RICKY SWALLOW

His practice draws from American popular culture but is equally layered in allegories that reference high European art, considering the transitory nature of existence. Swallow attended the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne (1993-1997), and following his graduation established a reputation for his meticulously crafted sculptures.

Swallow lived in England (2003-2006) and has been resident in Los Angeles since 2006. His skill as a sculptor has been described as almost obsessive, but has ensured his work draws attention to the beauty and preciousness of the most humble of forms and seemingly shallowest of images, encouraging a complexity of responses. For example, his sculpture, Rooftop Shoot Out with Chimpanzee (1999), included a modestly scaled skyscraper from a seemingly fictitious late night television show that locates the viewer as the ‘eye of God,’ inviting consideration of the distancing of humanity from nature.

Swallow’s work is held in the collection of Museum of Modern Art, New York and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.