Mike Swaney

Their work

Granny Smith

Mike Swaney (Kimberley, Canada, 1978)

2021, Barcelona

Mixed media on canvas, 190 x 170 cm.

This work begins from reused fragments of canvas that collect texts, drawings and spontaneous notes. Organised in a vertical composition, these elements generate a fragmented visual rhythm that evokes certain logics of graffiti. Through play, improvisation and the accumulation of signs, the artist transforms everyday life into a shared imaginary, where personal experience and collective memory coexist. The piece is part of the curatorial core Play as a creative impulse and offers an open reading, inviting the viewer to trace their own connections within this visual universe.

The perspective it brings to the collection:

We have included Mike Swaney in the collection because his practice stands out both for its conceptual rigour and for its technical experimentation and the uniqueness of its creative process. His visual language is structured around play as a driving force for thought and production, as he improvises, experiments and embraces chance as an active part of the work. In this sense, many of his projects arise from collaborative and participatory processes, so that creation is built in an open and shared way. In this way, Swaney brings an innovative perspective on contemporary creation to the collection, based on process, relationship and experimentation.