WORK OF THE WEEK : Phyllida Barlow, ‘untitled: lookoutpost(small)’, 2015
Phyllida Barlow
untitled: lookoutpost(small), 2015
Cement, hessian scrim, PVA, paint, plaster, plywood, polystyrene, polyurethane foam, spray paint, timber
75 x 62 x 50 cm
29 ½ x 24 ⅜ x 19 ⅝ in.
Phyllida Barlow's sculpture incorporates a range of inexpensive, low-grade materials including cardboard, fabric, paper, glue, paint, plastic, wood, rubber, hardboard, and adhesive tape. With continuous experimentation at the core of her practice, Barlow's engagement with objects was not clean and predetermined but allowed chance and error to play a role. Her sculptures, often large scale and pushing the limits of mass, volume and height, were painted in industrial or vibrant colours and it was common for the seams of their construction to be left visible.
Continuously questioning the nature and role of the sculptural object, Barlow's practice, as described by Frances Morris, was 'intimately bound up with the processes of living and looking', reflecting her immense enthusiasm for engaging with the physical 'stuff' of the world. Barlow's lifelong dedication to the formal and material possibilities of sculpture across multiple media positions her work at the forefront of debates concerning the thresholds of sculptural practice.
Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Phyllida Barlow (1944-2023) graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art in 1966, after studying at Chelsea from 1960-63. Barlow went on to teach at the Slade from 1988 until her retirement in 2009. Selected solo exhibitions include Phyllida Barlow, Eleven Columns, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada (2023), and cul-de-sac at The Royal Academy of Arts, London (2019). In 2014, Barlow received the Tate Britain Commission for the Duveen Gallery, and, in 2017, represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale with her installation for the British Pavilion, 'folly'.
The New Art Centre has shown Phyllida Barlow's work for many years, following her first exhibition in the sculpture park in 2007.
Phyllida Barlow at Roche Court Sculpture Park, 2007.