Blog

Swoon’s street art, printmaking, and activism takes the world by storm

Caledonia Curry, recognized internationally by her street art name Swoon, fundamentally shifted street art in the 21st century. Widely known as the most popular female street artist of the century, Swoon began anonymously wheatpasting her intricately detailed paper-cut portraits of everyday people onto the industrial walls and abandoned buildings of New York City in the early 2000s. After gaining notoriety in New York, Swoon completed larger and larger projects, eventually building a fleet of rafts named Swimming Cities of Serenissima which she sailed into the Venice Biennale of 2009. This action cemented her name in art history, and since then Swoon has collaborated with international art icons including Shepard Fairey, Alicia Keys, and Swizz Beatz. The foundational concept behind Swoon’s work is the power of art to heal and transform darkness into light–a message that resonates with art lovers now more than ever.

Hung Liu: Life and Legacy at Turner Carroll

Hung Liu was a Chinese American painter celebrated as one of the most important contemporary artists of California and the Chinese diaspora. Her paintings and gold leaf resin works evoked her personal history, memory, and identity often in relation to Maoist China and the Bay Area.

Shepard Fairey (OBEY, HOPE): Street Art Legend at Turner Carroll

Shepard Fairey, known widely for his brand OBEY Giant and his poster for the 2008 Barack Obama HOPE presidential campaign, is one of the most influential street artists alive. Fairey’s work is deeply political and he frequently confronts issues of human rights, equality, and authority while maintaining an incredible signature style of layered collage-like color, propaganda-inspired forms, pop art, portraiture, and bright colors.

William T. Wiley: Bay Area Funk Movement Icon at Turner Carroll

Today’s featured artist is William T. Wiley, a California “Funk Movement” artist rooted in the Bay Area. Wiley was born in 1937 in Indiana, moving to San Francisco in the 1960s for art school and establishing a deep artistic community in the area. Wiley eventually joined UC Davis’s art faculty, and became a beloved teacher to prominent students such as Bruce Nauman, Deborah Butterfield, Richard Shaw, and Stephen Laub, while teaching alongside other well-known faculty including Robert Arneson and Roy DeForest. Wiley’s work was featured in major international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, De Young Museum, Smithsonian, and SF MoMA.

Traian Filip: Turner Carroll from the Beginning

Traian Alexandru Filip was a Romanian artist who worked in the state engraving studios under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the latter half of the 20th century, who later escaped to New Hope, Pennsylvania. His intaglio engravings found international acclaim and boldly criticized the Romanian authoritarian government, and Traian was one of the first artists–and kindred spirits–that Tonya and Michael discovered shortly after founding Turner Carroll Gallery in 1991.

Canyon Road: Santa Fe’s Unique and Historic Art Community

Canyon Road is a magical street, brought to life over centuries by outlaw and visionary artists. Did you know Santa Fe used to be known as “The City of Ladies” before “The City Different”? Luminaries like Georgia O’Keeffe, Olive Rush, the notorious Claude of artist hang out “Claude’s Bar,” Judy Chicago, Dorothy Newkirk Stewart, Agnes Sims, E. Boyd, and Beulah Eisle Stevenson all lived and worked on Canyon Road. Canyon Road was constructed in the 1750s–nearly 200 years before New Mexico became part of the United States!

Landfall Press Legacy Center Opens in Santa Fe

Landfall Press Print Center opens in Santa Fe: Turner Carroll Gallery receives the honor of caring for Landfall's archive including works from Kara Walker, Claes Oldenburg, Sol Lewitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and more.

The New City of Ladies: New Mexico Women Artists

The New City of Ladies: New Mexico Women Artists. 33 New Mexican women artists exhibited their innovative artwork at Turner Carroll Gallery in a collaborative show with the New Mexico Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts–one of our biggest openings ever with over 400 attendees!

Swoon’s First Solo Exhibition & Artist Talk in Asia

In January 2025, Swoon: Homecoming premiered at SAC Gallery Bangkok. The street artist's first solo exhibition in Asia displayed eidophones made from secondhand artifacts found in Thailand, a stunning centerpiece printed on antique Thai doors, and drawings from throughout the artist's career.

Virgil Ortiz: A Visionary Artist Transcending Time and Tradition

Virgil Ortiz (b. 1969, Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico) is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary pottery and is a leading figure in the art world. Coming from a lineage of respected Pueblo potters, including his mother, Seferina Ortiz, and grandmother, Laurencita Herrera, Ortiz’s innovative work transcends traditional boundaries and serves as a source of inspiration.

Blasfemme: Women artists challenging convention

The Turner Carroll Gallery exhibition Blasfemme emerges as a compelling testament to the profound impact of female artists who, over the last century, have orchestrated transformative disruptions within the art world. The exhibition unfolds as a tapestry of influential figures, drawing attention to their long-overlooked contributions.

Art as a Universal Language: Matt King’s Becoming Light

Matt King was an artist of singular vision. Best known as a founding force in the iconic and groundbreaking Meow Wolf enterprises, his creative genius allowed him to envision never before seen artistic experiences. Matt King: Becoming Light is the first solo exhibition by King and a unique opportunity to understand this beloved artist. [CONTAINER] has worked closely with his family and loved ones, and this exhibition featuring 40 works created over more than 20 years is curated by Han Santana-Sayles, King’s partner and Meow Wolf’s Director of Artist Collaboration.

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