 2021.

As a mixed media artist myself, I’m a huge fan of Austin based artist Deborah Roberts. AND – talk about good timing – she has a huge show opening at The Contemporary Austin THIS WEEKEND, Saturday January 23, 2021! (ps. tickets are required because of social distancing… get them right here). I had so many questions for her about, well, everything from process to the underlying message in her very powerful, stop you in your tracks work. I read part of her artist statement during the episode, because it just so beautifully explains why Deborah does what she does, so I’m going to put it right here too:

“Wading through my work, you must look through multiple layers, double meanings and symbols. My process combines found and manipulated images with hand drawn and painted details to create hybrid figures. These figures often take the form of young girls and increasingly Black boys, whose well being and futures are equally threatened because of the double standard of boyhood and criminality that is projected on them at such a young age. The boys and girls who populate my work, while subject to societal pressures and projected images, are still unfixed in their identity. Each child has character and agency to find their own way amidst the complicated narratives of American, African American and art history.” ~ Deborah E. Roberts

See? So good. You can listen right up there under “Hip Bone”, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and or Spotify. Okay… first up, a few of my favorite girls:

Oh my goodness… that final piece! It’s titled “Fighting All the ISM”. Look at everything that goes into each piece… drawing, painting, flat patterns, and zillions of photographs all coming together in perfect harmony.

As Deborah mentioned, the boys needed to be included too. Here are just a few of them:

Gorgeous! It’s their expressions that get me… which is kind of amazing since each face is made up of so many bits from so many people.

Now, I just mentioned this quickly, but yes, Deborah’s work has also graced the the cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK:

Gah! I love those two girls so much. Obviously, I had to include this shot of Deborah in the studio with these pieces because, SCALE!

And finally, the boys and girls all together with…

… the woman who painted, drew and collaged them into existence! Thank you so much to Deborah for taking time out of this very busy, pre-show, week (so exciting!) to come on the podcast; and of course, thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Deborah on Instagram
2. “I’m” at The Contemporary Austin: Jan 23, 2021 – August 15, 2021 {reserve tickets}
3. Gallery shots above: Stephen Friedman Gallery, London
4. Susanne Vielmetter Gallery, Los Angeles
5. Harper’s Bazaar UK