Multidisciplinary artist Gio Swaby was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas before moving to Canada to purse a Master of Fine Arts at Ontario College of Art and Design.
Courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery
By Sophia George
Bahamian-born multidisciplinary artist Gio Swaby explores Blackness, womanhood and love with her first ever solo exhibition “Gio Swaby: Fresh Up” at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in downtown St. Petersburg.
The exhibition, co-organized by the MFA and the Art Institute of Chicago, is on display in St. Petersburg from May 28 through Oct. 9.
“This show is strikingly meaningful and important for all audiences to see, but especially as a means of providing nuanced representation for Black women,” MFA Executive Director and CEO Kristen A. Shepherd said. “Gio’s work is not only beautiful in its execution, but in its accessibility and message.”
The exhibition is composed of several series’ that Swaby worked on between 2017 and 2021, all utilizing thread, fabric and textile-based techniques inspired by her mother who worked as a seamstress in the Bahamas.
Swaby sets her artistic medium apart from others by displaying the reverse side of the stitch-work, allowing viewers to see the knots and loose ends.
“It’s a true indication of being able to have this moment of vulnerability with the viewer because we see things here that we aren’t necessarily supposed to see,” Swaby said. “It shows the beauty of imperfection and how we can celebrate that.”
The more than 40 works that make up the exhibit range from intimate self-portraits in her earliest series, “My Hands are Clean,” to full-body textile panels in “Pretty Pretty.”
Swaby describes her art as an “act of love” that reaches far beyond what is on the canvas –– it explores power, strength and fosters conversation about the Black female experience.
“My work operates in the context of understanding love as liberation, a healing and restorative force. These pieces celebrate personal style, resilience, strength, beauty, individuality, and imperfections,” Swaby said in a press release.
Swaby’s work is also deeply tied to her Bahamian culture by celebrating the people, language and traditions she grew up with –– for example, the term “fresh up” is a celebratory term used in the Bahamas.
Her earliest series titled “My Hands are Clean” was created shortly after moving from the Bahamas to Vancouver and uses self-portraiture to reflect her self-discovery and emotions.
“One of the things that really stood out to me was how extremely visible I became as a Black woman living in Vancouver where there’s not many Black people,” Swaby said.
She explained that the title of this series is a reference to how people would try to touch her hair using the excuse of having clean hands.
Another series that guests can view, “Love Letters,” marks the beginning of Swaby’s exploration into love, appreciation and gratitude.
The intricately woven full-body portraits of close family and friends are visual manifestations of actual love letters she has written to loved ones.
“These works for me are in dedication to the women in each portrait, many of them my family and friends, but they are also a larger love letter to my extended support system of Black women everywhere,” Swaby said.
Swaby emphasized the importance of artist-subject connection with this series and saw it as a huge responsibility to create real and honest portraits of those closest to her.
Her series titled “Going Out Clothes,” a Bahamian saying, and “New Growth” pay homage to Bahamian clothing and style and the unique beauty of Black hair.
She hopes that her work invokes emotions in viewers and that they can connect or see themselves within her portraits in some way.
“Those are the most beautiful moments, and the moments when I feel the most validation in the work I’m doing,” Swaby said. “That’s when I feel like the work is reaching the people that it should be reaching, and I hold onto them.”
After the MFA, the exhibition will travel to the Art Institute of Chicago where is will be on display from April 8 to July 3, 2023, and then to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. from August to November 2023.
