Vielmetter Los Angeles is excited to present How We Go, an exhibition of new works by Gio Swaby, marking the artist’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. The exhibition will be on view from July 19th through August 30th, 2025. Originally from The Bahamas and currently based in Toronto, Swaby is known for her intricate textile portraits of Black women and femmes in her community. Swaby begins by photographing the sitters and translates these images into textured and tactile expressions of identity. Swaby’s Bahamian upbringing inspires the title How We Go, and is an affirming, intuitive expression of identity and shared understanding. Taken from the colloquial phrase “you know how we go”, the phrase is a description of the essence of a person, it is that which is simply known without having to be explained. Swaby states about this new body of work: “This work is rooted in the exploration of duality — how identity is both held within and reflected outward. I am exploring the complexity of Black femme identity, the layered, shifting intersections of who we are, how we’re seen, and how we choose to present ourselves. I am investigating the construction of identity, not as a fixed truth, but as an evolving narrative shaped by our lived experiences, cultures, and community. Personal style holds a central role in this exploration. I am interested in how we use adornment to build soft, protective places or use it to create space for presence and power and as a means of being deeply seen. Clothing becomes a language, serving as both resistance and affirmation. Style is a mirror and a map; It holds space for contradiction and cohesion, for both the bold and the tender. This work is a celebration of each person represented, rooted in love, deep reverence, and gratitude. It honors the beauty in complexity alongside the intimate truth of the simple. My work seeks to hold these tensions in harmony, offering a visual vocabulary for coming into one’s own—fully, unapologetically, and in continuous unfolding.” About the artist Gio Swaby (born 1991) was born and raised in The Bahamas and is currently based in Toronto, Canada. Swaby was recently the subject of her first solo museum exhibition in 2023, Gio Swaby: Fresh Up, at the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition, co-organized by Katherine Pill, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg and Melinda Watt, Chair and Christa C. Mayer Thurman Curator of Textiles, Art Institute of Chicago, it traveled to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. Swaby’s work has been included in group exhibitions at Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville, FL; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN; Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN; African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY; Kemper Museum, Kansas City, MO; Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA; National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas; Kunsthaus Alte Mühle, Schmallenberg, Germany; among others. Swaby’s work is included in collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum; the Speed Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; among others. _____ Vielmetter Los Angeles is excited to announce Be Your Own Cool, an exhibition of new works by Ghanaian artist Kwesi Botchway. On view from July 19 to September 13, this exhibition marks Botchway’s second solo presentation with the gallery. This recent series of paintings was created during a focused residency in Los Angeles earlier this spring and represents a shift in both scale and mood. Botchway, known for his vivid portrayals of Black identity infused with psychological depth and vibrant colors, adopts an introspective approach in this body of work. The paintings in Be Your Own Cool are contemplative offerings that nurture the individuality of each subject while evoking a sense of intimacy. Each figure is portrayed in moments of reflection and stillness, characterized by subtle brushstrokes and a sense of resonance. These portraits invite viewers to engage closely with the subjects, set against soft pastel backgrounds that inspire feelings of tranquility, sensitivity, and empowerment. Also included in the exhibition is a group of fifteen diminutive paintings entitled community of freedom fighters, which, for the artist, captures and acknowledges individuals whose actions and ideologies have helped shape a sense of community. In Be Your Own Cool, Botchway continues to evolve his signature style, where realism and stylization intersect, while also deepening the emotional complexity of Black portraiture. His use of rich tones and nuanced expressions allows his subjects to stand out against tranquil backgrounds dramatically. Each figure is presented not just as a muse, but also as a symbol of quiet dignity. By juxtaposing contemporary styles with a classical sense of fashion, these paintings emphasize Black individuals and their unique choices in hairstyles, clothing, and personal flair. These details intentionally reflect cultural identity and celebrate the evolution and significance of contemporary Black life. About the artist Kwesi Botchway (b. 1994, Accra, Ghana) lives and works in Accra and Belgium. Botchway is the founder of Worldfaze Art Practice, a contemporary art studio and residency based in Accra that supports emerging Ghanaian artists and fosters experimental practices in art. He studied art at the Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Accra before enrolling at the Academy of Visual Arts in Frankfurt, Germany. Over the past decade, Botchway has exhibited his paintings internationally and held solo exhibitions in Denmark, Ghana, the UK, Belgium, and the United States. His work is included in such collections as the Arsenal Art Centre in Canada, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL,National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne,Vanhaerents Art Collection, Belgium, the Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel,The Bunker Collection and Tia Collection. Image: Gio Swaby