Swab 2025: online art

Swab Barcelona is preparing a new edition with some notable changes. The fair, which has occupied a recognized place in the contemporary art calendar for years, is making an internal and external turn with the incorporation of Carolina Díez-Cascón as its new director. With this change, Swab seeks to return to its origins, emphasizing emerging practices and proposals that do not always find space within the most conventional circuits. The intention is clear: to strengthen the fair's function as a meeting point for independent, collaborative initiatives with a transformative will.

From October 2 to 5, 2025, Swab will celebrate its 18th edition and the organization is proposing this edition as a moment of transition, drawing inspiration from the idea of the solstice and the symbolism of the year of the snake to talk about change, renewal and openness to new ways of doing things. This year's program is committed to formats that are based on solidarity, self-management and cooperation, without losing sight of the public and community value of art.

© Natasha Burton, Outhouse gallery. MyFaF

One of the highlights is Polar and Tropic, a curatorial hub that brings together thirteen spaces from the Nordic region and Southeast Asia. These projects are led by artists, curators and collectives who work from a local perspective, networking and experimentation, and who share a critical perspective on current systems. There will also be a video cycle, a radio station, an editorial section and an open area for workshops and talks, curated by Tenthaus, Jatiwangi art Factory and Bunga Siagian. In addition to all this, there is a collaboration with Club9, which will bring a more performative line to the programming.

Another important focus will be Vortex, an evolution of the well-known Emerging LATAM program, which will connect young projects from Latin America with the local artistic fabric. This space, conceived by Santiago Gasquet and Lena Solà Nogué, proposes a horizontal dialogue between distant contexts but with common interests, exploring new forms of sustainability and shared curation. It will also have a space dedicated to critical thinking, in tune with the fair's radio and public activities.

© Pachinko, Polar and Tropic

As for the SOLO program, it will work from the solo show format but with an emphasis on collective authorship and self-managed spaces. In the words of the organizers, “a single voice can also be a plural voice”, and it is from this idea that they want to establish stable links between independent European projects. The Vila Casas Foundation provides support to promote new collaborations and network projects.

The fair also maintains its open call formats. On the one hand, the General Program, which this year integrates the previous General, Emerging and Seed sections to reflect a scene in which it is increasingly difficult to separate what is emerging from what is already consolidated. This fusion allows initiatives that mix artistic experimentation with market strategies to be visible. On the other hand, the MyFAF (My First Art Fair) program supports three galleries with less than two years of experience, offering them a first access to the international circuit and the opportunity to present a proposal with their own voice.

© Ikram Abdulkadir, Fluxia 2. Polar and Tropic

The link with the local scene has also been strengthened. In this sense, Swab opens a collaboration with Art Barcelona through its Art Nou initiative, which rewards an emerging gallery to be part of the fair. In addition, the IN/OUT program will connect the fair's proposals with the urban space of Barcelona through parallel exhibitions, performances, meetings and visits, promoting continuity between what happens inside the venue and what is active outside it.

Finally, this year's edition aims to expand the public dimension of the fair and its commitment to debate. To this end, talks and activities will be scheduled with institutions such as Index and the Delfina Foundation, as well as artists, collectors and professionals in the sector. The idea is to generate spaces for conversation about current practices, collecting, network building and the challenges of an increasingly unstable global scenario.

© Camille Benbournane, BAM Projects. Solo Show