ABOUT SWAB
INDEPENDENT ART FAIR
Swab Barcelona is an independent art fair and a meeting space for emerging and alternative projects with an experimental and public vocation. It brings together proposals from around the world, avoiding traditional hierarchies of the art market to create a diverse and welcoming environment. At Swab, young and innovative projects find the freedom to explore new curatorial languages, forms of creation, and collective pathways. It is a space for dialogue and exchange, where new ideas and methods of artistic practice are developed and shared.
HUMAN SCALE AND ACCESSIBILITY
The fair is committed to making contemporary art more accessible. 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 markets. With this philosophy, it offers a platform for artists, galleries, collectors, and art enthusiasts to relate and evolve together.
HISTORY
Founded in 2006 by architect and collector Joaquín Díez-Cascón, Swab was established with the purpose of bringing new international artistic proposals to Barcelona and cultivating connections with the local cultural scene. Over the past 17 years, Swab has grown into a key event in the global emerging art landscape, embracing new spaces and disciplines that reframe contemporary creativity.
In 2025, Swab enters a new chapter under the direction of Carolina Díez-Cascón and the involvement of new curators and members of the selection committee. Remaining to its idiosyncrasy the fair will further its commitment to emerging and independent scenes and their critical role in creating new ecosystems for the art world and surrounding communities.
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.