On Thursday 2nd July 2026, Woodbury House hosted the private view of ‘The Life of the Work’, the first major survey of Swoon’s practice ever presented in the United Kingdom, and a defining moment in the gallery’s programme.

From 18:00 – 21:00, collectors, press and guests filled our flagship Mayfair gallery for the first look at thirty-six works spanning more than a decade of making by the American artist Caledonia Curry, known around the world as Swoon: monumental hand-sewn mylar portraits reaching nine feet in height, intricate block prints and silkscreens, works mounted onto salvaged doors and reclaimed windows, drawings of extraordinary tenderness, and the newest pieces from her ongoing ‘Sibylant Sisters’ universe.

It was the first time this body of work had ever been seen together on walls in the United Kingdom. Every work in the exhibition is available to acquire.

Swoon was in attendance throughout the evening, meeting collectors and guests in front of the works themselves.

For an artist whose story began on the walls of Brooklyn, and whose earliest pasting missions outside New York brought her to the streets of London before street art even had a name, the evening carried the feeling of a homecoming: the artist in the room, in Mayfair, with the works that have accompanied her through her entire journey.

Throughout the evening, Swoon signed copies of the exhibition catalogue for guests, which features her artist statement in her own words, a foreword by the independent curator Pedro Alonzo, and a gallery introduction by Woodbury House.

The evening was soundtracked live by Jo Quail, the internationally acclaimed London composer and virtuoso cellist.

Known for combining a mastery of her instrument with innovative looping techniques to build complex, evocative soundscapes, Quail has been described as one of the most awe-inspiring and inventive cellists of her generation. Her performance filled the gallery, a live counterpart to the works on the walls, and a fitting collaboration for an exhibition rooted in the power of story.

Step inside the private view: the works, the artist, and the evening itself, captured at Woodbury House.

A full exhibition catalogue accompanies ‘The Life of the Work’, documenting the first major UK survey of Swoon’s practice. It includes the complete works list, a gallery introduction by Woodbury House, the foreword by the independent curator Pedro Alonzo, and a statement in the artist’s own voice.

To request a copy of the exhibition catalogue, contact the gallery directly on [email protected] or 0203 750 2222, we’d be delighted to assist with your request.

‘The Life of the Work’ by Swoon is now on view at Woodbury House, our flagship Mayfair gallery, through 13th August 2026.

Visitors are welcome during gallery hours, Monday to Friday, and admission is free. Every work in the exhibition is available to acquire, from prints and editions to major original works. To arrange a private viewing, request the full list of available works, or enquire about a specific piece by Swoon, please contact the gallery directly.

Woodbury House
29 Sackville Street,
Mayfair,
London,
W1S 3DX

[email protected]
0203 750 2222