Photo Caption: Below: Artist Brandown Sward and his exhibition How the West Was Lost.
Artist Brandon Sward did not follow the “traditional” path of artists today. He does not have a BFA or MFA. In fact, he’s currently a Sociology Doctoral Candidate at the University of Chicago. And it's this space, between academia and art, where Sward’s latest work swims. During Sward’s time as a Longform Resident this past September, the artist invited me into the Lutz Studio for a conversation as well as a look at his work.
When I stepped into the studio it felt much more gallery-like under the curation of Sward. A barrel of hay sat in the far corner of the room and above that hung a saddle and stirrups as well as a variety of photos that Sward had taken at a rodeo. Not too far away, a belt buckle and horseshoe hung on the wall. A mannequin, posed on a distressed table, was dressed in an equally disheveled denim shirt under a canvas, quilted jacket.
In his latest installation How the West Was Lost, Sward wrestles with images of western masculinity in a fashion equal parts playful and serious. His great-uncle Stanton (namesake of Sward’s middle name) was the owner of the artifacts posted around the room. A number of plaques accompanied the objects. They were printed on plastic in the hard-lined sans serif font of a museum. At first glance they were equal in voice to those at museums: crisp, academic, borderline clinical. But Sward let the writing carry itself and transform into something new, morphing the prosaic into poetic: “The word ‘chaps’ is a shortened version of the Spanish chaparreras,” one plaque begins and by the end of the paragraph the text has galloped into a fantastical scene of “Lana Del Rey, flying down an open highway, loose dark curls billowing gently in the wind.”
If you’re interested in exploring the exhibition for yourself, you can check out How the West Was Lost as well as its accompanying performance piece.
If you have news or stories you’d like to share about your time at Ox-Bow or beyond, you can contact Engagement Liaison & Storyteller, Shanley Poole, at spoole@ox-bow.org.