Julianne Swartz works with subtle phenomena as a means to heighten sensitivity. Reducing materials to their most ephemeral and precarious states, she crafts sound, ambient light, and kinetic energy into physiological encounters. Her work engages a palpable vulnerability: the tenderness of bodies, the fragility of form, and the susceptibility of matter to the intangible. Milled wood planks of various sizes lean inconspicuously against the wall, initially appearing as by-products of an installation in progress. Titled Spectrum, their underbellies conceal bands of reflective color. Shy rainbows peek out, after a storm. Swartz relies on our presence. Interactivity doesn’t turn into spectacle; it is intrinsically interwoven with her practice. Attention paid is care, and care is ultimately, communion.
Swartz will debut a new immersive, multisensory installation at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in 2025. Selected exhibitions include Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland; Phoenix Art Museum; Museum of Art and Design, NY; Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam; The Highline, New York; The Jewish Museum, New York; Liverpool Biennial, Tate Museum; and Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. A 15-year survey of her work, How Deep is Your, opened at the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, and traveled to the Contemporary Art Museum, Scottsdale, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
[excerpted from Bienvenu Steinberg & Partner website: www.bsandcgallery.com]