Jazz Swali is a Curator. Their practice is queer and socio-politically motivated.
Jazz is the Curator and Programme Coordinator at Backlit Gallery (Nottingham) and was previously Assistant Curator from 2020–23. From 2021–24 Jazz served on the Eastside Projects Advisory Board (Birmingham). Independently they have worked with organisations such as Nottingham Contemporary, UK New Artists, Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham. Jazz has sat on various selection panels and has delivered artist crits and portfolio reviews.
Their recent exhibitions include Punk: Rage and Revolution (2023); The Joy of Destruction (2023); Artists in the Now (2023); in reality, these things need to be said (2021). Working with artists and archives such as Jamie Reid and John Marchant, Rebecca Allen, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Robert Yang, Sleaford Mods, Kim Thompson, Rene Matić and Exodus Crooks.
Jazz joined the Emerging Curators Group programme with the British Art Network (Tate and Paul Mellon Centre consortium) in 2023. They were awarded two Arts Council England project grants for independent curatorial programmes in 2020 and 2022. Jazz was co-awarded the Collaborative Grant from the British Art Network in 2023 and the Seminar Support Grant in 2024. They graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a BA (Hons) in Photography (2019) and are undertaking their MA in Museum and Gallery Studies focusing on Socially Engaged Practice at Leicester University (2024).