Artist: Swoon

I'm blown away by the work of Swoon every time. She's a 'street artist' from NYC. I've been a follower ever since I saw a picture of her work on the woostercollective and then saw her mind-blowing installation at the Deitch Projects in NYC. I'm so impressed by her vision.

The faces and bodies of her subjects melt and weave themselves into landscapes and patterns, which seem to represent their life experiences and identity. She explains in an interview that she constantly thinks about the stories held within people, and about their life experiences. Her goal is to illustrate that in her work while also capturing the true essence of the person. These ideas are probably held by other artists as well, but Swoon illustrates her ideas so literally that it captures the viewer's attention in a different way. Each work carries it's own emotion and delicateness. Each subject's soul really radiates from their form. The fact that she pastes these works on public walls, exposing them vulnerably to the world to be seen and eventually destroyed by nature, only adds to the beauty, symbolism, and fragility of what her subjects evoke. But I can't lie, it makes me sad to think that those publicly displayed works will eventually disappear. But hey, that's the nature of street art!

I had the privilage of randomly meeting Swoon in NYC when I was studying there for a month with my arts administration class. We made a visit to the Brooklyn Museum and as we walked into a gallery space that was clearly being prepped for a show, I see Swoon's work on the wall. I knew that the museum was planning on having a graffiti exhibit, but I had no idea of her involvement. I see a woman there in the gallery working, and I thought to myself ..."That's gotta be the artist." So I take the chance, and go up to her and ask her bluntly: "Are you Swoon?" To my delight, she replied "Yeah, I am! Hi!" I told her how much I loved her work and was thrilled to meet her. She was a sweetheart and very appreciative and surprised that I recognized her. In any case, she's a fave and definitely an artist to keep your eye on! She's prolific. Enjoy! Check out the video too...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtEDSQblGVo