Yellow Bellied Drop Bear

Michael Swaney (b. 1978, Kimberley, BC) is a Canadian artist living and working in Barcelona, Spain. For over two decades, Swaney has been crafting exuberant, whimsical paintings, collages, drawings, mosaics and ceramics that express a childlike vision of the world, paired with baroque detailing. Swaney’s work is deeply informed by the raw aesthetic and ethos of Art Brut, referencing figures such as Jean Dubuffet as well as children’s art. His visual language aligns closely with Outsider Art, especially through its use of repetition, intuition, horror vacui, and a deliberate disregard for perspective. Drawing inspiration from popular culture, online ephemera, and product branding, Swaney approaches his subjects with equal parts sincerity and humor, building a rich and expansive universe. His mosaic projects inspired by Gaudí and visionary environments were initially conceived as community-based interventions, bringing together collaborators from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and abilities, highlighting art’s unique power to connect and include. In parallel to his studio practice, Swaney has long been committed to researching and promoting non-academic forms of artistic expression, helping to expand the discourse around what constitutes art and who gets to be called an artist. Since 2001, Swaney has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions in Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Berlin, Miami, and beyond.