SWOON

Swoon, Caledonia Curry, is a New York-based contemporary artist and filmmaker recognized around the world for her pioneering vision of public artwork. She attended Pratt Institute where she studied traditional techniques of the old masters and simultaneously developed her site-specific practice, which she saw as becoming part of the city architecture. Swoon is best known as one of the first women street artists to gain international recognition in a male-dominated field, pushing the conceptual limits of the genre and paving the way for a generation of women street artists.

Her work unifies the concepts of studio artist, street artist, and public works activist. Through intimate portraits, immersive installations, and multi-year community-based projects, she has spent over 20 years exploring the depths of human complexity. 

These pieces are usually made of intricately illustrated, hand-cut paper, inspired by printmaking techniques. Her work infuses everyday life with mythology, delving into metaphor through goddess figures like Thalassa and the Sphinx. Swoon branches into multiple mediums including animation, sculpture, large-scale installation pieces, and functional physical structures like rafts and buildings. Her emphasis on human rights is not only channeled through her art but also through her involvement in humanitarian projects. She actively participates in natural disaster relief, advocating for women’s rights, therapeutic workshops, and more. Swoon mobilizes her artwork to fundamentally re-envision the communities we live in toward a more just and equitable world. Swoon has participated in numerous major exhibitions around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and MASS MoCA.

SELECTED WORKS