Swab Barcelona 2025: An Edition Defined by Dialogue, Collaboration, and Emerging Practices

The 18th edition of Swab Barcelona concluded successfully, reaffirming its position as one of the leading platforms for emerging contemporary art. Held from October 2 to 5 at the Textile Pavilion of Fira de Barcelona, the fair gathered over 60 exhibitors and 150 artists from more than 20 countries, creating a shared space for established galleries, independent projects, and experimental initiatives.

Under the direction of Carolina Díez-Cascón and guided by the concept of the “Solstice”, this edition reflected a moment of transformation in artistic creation, placing collective and sustainable practices at its core. The General Program presented a renewed format that merged the former Emerging and Seed sections, highlighting a more inclusive and diverse art market.

Focus Polar & Tropic

The main novelty of 2025 was Focus Polar & Tropic, a dialogue between the artistic scenes of Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. Designed as a collaborative platform, the program included exhibitions, a radio station, an agora, a shared editorial platform, and community workshops.
Curated by Tenthaus, Bunga Siagian, and Jatiwangi Art Factory, it aimed to foster collaboration, expand cultural networks, and imagine sustainable artistic futures.
Participating projects came from Oslo, Copenhagen, Malmö, Taipei, Bandung, Ho Chi Minh, Majalengka, and Bangkok, among others.

Vortex, MyFAF, and Solo Show

Among the parallel programs, Vortex strengthened ties between Barcelona and Latin America, featuring twelve shared exhibition spaces co-curated by Santiago Gasquet and Lena Solà Nogué.
The My First Art Fair (MyFAF) initiative, supported by the Fundació Swab, offered galleries with less than two years of activity their first international fair experience, including participation grants.
Meanwhile, Solo Show, hosted at Espai19, presented independent European projects in a solo exhibition format, promoting co-production and collaborative curatorial methods.

Public Program and Experimental Spaces

Swab Talks featured a series of conferences addressing performance, sustainability, and new models of art collecting. Discussions such as Beyond the Market: Tokyo/Seoul, Space and Action, and Cartographies of a New Collecting explored the intersection between art, market, and community engagement.

The fair’s public program also included VideoBox, Swab Radio, and Lumbung Press, combining audiovisual, radio, and print formats to connect artists from the Polar & Tropic program with the broader Lumbung ecosystem — emphasizing cooperation and shared artistic processes.

Under the Inhabit program, installations such as Resting Field by NakedSpace (VASTO + Project Lobster) and the modular recycled pavilion by Architectural Aid Agency (AAA) in collaboration with Jatiwangi Art Factory transformed the fairgrounds into collective, participatory spaces.

Picnic.Lab, featuring the experimental cuisine of Tiberi Club and the proposals of Nømad Coffee and Águila, served as a meeting point where gastronomy, design, and art converged.

The Swab Kids section, curated by Petit Japó, invited visitors to experiment with Moku-Hanga, the traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique, introducing younger audiences to hands-on creative processes.

Swab 2025 Awards

Swab’s award program, developed in collaboration with collectors and partner institutions, reaffirmed the fair’s commitment to supporting artists’ professional growth and visibility.
The 2025 edition granted the following recognitions:

• Swab Fundació Vila Casas Award: Mariona Moncunill (Galeria PALMADOTZE)
• Fundació Bassat Acquisition Award: Nieves Guri (a66 Gallery)
• Casa R.A.R.O. Barcelona Award: Paula Vicente Puiggròs (AFTERpoema + ANYWHERE) and Inés Verdugo (Segismundo)
• Additional awards included: Benoit Doche de Laquintane, Fundació Úniques, Kells Art Collection, MANGO Emerging Artist Award (under 35), José Luis Lorenzo, Arte Emergent Sabadell, R.A.R.O. Artist Residency Program, and DIEZy7.

Conclusion

After four days of exhibitions, talks, and performances, Swab Barcelona 2025 closed with a positive balance, reaffirming its position as a dynamic platform for artistic exchange between regions, generations, and disciplines.
The fair once again positioned Barcelona as an international hub for independent contemporary art, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability, and experimentation as core values of today’s creative practices.

On the cover: Latencia by Montse Aránega (Escat Gallery)