Jogjakarta, Indonesia, 2014
In 1999, Curry was a student at Pratt in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Searching to carve an alternative pathway as an artist, and to make her work more accessible to everyday people, she began pasting her paper portraits to the sides of buildings. At first, she pasted her work anonymously. Later, she took the moniker Swoon, which appeared in a friend’s dream.
Sao Paolo, Brazil, 2011
The practice she clandestinely began on her own, amidst other anonymous creators, eventually acquired a name ー Street Art ー and became an international phenomenon. Over the past 20 years, Curry has been recognized as one of the most influential Street Artists in the world. She has pushed the limits of the Street Art genre, expanding it to include broader definitions of public art and social practice, as well as challenging the male-dominated culture that has limited access, opportunities and recognition for women. Her trailblazing work has paved the way for a new generation of women and gender non-conforming artists to make work in public space.
Over the past few years, Curry’s practice has evolved in new directions. The signature wheatpasted portraits she became known for early in her career represented the lives and struggles of people who often went unnoticed on city streets. The longer she worked, the more focused she became on building compassion, empathy and human connection through her work. Today, Curry applies that spirit to social and community engaged projects that use art to alleviate suffering. Her work addresses the immediate needs of communities in crisis due to extreme events, like natural disasters, as well as the longer term crises that persist due to systemic failures, such as the opioid epidemic. Incorporating approaches she learned through meditation and psychedelic assisted therapy on her own healing journey, Curry puts the power of imagery in service of the deep work necessary to transform, and transcend, our pain.
