Claire Barclay
dal 25/5/2010 al 1/5/2011
Segnalato da
25/5/2010
Claire Barclay
Whitechapel, London
Shadow Spans. With its bare brick walls and concrete floor, Barclay has imagined the former Reading Room of the Whitechapel Library as a space turned outside in. This proximity to exterior spaces and the street is explored formally through Shadow Spans in the use of door and window like forms and a graphic interpretation of the brickwork that is repeated on fabric. The artist also refers to the legacy of surrealism: in her combination of forms and materials, and through the use of language in the titling.
A new site-specific artwork by leading artist Claire Barclay
Claire Barclay is a leading figure in a generation of young sculptors that have
defined a re-engagement with materials and the process of making artwork. For
her new installation, Shadow Spans, Barclay will create a large-scale installation
in direct response to The Commission Gallery.
With its bare brick walls and concrete floor, Barclay has imagined the space
turned outside in. The proximity to exterior spaces and the street is explored
formally through the use of door and window like forms and a graphic
interpretation of the brickwork that is repeated on fabric.
From the beginning of July Shadow Spans will be animated throughout the year by
a series of dance performances devised by leading choreographers in response to
her work.
Claire Barclay is a Glasgow-based artist well known for her large-scale sculptural
installations that combine highly formalised elements with a scatter aesthetic,
using platforms, screens and other structures around which crafted objects lie in
carefully gathered constellations. She draws from both craft and industrial
processes, often combining metal forms with intricately woven corn dollies or
delicately printed fabric. The artist also refers to the legacy of surrealism: in her
combination of forms and materials, and through the use of language in the
titling. These suggest a series of dualities at the heart of her work including
function and dysfunction, sense and nonsense, attraction and repulsion.
The Bloomberg Commission invites an international artist to create a year-long
site-specific artwork inspired by the rich history of The Commission Gallery:
Gallery 2, the former Reading Room of the Whitechapel Library, which is now part
of the expanded Whitechapel Gallery. Bloomberg’s support reflects its
commitment to innovation, and its ongoing efforts to expand access to art,
science and the humanities.
Claire Barclay was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1968 and is a graduate of
Glasgow School of Art, where she studied Fine Art at both BA and MA levels.
Since graduating in 1993, her work has been included in several high-profile
national and international exhibitions. Most notably these have included
Material Intelligence, Kettles Yard, Cambridge, UK (2009), Contemporary
Collection, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland (2008), British Art Show 6
(touring exhibition), Baltic, Gateshead, UK (2005), Zenomap, Palazzo
Guistinian-Lolin, Venice Biennale, Italy (2003), Any Where, Centre for
Curatorial Studies, Bard College, USA (2002) and Circles 4, Zentrum für Kunst
und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe, Germany (2001).
Barclay has also made numerous significant solo shows including Pale
Heights, MUDAM, Luxembourg, Claire Barclay, Fruitmarket Gallery*,
Edinburgh, Scotland (both 2009), Fault on the Right Side*, Kunstverein
Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany (2007), Silver Gilt, Stephen
Friedman Gallery, London (2005), Half-Light, Art Now, Tate Britain, London
(2004), Homemaking, Project Space, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
(2000) and Dream Catcher, 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne, Australia
(1998).
In 2007, Claire Barclay was a recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Artist’s
Award and has also received a number of grants, awards and residencies
supported by such organisations and institutions as Scottish Arts Council and
Glasgow School of Art. Barclay currently lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland
The Bloomberg Commission: Claire Barclay is curated by Kirsty Og, Curator,
Whitechapel Gallery.
There will be a publication to accompany the commission.
As a leading global financial information services company that has made its
mark by championing innovation, Bloomberg is deeply committed to
education and creativity, and to expanding access to art, science and the
humanities. Through support of educational and cultural institutions
worldwide, Bloomberg fosters a broad range of creative initiatives - from
exhibitions and audio tour programmes to student fellowships and public art
installations - that promote public awareness and appreciation of the arts.
For further press information or images please contact:
Rachel Mapplebeck on 020 7522 7880; 07811 456 806 or Email RachelMapplebeck@whitechapelgallery.org
Elizabeth Flanagan on 020 7522 7871 or email ElizabethFlangan@whitechapelgallery.org
Whitechapel Gallery
77 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX.
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm, Thursdays, 11am – 9pm.
Admission free