SWAB 2021 CURATOR TALKS
by ÀNGELS MIRALDA
Tell us your favorite moment at Swab 2021
After so much time without traveling, my favourite moment was meeting and reconnecting with people at the opening of SWAB. The fair brought together international and local scenes.
What’s something you discovered at Swab 2021 that really sticked to your mind?
I really enjoyed the connections to other cities in Spain and especially to Valencia and the Balearic Islands. It was great to meet the people and artists behind the presentation of Inma Fenenía and Alberto Feijóo at Galería Punto (Valencia), Bartomeu Sastre at Galeria Fran Reus (Palma), and to learn about the programme of Badr el Jundi in Marbella. Decentralization of the cultural scene is an ongoing topic and it’s great to come together to highlight the artists that are working all over the country.
What’s something you saw at Swab 2021 that you don’t typically see at other fairs?
Swab Ephemeral curated by Caterina Almirall and Margot Cuevas was a very interesting part of the fair. Through this section the Barcelona artist’s community could get involved in the fair without the need for representation and galleries. I found it a great proposal as well as adding another function of community to the fair and with well-developed installational projects.
How would you describe Swab 2021 to someone who couldn’t visit it?
Swab is a comfortable fair to visit with a down-to-earth size that makes it possible to view everything without feeling overwhelmed. It’s always a good reason to spend some time in Barcelona.
What projects are keeping you busy these days?
Currently I have two exhibitions ongoing in Amsterdam. The first titled “Blood Sea” features work by Nora Aurrekoetxea, Benjamin Francis, Parasekvi Frasiola, Sami Hammana, PHILTH HAUS, Claudia Pagès, and Víctor Santamarina is on at Mutter, a new artist-run space dedicated to experimental projects. Secondly, we have just opened an exhibition of Violeta Paez Armando at PuntWG where I currently work as curator of the artist-in-residence programme. At the same time, I am working together with the artist Elizabeth de Witt on opening a new space called Sally’s Fault next March that will invite local and international artists to work on a series of duo presentations.
About Àngels Miralda
Àngels describes her curatorial practice as a secret politics of materiality with the belief that materials contain embedded meanings, related to global chains of extraction, trade and industry. Her recent exhibitions have drawn on historical research into arte povera, neo-materialisms and the roots of installation art to create parallels between artists’ materials and global industry.
