Tony Swain
Born 1967, Lisburn; Lives in Glasgow.
Education
| 1990 | BA (Hons) Painting, Glasgow School of Art |
| 1986 | Liverpool School of Art |
Solo Exhibitions
| 2023 | ‘Pronouncing the Accent’, Celine, Glasgow |
| 2022 | ‘Sight Deserted’, The Modern Institute, 14–20 Osborne Street, Glasgow |
| 2017 | ‘Works or Everyone’, The Modern Institute, 3 Aird's Lane, Glasgow |
| 2015 | ‘The Shorter Alphabet’, The Modern Institute, 3 Aird's Lane, Glasgow |
| ‘Other Planets are Available’, Kunstverein Freiburg | |
| ‘Undetailed Progress’, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead | |
| 2014 | ‘Independent Projects’, 548 West 22nd Street, New York |
| 2012 | ‘Aereated Bread Company (Andrew Black and Tony Swain)’, The Duchy Gallery, Glasgow |
| ‘Drowned Dust, Sudden Word’, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh | |
| 2011 | ‘Afterwards in Pictures’, The Modern Institute, 14–20 Osborne Street, Glasgow |
| 2010 | ‘Recollection Has Not Been Mentioned’, Herald St, London |
| 2009 | ‘Temperature is here too’, Art Now, Tate Britain, London |
| 2008 | ‘Impure Passports’, Inverleith House, Edinburgh |
| 2007 | ‘Soon Divided And So On’, Herald St, London |
| ‘To Get Her’, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York | |
| 2006 | ‘The Flashes That Came To Stand For Us’, The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow |
| ‘Not New, Went On’, Millais Gallery, Southampton | |
| 2005 | ‘Never Even’, Herald St, London |
| ‘You Have Decorated Me The Wrong Colour’, Kerlin Gallery, Dublin | |
| 2004 | ‘Water Through Window, Husband Mental’, The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow |
Group Exhibitions
| 2023 | ‘Brilliant Cut’, Gallery Baton, Seoul |
| 2018 | ‘Innovative Printmaking’, Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow |
| Oxford House, Glasgow | |
| 2017 | ‘NOW’, Modern One, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh |
| 2015 | ‘X’, Herald St, London (curated by Sarah McCrory) |
| 2014 | ‘Archive Fever!’, The Clay and Glass Gallery, Ontario |
| ‘Continue Without Losing Consciousness’, DCA, Dundee (Part of GENERATION 2014) | |
| ‘Nine Chains To The Moon (Chapter 2)’, BQ, Berlin (With John Latham, Tony Swain and Josef Albers) | |
| 2013 | ‘Valise’, BQ and Pavillon der Volksbühne, Berlin (The Glasgow Weekend) |
| ‘A Picture Show’, GOMA, Glasgow | |
| 2012 | ‘La Cinquieme Saison’, Mediatheque Espace Culturel, Saint Jean de Monts |
| ‘Ever since I put your picture in a frame’, 42 Carlton Place, Glasgow (Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art) | |
| 2011 | ‘Creating the New Century’, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio (Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection) |
| ‘Transmitter/Receiver’, Hayward Gallery, London (Touring to mima Soundspace, Middlesbrough; The Lightbox, Woking and Tullie House, Carlisle) | |
| 2010 | ‘Restore Us and Regain’, Mackintosh Museum, Glasgow School of Art |
| ‘Glasgow International’, Le drapeau noir, Glasgow | |
| 2009 | ‘Primitif Complique’, Galerie Les filles du calvaire, Brussels |
| 2007 | 52nd Venice Biennale, Venice |
| ‘Scotland & Venice 2007’, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen | |
| ‘Like Leaves’, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York | |
| 2006 | ‘The Three Cities: Berlin, Milan, London’, Anna-Catherina Gebbers, Berlin |
| ‘Down With You’, Bankley Studios & Gallery, Manchester | |
