Gloria C. Swain
Gloria C Swain | |
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| Nationality | Canadian |
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Gloria C Swain is an American born, Canadian visual artist, curator, writer, and performance artist. She advocates for anti-Black racism, violence against Black women and Trans people, seniors’ rights, homelessness, mental health, as well as bringing awareness to ageism and sexism through her art practice.[1][2]
Work and career
Swain uses media of installation, painting, performance, and photography where she challenges systemic oppression against Black women and trans people[3]. Her work examines ongoing colonial violence and centers her own experience as an older Black feminist artist, with invisible disabilities, navigating through unwelcoming spaces.[4]
In 2021, in an interview with Toronto’s AGO[5], Gloria C Swain emphasized the role of activism in her work; "My work evokes the way Black culture has always found its strength and catharsis in movement. Geometric shapes in my work illustrate the rhythms of life, with sharp edges that collide and shatter to break through oppression."
Swain is a recipient of the York University Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award and Canadian International Black Women’s 100 Black Women to Watch award. She has received various art grants, including Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Art Gallery of Ontario, and Canada Council for the Arts.
She holds a certificate in Community Arts Practice and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from York University. Her work has shown in New York, Toronto, Kingston, Kitchener, Manitoba, Ottawa, and Montreal. Her writings on disability arts activism have been published in Cultivate Feminism and Canadian Journal of Disability Studies[6][7]
Notable works
Solo Exhibitions include: A Burst of Colour, at Toronto's AGO.[8] Grow Through What You Go Through. Exhibited at Black Artists Network in Dialogue (BAND) in 2021.[9] In February 2023, her work was exhibited at Toronto's Union Station[10],[11] as well as at the Canadian Senate in Ottawa.[12]
References
- ↑ Parris, Amanda. "For this activist, art is a lifeline — and a way to cope with personal and generational trauma".
- ↑ "An Exhibition That Held Space for Black Disabled Artists". Canadian Art.
- ↑ "Art in the Spotlight: Gloria Swain". Art Gallery of Ontario.
- ↑ Lee, Yaniya; Shepherd, Brittany. "In the Studio with Gloria Swain". Canadian Art.
- ↑ "Gloria C Swain". Art Gallery of Ontario.
- ↑ "The Healing Power of Art in Intergenerational Trauma: Race, Sex, Age and Disability". Canadian Journal of Disability Studies.
- ↑ "The Untold Story: Intergenerational Trauma and Black Women" (PDF).
- ↑ "Burst of life". Art Gallery of Ontario.
- ↑ Swift, Julian (June 16, 2021). ""A Day In The Life" With Abstract Artist Gloria C Swain".
- ↑ Wong, Madison. "Union Station exhibit puts Black joy at the centre of downtown Toronto".
- ↑ "I Am Still Here: Black Joy is Resistance".
- ↑ "Black History Month kicks off with Senate-hosted exhibit". The Hill Times.
External links
This article "Gloria C. Swain" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.