ABOUT SWAB
INDEPENDENT ART FAIR
Swab Barcelona is an independent platform dedicated to gathering and giving visibility to emerging practices that shape the current contemporary art scene. Focused on new languages and collaborative forms, Swab promotes relationships and exchanges that contribute to a diverse and sustainable cultural ecosystem, seeking a balance between the role of the market and the public purpose of artistic creation.
HORIZONTAL AND ACCESSIBILE
The fair is committed to making contemporary art more inclusive. Conceived on a human scale, it prioritizes the quality of the artistic program and its proximity to the public. To develop a sustainable and open art market, Swab promotes emerging collecting and connects cultural agents with new proposals. With this philosophy, it offers a platform for artists, galleries, collectors, and art enthusiasts to relate and evolve together.
HISTORY AND IDIOSINCRASY
Founded in 2006 by architect and collector Joaquín Díez-Cascón, Swab was established with the aim of bringing new artistic proposals to Barcelona and fostering connections with the local cultural scene. In 2025, the fair enters a new chapter under the direction of Carolina Díez-Cascón, embracing a more open vision towards collective practices, networks of cooperation, alternative forms of exchange, and the connection of art with territory, and the social environment.
COMMITMENT TO BARCELONA
Swab evolves and establishes itself in harmony with the cultural landscape of Barcelona and the city’s cosmopolitan, Mediterranean spirit. Celebrating Swab in this context means fostering a platform for exchange and dialogue a community-oriented space where diverse perspectives on contemporary artistic practices can be shared, further strengthening the city’s position as a global cultural hub.