My work has always essentially been about translation, passing a subject through various processes on the way to a fixed or permanent state, with each different material influencing the creation of new forms.
– Ricky Swallow
With a fascination for spending time at flea markets in Los Angeles, Ricky Swallow created the piece Vendor (Seated) as a way to solidify the interactions he has on his creative excursions. The artist takes an ephemeral material (the cardboard tubing) and an ephemeral experience (the interaction with flea market vendors) to make a structurally sound and permanent metaphorical work. Ricky Swallow represented Austrailia at the 2005 Venice Biennale, and his work has been the focus of solo exhibitions at The Huntington, Los Angeles; London; Ian Potter Centre National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Queensland University Art Gallery, Brisbane; and PS1/MoMA, New York. Swallow was born in San Remo, Australia, and he currently lives and works in Los Angeles.