Michael Swaney

Michael Swaney’s faux-naïf, whimsical works express a childlike vision of the world. Informed by the rough aesthetic and rebellious spirit of Art Brut artists like Jean Dubuffet and the CoBrA group, Swaney’s paintings, collages, drawings, and ceramics have a raw, intuitive feel. Swaney graduated from Capilano University with a BFA in illustration and design in 2000 but considers himself a self-taught artist, aligning his practice with outsider art. He initially worked in Canada as part of the artist collective Five Hands before relocating to Barcelona in 2006. Inspired by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, since moving to Spain, Swaney has also worked with mosaics. His folkloric figures and scenes frequently reference ubiquitous global brands, luxury beauty products, and YouTube videos. Swaney has exhibited internationally since 2004, with solo shows at galleries in Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Berlin, and Miami, among other cities