On the occasion of her debut solo exhibition in Asia in January 2025, we’re diving into the captivating world of Caledonia Dance Curry, best known by her nom d’artiste, Swoon.
Art historians Jongsuwat Angsuvarnsiri and Tonya Turner Carroll, and Michael Carroll first visualized this exhibition in 2022 with the help of Hello Print Friend principal Miranda Metcalf.
Angsuvarnsiri visited the Turner Carroll-founded [CONTAINER] museum during the installation of Swoon’s remarkable Seven Contemplations exhibition that [CONTAINER] brought to Santa Fe from the Albright-Knox Gallery. In the two years since then, Turner Carroll and SAC have put great care into curating an exhibition of Swoon’s work woven with the place, people, and culture of Thailand.
Swimming Cities of Serenissima, Grand Canal, Venice, Photo: Tod Seelie
Homecoming draws its title from the fact that Swoon was deeply inspired by her first trip to Thailand in 2007. Witnessing the stacked building styles in Thailand inspired Swoon’s renegade work, Swimming Cities of Serenissima—monumental art rafts that she sailed into the Grand Canal right in the middle of the Venice Biennale in 2009. This landmark work firmly cemented Swoon into the canon of art history. True to her inclination to honor people and places that have touched her deeply, it is fitting that Thailand is the premiere location for her solo exhibition in Asia.
Swoon will create an aesthetic world at SAC where viewers can find repose, familiarity, and meditation. Jongsuwat Angsuvarnsiri suggested Swoon consider using pieces of wood left behind from the devastating Chiang Mai flood a few months ago. She did just that, and created new Eidophone artworks on this Thai wood to help the community heal.
Career-defining portraits from her retrospective exhibition that toured the US last year, such as Ice Queen and Sonia are also anchor works in the SAC exhibition, which will allow her first-time viewers to grasp the scope and scale of her storied career.
Swoon’s stop motion animation Cicada is the monumental work in the exhibition where art, sound, and narrative come together.
The American Embassy in Thailand will support Swoon’s introduction with various receptions and artist talks, as well as with a children’s workshop.
Author: Sophie Carroll