Swan House Summer Exhibitions (fridays)

From the venue:

THE LOVE I HAVE TO GIVE BEFORE I DIE

Exhibition Dates: AUGUST 7 - SEPTEMBER 4

The Swan Coach House Gallery is pleased to present The Love I Have To Give Before I Die, a deeply personal showcase of mixed media sculpture and installation by Atlanta-based artist, Vivian Chavez. This marks her first solo exhibition — and commemorates the life and legacy of her father, Carlos Jorge Chavez. The exhibition opens next Thursday, August 7 from 6 - 9 pm and will be on view through September 4. Emerging guest curator, Paula Cuevas, curates the exhibition.

Vivian Chavez, also known as “Toots” by her creative peers, is a Mexican-American multi-disciplinary artist based in Atlanta, GA. Vivian has worked tirelessly in various artistic fields throughout her career — from production design and immersive event installations to large scale sculptures and murals. She does not shy away from the unease of stepping into the unknown. This can be seen and felt throughout the work she has made for The Love I Have To Give Before I Die.

A love letter in physical form. This exhibition explores the vast, complex, and often contradictory nature of love: the love we pour into others, into our passions, and back into ourselves. At its core, the show embraces the dualities of love — how it can be both igniting and exhausting, beautiful and brutal. It asks us to hold space not only for tenderness and joy, but also for the pain, pressure, and vulnerability that come with loving deeply. The exhibition doesn't shy away from these tensions; instead, it gives them form. Inspired by the legacy of Vivian’s father — a resourceful, self-taught builder — the work honors the philosophy of “using what you have” to make something meaningful. His influence lives in both the ethos and the techniques: sculptural forms made from found metal, fabric, and salvaged materials that blend strength with softness. Each piece tells its own story. Together, they form a body of work that expresses a kind of love too expansive to explain — love that must be seen, held, and felt.