Phyllida Barlow

Picturing an anomalous, vibrantly coloured structure, this edition is based on a drawing produced just prior to Barlow’s major solo exhibition cul–de–sac at the Royal Academy in 2019.

Barlow often describes sculptures as "dumb and silent and still" – even a nuisance, as a viewer must walk all the way around it.  The same could be said for a street barrier, which Barlow frequently references in her sculptural installations and works on paper. 

pointer shows a marked change in the barrier, now on tall stilts and surrounded by its shadow. One can see the comparison to several sculptures in cul–de–sac, such as 'untitled:blocksonstilts;2018-2019' which featured three enormous white blocks, precariously perched atop wooden stilts, as if caught there after a high tide.  Similarly, the lintel in 'untitled:lintel;2018-2019' has a dramatic shadow, rendered in cement. As in this new edition, Barlow has given form to the elusive shadow, with a composition and permanence all its own. 

Barlow’s work is internationally celebrated, and major exhibitions have been staged at Tate Britain (2014); Nasher Sculpture Center (2015); Kunsthalle Zürich (2016); Henry Moore Institute (2019) and at the Venice Biennale, where she represented Britain in 2017.