Swab Barcelona: 4 things you should know about this boutique contemporary art fair

Everything you need to know to become a Swabber!

A platform for emerging experimental art, the fair was launched in 2006 and brings together some 80 galleries from around the world. The fair focuses on quality and reaching the public.

The fair, the 14th so far, will take place between 7 and 10 October 2021 and is located in front of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, which is located close to Barcelona’s “Magic Fountains”, not far from the Venetian towers in Plaza de España

Four things you should know:

1. The program is divided into six topics.

Barcelona’s contemporary art fair returns to its in-person format, with painting and color taking center stage.

The Readingsection merges design, reading, art, and publishing, and features the publications of two European companies.

Ephemeral,curated by Caterina Almirall and Margot Cuevas, presents installations by resident artists at the Fabra i Coats, Hangar and La Escocesa creation factories in Barcelona. The works exhibited in this section play with space and enable interaction with visitors.

Performance curated by Gisela Chillidapresents four performances by four Art Barcelona galleries. Art Barcelona.

Thinks, including talks, round tables, interviews and editorial content, provides a forum for the discussion the future of the contemporary art market. Click here to register for their events.

In Kids this year, Swab is collaborating with Los Superpoderes del Arte and Grapat, who will create a large mural out of the work of all the children who participate. The artist Vanessa Linares will connect the children’s efforts in a large tree with many branches that will be painted onto the walls of the stand.

Swab Picnic 2021 remains true to its goal of working with local businesses. This year, Flash Flash, Barcelona's well-known restaurant, with 50 years of history, design and modernity, will be heading up the range on offer in the rest area

Click here for the agenda

2. Spanish and international exhibitors

All the Spanish and international galleries involved have an established track record on the contemporary art circuit. Swab always focuses on one particular geographical location, and this year the spotlight will be on Eastern Europe, with six new projects that explore the post-pandemic world through the eyes of young artists.

Likewise, Focus LATAM is an important section of the emerging scene. Santiago Gasquet, co-director of PIEDRAS PIEDRAS (Buenos Aires), will present the most interesting emerging proposals on the Latin American contemporary scene. The galleries participating in this program explore alternative means of production and management and will present artistic proposals that seek to generate knowledge, discourses, and local identities.

3. Commitment to sustainability in Barcelona

Swab chose Barcelona for its free spirit and cosmopolitan character. Holding the fair in this city means creating a unique platform for exchange and international dialogue, a meeting between cultures united by art brought together under the blue Mediterranean sky. In the face of the climate emergency, however, Swab is committed to sustainable and environmentally responsible cultural production, reducing single-use products to a minimum, and joining forces with companies that work with recycled and recyclable products. Caring for the planet is everyone's responsibility, and the art world is no exception.

4. Galleries selected by experts who are committed to digitization

The participating galleries have been selected by the members of the Selection Committee, which this year includes curators Omar Lopez Chahoud, Jerome Pantalacci, and Domenico de Chirico, and collectors Giuseppe Casarotto, Marie Elena Angulo and Jose Luis Lorenzo. Finally, hand in hand with the digitization platform ARTLAND, Swab will run a virtual program alongside the on-site event, giving everyone access to the work and encouraging the international projection of its participants.

Become a Swabber!

Go to the website and purchase your passes to the event: Day pass, Full pass, Swab Friends, Swab Besties and Swab Kids.

*For reasons related to the prevention of Covid-19, all visitors will be asked to present their identity card when purchasing their tickets. Visitors will also be required to wear a mask during their visits and to clean their hands when entering the Pavilion.