Dimensions: unconfirmed: 635 x 897 mm
Copyright: © Phyllida Barlow | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This boldly rendered "Untitled" work by Phyllida Barlow presents what looks like stacked wooden crates in vibrant blues. It's got a rough, almost clumsy energy, which I find quite appealing. What symbols or meanings do you see embedded in this piece? Curator: These blue crates, repeated and slightly off-kilter, echo the mass-produced and discarded objects that pervade our lives. Consider how Barlow often used humble materials like cardboard and plaster. This blue might represent the industrial, the utilitarian, yet its painterly application softens that edge. Does it evoke a feeling of abundance or perhaps waste? Editor: Waste, definitely waste! I hadn't considered the industrial aspect of the blue until you mentioned it. It's like she’s elevating something overlooked. Thanks for pointing that out!
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Drawing is important in Barlow’s practice, and central to an understanding of her sculptural work. These drawings span a period of more than twenty years. They embody the same ambiguous nature as Barlow’s sculptures and represent the range of her sculptural vocabulary, which includes racks, arenas, greengrocer’s crates, crumpled canvases, strange furniture wrapped around with soft materials, and the layering, accumulation and juxtaposition of ambiguous objects and shapes. Made with thick, gestural brushstrokes, the drawings retain spontaneity of feeling and vitality. Across the group, similar marks are repeated and developed, suggesting solid forms and hinting at familiar shapes. Gallery label, October 2013
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