| ‘FALANSTERIO’, Supportico Lopez, Naples | |
| ‘JaGGy-edge’, The Travelling Gallery, touring Scotland | |
| 2005 | ‘Supernova’, Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow (British Council) |
| ‘Herald St and The Modern Institute present’, Gavin Brown's enterprise, New York | |
| ‘Prisms & Shadows’, Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow (curated by Toby Paterson) | |
| 2004 | Kerlin Gallery, Dublin |
| ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, Millers Terrace, London | |
| Transmission, Glasgow | |
| Glasgow Art Fair with Switchspace |
Bibliography
Press
| 2010 | Cooper, Neil: ‘Tommy Grace, Ged Quinn and Tony Swain: Restore Us Regain’, The List, 04/11/2010 |
| Macmillian, Duncan: ‘Art, Lessons from a past master on making a good impression.’, The Scotsman, 21/10/2010 | |
| ‘topsy turvy’, The Big Issue, 27/09/2010 | |
| Swain, Tony: ‘Tony Swain on how he paints’, The Observer, 20/09/2010 | |
| 2009 | ‘Tate Britain presents New Paintings by Glasgow-based artist Tony Swain’, Art Knowledge News, 26/06/2009 |
| Coomer, Martin: ‘News Style’, Big Issue, 18/05/2009 | |
| 2008 | Black, Kara: Extract from her essay ‘This Is The Ticket‘, The New Paper, 31/07/2008 |
| Lesso, Rosie: ‘Review: Nick Evans and Tony Swain’, The List, Issue 597 28/02/2008 | |
| Kennedy, Alexander: ‘Nick Evans and Tony Swain’, The List, Issue 596 14/02/2008 | |
| 2007 | Leaver-Yap, Isla: ‘Art and mud’, The List, Issue 578 2007 |
| Leaver-Yap, Isla: ‘CONCRETE PLANES’, Map, Issue 11 2007 | |
| 2006 | Anderson, Randall: ‘Tony Swain’, Flash Art, 10/2006 |
| Peter, Mick: ‘Tony Swain’, Frieze, Issue 102 10/2006 | |
| Kennedy, Alexander: ‘Tony Swain - The Flashes that Came to Stand For Us’, The List, 07/2006 | |
| Harrison, Sara: ‘Tony Swain’, Art Monthly, 02/2006 | |
| Sumpter, Helen: ‘Tony Swain’, Time Out London, 01/2006 | |
| 2004 | McDermott, Leon: ‘Tony Swain’, The Metro, 17/09/2004 |
| Jeffrey, Moira: ‘Showing vital spark’, The Herald, 10/09/2004 | |
| McLaughlin, Aideen: ‘Writings on the Wall’, The Big Issue, 09/2004 | |
| James, Merlin: ‘Munro, Pollard and Swain at Transmission’, Transmission Newsletter, 04/2004 | |
| Figgis, Laurence: ‘JP Munro, Alex Pollard, Tony Swain’, Untitled, 2004 | |
| Price, Matt: ‘Tony Swain, in Mixed Paint - A survey of contemporary painters’, Flash Art International, 2004 |
Exhibition Reviews
| 2015 | Jeffrey, Moira: ‘Tony Swain: The Shorter Alphabet’, The Scotsman, 15/08/2015 |
| 2012 | Pollock, David: ‘Tony Swain: Drowned Dust, Sudden Word‘, The List, 24/05/2012 |
| ‘Art Review‘, Scotland on Sunday, 05/05/2012 | |
| Clark, Robert: ‘Exhibitions‘, The Guardian Guide, 14/04/2012 |
Publications
| 2014 | Continue Without Losing Consciousness, Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), Dundee |
| 2008 | Paintings, Dumont Buchverlag, Cologne (edited by The Modern Institute) |
| Scotland & Venice 2003 2005 2007, Scottish Arts Council/British Council/National Galleries of Scotland/The Scottish Government, Edinburgh | |
| 2007 | Scotland and Venice 2007, Scottish Arts Council, British Council Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, Scotland |
Exhibition Publications
| 2012 | Narrative Deficiencies Throughout, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh |
| 2011 | Creating the New Century, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton |
| 2005 | Supernova, British Council, London |