Acclaimed environmental artist Susan Swartz inspires contemplation through major exhibition at NIA Gallery in Prague

NIA Gallery announces The Infinite, a first major solo exhibition in the Czech Republic by renowned environmental artist Susan Swartz curated by Claire Breukel.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NIA Gallery announces the first major solo exhibition in the Czech Republic by world renowned environmental artist Susan Swartz. Titled The Infinite, this exhibition of forty-three paintings, prints and sculptures is an exploration of abstraction and painterly expression as a means for creating space for contemplation and positive connection to the natural environment. Curated by South African-born US curator Claire Breukel, The Infinite includes work spanning the last two decades of Swartz’s prolific career. The exhibition opens on Thursday, 22 October at the Prague gallery with a press tour led by the artist and the curator, followed by a public opening. The artist will also be leading conversations about her work. The Infinite is on view through 15 January 2027.

The Infinite brings together seminal works from Swartz’s “Contemplation” series that were inspired by the subtle yet complex colors and ephemeral forms of cloud cover and geographical aerial views the artist saw from her window. The series represents expansive worlds that both reflect and invite moments for introspection and healing. Other series include “Nature Revisited”, “Emerging Bouquet” and “Petals & Pollen”, which incorporate the hues found in nature, specifically from found flowers and leaves, as well as flora imprints within, and textures of organic forms upon, the canvas and ceramic surfaces.

Despite a six-year-long recovery from environmentally borne illnesses, Susan Swartz relentlessly embraces hope. The artist channels her faith, repeatedly choosing to celebrate nature within her practice in the face of omnipresent environmental challenges. One such crisis is the drying of Great Salt Lake in Utah, only 50 miles from the artist’s home and gallery she founded, Susan Swartz Studios, that supports contemporary artists. The artist has been widely recognized for her uplifting actions in the face of adversity with international solo exhibitions across the USA, Germany, Portugal, Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Hungary, Russia, New Zealand and China. Her work has been collected by major museums and private collections including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China, the Agnes Gund Collection, and many more.

In alignment with NIA Gallery, a space founded by Nikol Popovská to show contemporary art that raises awareness of pressing social issues of our time, Susan
Swartz has created a social impact limited edition of 50 prints to raise funds for the community in which she is showing. Titled “Nature Revisited 61”, the print is a colorful and painterly celebration of flora with brushstrokes that dance over the composition. All proceeds of print sales go to Fortna Support Program in Prague, with each print providing free hours of professional therapeutic support to people navigating life’s most difficult moments. Fortna is a Discalced Carmelite monastery in Prague’s Hradčany district that is open to the public and people of all denominations. It offers spiritual, educational, and cultural programs, as well as a welcoming space where people can simply pause and spend time with whatever they may currently be going through. Fortna has garnered awards for its beautiful gardens that were revived at the hands of its own members and provides an ideal setting for personal contemplation.

About Susan Swartz
Throughout her storied career, American abstract painter Susan Swartz has intently explored themes from the natural world. Her vibrant, layered artworks lie at the intersection of art, nature, and spirituality, expressing environmental urgency while transforming color, texture, and movement into immersive, contemplative experiences. Her dedication as an environmental activist was recognized in Salt Lake City when she was selected as the Official Olympic Environmental Artist for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Shortly thereafter, she battled two environmentally borne illnesses, Lyme disease and mercury poisoning. These experiences deepened her advocacy for environmental stewardship. These experiences marked a pivotal shift in her practice-from realism to abstraction-as she moved from depicting what she saw to creating expressive and interpretive artworks. Swartz has participated in solo museum and gallery exhibitions throughout the United States as well as in China, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Portugal. Her artwork is held in museum, embassy, private, public, and corporate collections. She works actively from studios in both Park City, Utah, and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Recognizing a need for more contemporary art offerings in her hometown, Susan Swartz established Susan Swartz Studios in Park City in 2016, an active space for exhibiting.

About Claire Breukel
Claire Breukel has worked as an art professional for two decades across Miami, New York, San Salvador and Cape Town. Today, her interests lie in care as a counter action, applying this approach to exhibitions and programs connecting artists, collectors, and art fans across borders. She has curated museum, non-profit and gallery exhibitions in Cape Town, Prague, Paris, New York, Miami, San Salvador, Vienna and Park City. For four years she worked as Head of Global Programs at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa under the leadership of the late visionary Koyo Kouoh. Claire is an arts writer for Miami Modern Luxury Magazines, and has written for Art Basel Magazine, Miami Magazine, Palm Beach Magazine, Ocean Drive Magazine, Iconic, Hyperallergic, Eikon, Women’s Review, Function and Modernity online, among others.

About NIA Gallery
NIA Gallery is an international contemporary art platform based in Prague with a nomadic art program. At its heart are connection and healing - creating journeys that carry people across cultures and perspectives. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and curated travels, NIA opens pathways where art becomes both a meeting point and a journey of discovery, resonating beyond the gallery walls. NIA Gallery is located at Senovážné nám. 1465/7, Praha 1.
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Robin Rankin
Susan Swartz Studios
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