‘Pretty Pretty 2’ (detail)
Artist Gio Swaby creates thread-stitched portraits on canvas that have a continuous contour drawing vibe to them. Part of her Pretty Pretty series, they depict Black women, paying homage to the style and self-expression of these women.
“My new series, Pretty Pretty, is an exploration of personal style as a tool of resistance; resisting being unseen and navigating the contradictory experience of invisibility of hypervisibility,” Gio explains. “It is about reclaiming space through unapologetic self-expression. This work also explores resistance through the gaze, exploring the power dynamics of looking and observation in public space and the ways in which Black bodies often become a spectacle. bell hooks says ‘There is power in looking’. This work explores ‘looking back’ as a moment of empowerment, a tool to subvert the white gaze.”
Pretty Pretty, in addition to more of Gio’s textile pieces, will be on view in a solo exhibition at the Claire Oliver Gallery in NYC from April 10 to June 5, 2021. For more of her work, follow her on Instagram.
‘Pretty Pretty 2’
‘Pretty Pretty 1’
‘Pretty Pretty 3’
‘Pretty Pretty 3’
‘Pretty Pretty 4’
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