Swab Stairs ready for the new edition!

Swab Barcelona introduces its ninth edition which will take place from September 29th until October 2nd of 2016. It will count with the participation of 75 galleries throughout new curated programs such as In/Out, Focus Magreb and Cross-Bounders, and consolidating the existing ones: Solo Swab, Swab Seed, Drawing Applications and MYFAF.

Solo Swab: Direlia Lazo and Zaida Trallero curate Solo Swab. The section consist of individual presentations by artists from Latin American. In its third edition, Solo Swab consolidates itself as a space that reflects upon the artistic practice in the region in dialogue with the social and political context.

Focus Magreb: Curated by Xavier de Luca, this program arises from a need of part of the European society to know in depth the social, cultural and artistic realities that are taking place in the Maghreb region.

Cross-Bounders: Program curated by Susana Sanz and produced by Wang Zhongwen that counts with the participation of Song Fang, Ju Anqi, Yu Depeng and Wang Liren, four Chinese acclaimed emerging film makers that will come to Barcelona to create their first video-art piece.

Swab Seed: Curator David Armengol states its second edition in Swab with this space of visibility and debate focused on independent gallery proposals located throughout Europe.

IN/OUT by Banc Sabadell Foundation:

Is a selection of artists that, under the gaze of Frederic Montornés and Imma Prieto and through nine of the most representative galleries of Barcelona, will be part of the Swab’s program from some dislocation. The displacement adjudges the possibility of stablishing unity nexus among some of the most interesting creators of the current artistic program. This empower the deliberation throughout the main idea of the Project: What does that means being in our out?

Swab On Paper. Curated by Mónica Álvarez Careaga, gives cohesion to a working curatorial line initiated in the previous editions that has accomplished a considerable appreciation among the collectors, art critics and experts, displaying eight individual artistic projects that proves the transition in artistic material of the uses traditionally attributed to sketches, presented, in this opportunity, by eight international galleries.

MYFAF (My First Art Fair): A programme curated by Rosa Lleó with 3 contemporary artgalleries with less than two years of existance, that have not participated before in any international art fair.

General Program: Established art galleries, that present emergent artists, divided into three types of booth: 25, 20 i 15 m2.

In this edition Swab proudly presents two other novelties: Fundación Swab Barcelona and Swab House.

Fundación Swab Barcelona: Created in order to go deepen in the creation and support of social networks with the cultural agents and collaborating in the acquisition of the background art beggining from the performance of Swab Barcelona. It also will create an honor comitee belonging to Swab and integrated by institutions, foundations and entrepreneur from the field.

Swab House: Is about a Project executed in collaboration with creation centers and preexisting residences, in which participate four selected artists in each edition of Swab selected by a jury comitee comprising by the CEO directors and collaborators foundations. Meanwhile the previous month to the artfair, and under the subject and technique proposed by the jury, the artists will produce an artpiece that will be exhibit at Swab space destinated to the program.

In this first edition will perform four chinese artists thoughout the curated program Cross-Bounders. The artists, emerging independent filmaker directors will create their first video-art piece at the Hangar and La Escocesa center meanwhile they’ll be occupants at Jiwar’s residence.

Swab Barcelona continues with their acquisition awards:
DKV Award- to the best Spanish Artist
MANGO young artist Award
Grisart Photography Award that will be ceded to the MACBA Foundation Barcelona
Lluís Coromina Foundation Award for the Best Catalan Artist
Idea Art Marset Award
Drawing Award by Diezy7 Collection

Swab Barcelona will continue to have their integrated projects at Swab Off, such as Swab Stairs in collaboration with TMB that in this particular edition (from June 2nd until June 21st) consolidates expanding itself in a wide range of art schools and metro stations to 17. The metro stairs will be vinylized with the winning projects presented by the students from the main Catalan schools and 6 international guest schools: Royal College of Art from London, SCAD Hong Kong, LASALLE Singapur, Universidad de Palermo from Argentina, ECQAD from Canada and École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts from Argelia.

The registration period for the galleries started at Februrary 2nd and will remain open until April 30th. See you all at Swab!