Phyllida Barlow, Margate

About

Phyllida Barlow (born 1944) has been making large-scale sculptural works for 5 decades, as well as being an inspirational teacher to many young artists at the Slade School of Art.

This exhibition brings together works from the ARTIST ROOMS collection, including untitled:upturnedhouse, 2, 2012 alongside other sculptures and a selection of drawings from throughout her career. One of the art world's most esteemed international artists, the exhibition coincides with Barlow representing Britain at this year’s Venice Biennale.

Barlow is renowned for her experimental use of materials. Her use of everyday, often recycled, materials such as plywood, scrim, concrete and polystyrene to create seemingly precarious sculptures and installations that invade the gallery space. Resembling things from the real world – houses, awnings, stages, fences – her sculptures are playful, imperfect and unstable looking, with layered, bulky and textured surfaces. Fascinated by the urban environment, by the familiar and the overlooked, Barlow asks us to look at the world differently.  

ARTIST ROOMS: Phyllida Barlow is part of Turner Contemporary's summer season ‘Every Day is a New Day’. Our summer season celebrates the importance of art and creativity, its capacity to empower all of us and make positive change. It brings together exhibitions by British sculptor Phyllida Barlow, British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage with artwork by young people from Kent and Africa, and JMW Turner.