Glasshouses 16: Gary Sweeney

Left to right: Brian Fleetwood, “Pvkpvke” 2023. Jonah Hill, “Paa’qwa Prayers,” 2023. Ana M. Lopez, “Pneumatic Trailer Bolo with Seedpod Plumb Bobs,” 2023. Hannah Reynoso Toussaint, “Genderless Bolo,” 2023. Jodi Webster, “It Will Always Be Skunk Hill,” 2023. Photos by Dasha Wright.

Left to right: Vanessa Miller, “Leet the Overflow be Enough,” 2023. Jillian Moore, “Mons Bola,” 2023. James Thurman, “Memento Mori Bolo,” 2023. Wyatt Nestor-Pasicznyk, “A Wilder Blue,” 2023. Ger Xiong/Ntxawg Xyooj, “Re/search,” 2023. Photos by Dasha Wright.

Sulo Bee, “$P4CE✩彡C0W[bb]_DR3AMZ,” 2023, steel, silver, copper, maple wood, rubber, epoxy, geode crystals. 20 x 5 x .5 in. Photo by Dasha Wright.

J Taran Diamond, “Pavement Princess,” 2023, braiding hair, dyed silicone, anodized titanium, cultured freshwater pearls, thread. 20.5 x 2.25 x .5 in. Photo by Dasha Wright.

Sean Eren, “Carapace,” 2023, sterling silver, olive wood, stainless steel, aluminum, oil-impregnated bronze, chrome tanned leather. 16.5 x 2.25 x .75 in. Photo by Dasha Wright.

Son of a Hollywood police photographer/detective, Gary Sweeney is a classic Irish smart-ass – quick-witted and funny as hell. Case in point, his public art project for the city of San Antonio used vintage imagery to, among other things, tout San Antonio as a “Winter Wonderland.” Sweeney works at home in an unairconditioned studio with roll-up doors on either end for cross ventilation. Braving the San Antonio heat, he often spreads his large-scale, sign-based work out onto his lawn.

Born in Los Angeles in 1952, Gary Sweeney received his BFA from the University of California at Irvine. Sweeney has created public art works in civic centers and airports from Los Angeles to Charlotte, NC. His work is included in several museum collections and has been shown extensively throughout the United States as well as in Europe and Asia.
Everett Taasevigen is a Houston photographer.

Also by Everett Taasevigen:
Glass Houses 15: Lauren Kelley

Glass Houses 14: Margarita Cabrera

Glass Houses 13: Hana Hillerova

Glass Houses 12: Leslie Wilkes

Glass Houses 11: Julie Speed

Glass Houses 10: Bert Long

Glass Houses 9: Steve Brudniak

Glass Houses 8: David Aylsworth

Glass Houses 7: Jill Pangallo

Glass Houses 6: Nestor Topchy