Phyllida Barlow

UNTITLED: ENCLOSURESTOCKADE; 1

2012
acrylic on watercolor paper
22 1/8 x 30 inches

Known for her large-scale and unmonumental ad-hoc installations, London-based artist Phyllida Barlow revels in the negotiation between object and space. This negotiation is present in the acrylic painting, Untitled: Enclosurestockade, 1. Against a light blue painted background, the visual stockade (an enclosure made of posts and stakes) is held together with bold dark brush-strokes. The painting functions as a rehearsal for one of Barlow’s installations; the form has depth, dimension, weight, and structure, while the space around it is quiet, flat, and monochromatic, as if the form were a sculpture and its surroundings an exhibition space. Barlow’s solo exhibition record includes the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds; Kunstverein Nürnberg, Nuremberg; BAWAG Contemporary, Vienna; and Serpentine Gallery, London. Recent group shows include the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich; Haus der Kunst, Munich; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne.