Zoe Schweiger

How did you get into making art?

Both my parents have a love for art so I started going to art classes and taking trips to the museum when I was pretty young. I then attended an arts high school, New World School of the Arts, and started pursuing it more intentionally.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a series of paintings that depict quick little moments of friends at bars and third spaces, talking, drinking, kissing. It’s a continuation of the paintings I’ve been making but I want these to have some livelier scenes that maybe feel a little blurry. As if you’re there with them and watching the night play on.

What inspired you to get started on this body of work?

For the last couple of years I’ve primarily made work of my loved ones, friends, and family, within the context of a warming and flooding Miami. The series began as paintings and video works that depict figures distorted in vibrant painterly strokes that reflect the hot and underwater future of Miami. I think now I’m a little more interested in the present moment and painting what makes me the happiest, spending time with the people I love. Yet still painting in a manner that reflects these broader issues of the climate crisis.

Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?

I feel like all the works I make are just evolved versions of each other. Sometimes I’ll have the urge to make a specific series, like I’ve been wanting to do a plant series for forever and every now and then i’ll do a portraiture series. But I also think everything I’ve made is just one big body of work that keeps on shifting and changing but still feels very connected to each other.

What’s a typical day like in your studio?

My studio is located at Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami FL, and my particular space is sandwiched in between three of my closest friends, Joel Gaitan, Cici McMonigle, and Susan Kim Alvarez, who are all incredible artists. In between painting I’m often hopping between their studios to yap and ask for their feedback on what I’m currently working on. I’m usually working on about one painting at a time, but I’ve lately had the pattern of putting a piece down as I’m about to finish and letting it marinate in the studio before getting back to it. I also really only love to paint when I’m listening to music, preferably loud in my headphones (which I know isn’t great for you). So to sum it up, a day in the studio consists of chatting with art friends, working on a painting, going back and forth switching up my music, and maybe writing and drawing thumbnails in my sketchbook.

Who are your favorite artists?

For the last few years my favorites have been Jennifer Packer and Christina Quarles. I also love Doron Langberg, Salman Toor, and Cato Ouyang. Some artists I’ve been really inspired by lately are Nan Goldin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Édouard Manet. Some all time favs also consist of Louise Bourgeois, Sarah Lucas, and Francis Bacon.

Where do you go to discover new artists?

Honestly probably mostly instagram. It’s so easy to find artists on there and am probably seeing new art almost everyday. I also go to gallery exhibitions often as well as museums.