Gio Swaby: We All Know Each Other

Opening Friday, September 8, 7pm
Part of SWARM 18 #artistrunbc

Hair care is an extensive, meaningful and necessary method of self love, through which black women celebrate themselves and each other. As well, it acts as an exchange of cultural information, as techniques and tips are shared between generations of black women through family, friends, and now via social media technology. With black familial history being mangled and mutilated by slavery, hair care serves as a means to reclaim these networks: hair care as a means of love and support.

In a series of stitched portraits on canvas, We All Know Each Other celebrates the self-love and appreciation black women have worked fiercely to develop and is a memorial to the connections between them.

Giovanna Swaby is a Bahamian artist, currently based in Vancouver. She holds a BFA in Media Arts from Emily Carr University and has been featured in group exhibitions in Vancouver and The Bahamas. “We All Know Each Other” is her inaugural solo exhibition in Vancouver.