Satoshi Otsuka, Puzzle #15 (2012). MJK, Focus Tokyo/Seoul.
Swab Barcelona announces its 17th edition, featuring 70 galleries from around the world, with a special focus on emerging spaces from East Asia.
Maintaining its human-scale and intimate spirit, Swab prioritizes quality, innovation, and diversity in the artistic proposals, presenting a carefully curated program supported by its selection committee and the curators of the edition. The fair establishes itself as an essential meeting point for new voices in the global emerging art scene.
This year’s focus looks towards cities in East Asia that are experiencing a significant artistic effervescence, such as Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, further intensifying Swab’s interest in the Asian continent. As a novelty, the perspective is also broadened to include contemporary design, a fundamental pillar of Barcelona’s creative identity.
Galería PLATO, MyFAF Program.
The exhibition projects are divided into the following programs: General (established galleries), Emerging (galleries with less than five years of trajectory), Seed (independent spaces), Design (design galleries) and MyFAF (newly created galleries participating in a fair for the first time). The latter is backed by the Swab Barcelona Foundation, which grants each space a scholarship to facilitate their entry into the international circuit.
In parallel, curated projects are presented through which the fair proposes the themes of the edition. Some are recurring, like Emerging Latam, curated by Santiago Gasquet, which will invite six young Latin American spaces, and Video Box, curated this year by Yipei Lee, who presents audiovisual pieces by four Taiwanese artists.
Hojan, My Shadow and I (2024). ss space space, Solo Show.
Yipei Lee herself collaborates with Catalan curator Carla Gimeno Jaria in the second edition of Solo Show. Supported by the Fundació Vila Casas, this section offers a space for dialogue and exchange between eight independent projects from Barcelona and Taipei that, under the title The Color Blue from My Sky, emphasize the significance of collaborative work.
Continuing the exploration of East Asian ecosystems, a central program of this edition is Focus Tokyo-Seoul, curated by renowned Korean artist and curator Kelvin Kyung Kun Park. Framed under the evocative title Tentacles of Thought (from an Octopus), the project aims to present in Barcelona diverse artistic sensibilities from exhibition spaces in Tokyo and Seoul.
Another notable presence is that of the Indonesian collective Jatiwangi Art Factory, which will present its project Perhutana at Swab, with the support of Romero Polo y Piramidón. Launched in the framework of the last edition of Documenta 15, the initiative distributes works that involve the creation of a collectively owned forest.
Photo 1: Flore Saunois, Untitled (Precarious Voids), 2023. Silica, Seed Program
Photo 2: Julio Varela, Jersey de Fresas, 2022. Fermay, From Home, General Program
This year, Swab aligns itself with Barcelona’s tradition and identity by highlighting its historic connection with avant-garde design. As a standout novelty, the fair introduces a program dedicated to exploring new trends at the intersection of design and art, showcasing four galleries operating in this space.
The entirety of the exhibitions, as well as the ideas and aesthetic and political movements they explore, will be discussed in the extensive series of talks hosted through Swab Radio, developed by the platform Arts Super. Gallerists, artists, and curators from all sections will participate, and the sessions will be streamed live during the fair.
Antoine Aimé & Pepe Valenti, La Mer (2023). Pepe Valenti, Design Program.
Finally, the Swab Kids section of this edition, tied to Focus Tokyo-Seoul, will be led by Petit Japó, a multidisciplinary workshop from Barcelona. Throughout the event, the children will collaborate in the collective creation of a cherry blossom tree, a Sakura, thus working on the value of taking care of our environment, cultural exchange and community work.
Overall, the 2024 edition pays special attention to new voices from East Asia, while maintaining a strong presence of young spaces from diverse geographies. It fosters the exchange between emerging global proposals and strengthens their ties with the fabric of the city of Barcelona.