Zoe Schweiger
Zoe Schweiger is a multi-disciplinary artist born and based in Miami, Florida. She received her BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2022. She primarily makes figurative paintings of her loved ones distorted within a warm and saturated environment, informed by Miami’s current relationship with sea level rise and the climate crisis. Schweiger has exhibited her work in a number of solo and group exhibitions, including Above The Limestone at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Under Warm Water at Spinello Projects in Miami, Florida. She has also been included in exhibitions in New York and Miami, such as The Armory Show with Spinello Projects, In Spiritual Light at Mindy Solomon Gallery, Deconstructing the Sameness, a survey by Ronald Sanchez at Laundromat Art Space, and Narration Within the Materials, curated by Amani Lewis at T&Y Projects with Art Intelligence Global in Tokyo, Japan. Schweiger has received numerous awards and grants, including an Innovate Grant and the Miami Individual Artists (MIA) Grant. Her work is in the permanent collection of The NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Zoe Schweiger: I'm currently finding inspiration from South Florida’s hot and rainy summer season. Every time I step outside, I’m sweating, my hair’s frizzy when it rains, it's a deluge, and then it clears up within twenty minutes, and we’re left with a sticky, humid feeling in the air. It’s kinda gross, but I kinda love it. I want my paintings to emulate this feeling.
Collect Bean: How does your painting process look like from start to finish?
Zoe Schweiger: Most of my paintings start with photographs. I’ll photograph my close friends and family; sometimes, it’s candid, and sometimes I’ll vaguely pose them. A lot of my references I’ll have them underwater, fully dressed, and sitting in a chair or something. From there I’ll work with images I’m drawn to and paint based on that. I almost always start my paintings with a light orange color and paint light to dark. Often, I’ll put a layer of water down on the canvas to allow the paint to absorb and spread in a fun way. I’ll go on and off from wetting the canvas, painting to lying it on the floor, putting a wash over it, and dropping ink into it.
Collect Bean: What does an ideal day in your studio look like?
Zoe Schweiger: An ideal day in the studio is when I’m not getting distracted by my phone. My headphones are fully charged, and I’m listening to music. It’s not raining, and I’m not worried about driving through a flood on my way home. I just have uninterrupted studio time and feel excited about what I’m making.
Collect Bean: Are there any artists or movements that have inspired or influenced your work?
Zoe Schweiger: Two of my favorite artists right now are Christina Quarles and Jennifer Packer. I’m always so inspired by the way they put down paint. And the way Quarles’s figures morph into each other’s in such a fun way... gorgeous. One of the first artists I was very inspired by was Louise Bourgeois. Similarly to Quarles paintings, the way her soft sculptures wrap around themselves is something I’ve always been very drawn to.
Collect Bean: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Zoe Schweiger: Stop overthinking everything you make!!
