Marcela Szwarc

Marcela Szwarc is a multidisciplinary artist working within the intersections of painting, illustration, self-publishing, writing, performance, and puppetry. Born to Polish immigrants in New York, their upbringing has been influenced by a mix of Slavic cultural practices, which are often a muddied duality comprised of Catholic rituals with pagan backbones. Recently, their research has brought them to investigate the symbolism of plants and trees for the Western Slavs, and the apotropaic magic (or protective magic) that was practiced by Slavic peasants throughout the Middle Ages.

Szwarc is currently an MFA candidate in the Studio Arts Program at Concordia University in the unceded territory of Tiohià:ke/Mooniyang (Montreal, QC). In 2014, they completed their BFA in the School of Art and Design at Purchase College, New York. Szwarc’s artwork and performances have been exhibited at the Milieux Institute (Montreal, QC), Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Pioneer Works (Brooklyn, NY), Knockdown Center (Queens, NY), and HEIMA (Seyðisfjörður, Iceland). They have also organized many DIY shows, notably at the Phase Space venue in Brooklyn, NY. Additionally, Szwarc has participated in residencies at Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Center for Urban Pedagogy (Brooklyn, NY), Art Farm (Aurora, NE), and HEIMA (Seyðisfjörður, Iceland). Their work was published in Exuberant Botanica’s Volume 2, a publication by Hot House/Maison Chaude.