Jazz Swali (he/him) is a contemporary art curator. He is currently the assistant curator of exhibitions at Backlit Gallery (Nottingham) – an lgbtq+ and female-led visual arts organisation, and he is an advisory board member of Eastside Projects Gallery (Birmingham) – an artist-run non-profit.
His work with contemporary art, museums and galleries is embedded with curatorial activism, cultural and equality strategy, socio-political focuses, and alternative queer and experimental practices. Alongside his curatorial work, he works closely with artists to develop new commissions and projects. Swali believes in the value of collaboration and relationships between artists and curators to create innovative artworks and exhibitions.
His recent exhibitions as a curator include The Joy of Destruction (2023) and, in reality, these things need to be said (2021). Working with artists such as Rebecca Allen, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Robert Yang, De’Anne Crooks, Kim Thompson, and Rene Matić. Swali has developed projects such as the Outcome programme with Backlit Gallery, Nottingham Trent University, and the University of Nottingham (2021-2024).
He joined the Emerging Curators Group programme with the British Art Network, Tate, and Paul Mellon Centre in 2023 and has recently been awarded two Arts Council England project grants for independent curatorial programmes (2020-2023). He graduated from Trent University with a BA (Hons) in photography and will graduate with an MA in museum and gallery studies at Leicester University in 2024.
