Gio Swaby, “Fresh Up”

I was really blown away when I saw the work of Gio Swaby, in her “Fresh Up” solo show at the Museum of Fine Art, in St. Petersburg, FL!

The introductory text for the exhibit says “Swaby’s work functions as love letters to Black women.” I think that’s it, exactly! Just take a look.

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Isn’t this woman confident and powerful?

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

As you can see, Swaby uses black stitching to draw her subjects on canvas. The pieces are life-sized, which gives them a lot of presence.

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Swaby states that the exhibit subtitle, “Fresh Up,” is “a Bahamian way to describe someone who is particularly stylish – also used to give props to the wearer. I love the uplifting nature of this phrase.”

In some cases Swaby has shown the back of the piece, allowing the viewer to see thread lines that have been carried from feature to feature.

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Those faces!

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Those poses!

Gio Swaby, "Fresh Up." Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I am totally smitten with this work!

Unfortunately, the exhibit has moved on, but you can see more with these resources:
The exhibit book
An ABC news video
A Fox 13 news video

Ellen Lindner

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