Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture that Elbows its Way Into a Room

Presented May 30, 2015 at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Artist Phyllida Barlow speaks with journalist Tyler Green in conjunction with her summer 2015 exhibition 'Tryst' at the Nasher Sculpture Center, organized by Chief Curator Jed Morse.

In this exhibition, Barlow employs commonplace materials – wood, plaster, concrete, cardboard and colorful cloth or tape – in extraordinary, monumental, ramshackle, hand-built structures that expound a dizzying array of novel sculptural forms. Towering, bulky accumulations of matter “elbow their way into the room” as the artist puts it, filling the space and looming over viewers. This new work was inspired by, and created for, the unique spaces of the Nasher Sculpture Center, challenging accepted notions of sculpture, blurring the line between constructed form (sculpture) and constructed environment (architecture). She provides a powerful counterpoint to the refined surroundings of the Nasher’s Renzo Piano Designed building. More than simply a presentation of unique objects, the distinct sculptures in Barlow’s installations create a coherent, if varied, environment, linking to one and another through materials, method of fabrication or color palette.

Phyllida Barlow’s towering bulky accumulations of matter, as she puts it “elbow their way into the room” filling the space and looming over viewers. Recent projects at the Tate Britain in London and the New Museum in New York have showcased the prodigious talents of the now 70-year-old Barlow, who, after a distinguished teaching career at the Slade School of Art in London, is finally enjoying the broad international recognition her work has long deserved.

Tyler Green is the producer and host of 'The Modern Art Notes Podcast', America’s most listened to program about art. He is also writing a biography of artist Carleton Watkins that will detail the leading role Watkins played in the emergence of Westerners as major contributors to post-civil War American culture, science and more. It will be published by the University of California Press. Previously, Green edited and wrote 'Modern Art Notes', the first and most prominent single-author website about art. In 2014, the U.S. chapter of the International al Association of Art Critics (AICA-USA) awarded Green and Modern Art Notes one of its two inaugural awards for art criticism. The award included a citation for The MAN Podcast.

The Nasher Sculpture Center’s ongoing 360 Speaker Series features conversations and lectures on the ever-expanding definition of sculpture. Guests are invited to witness first-hand accounts of the inspiration behind some of the world’s most innovative artwork, architecture and design.

Find out more about the 360 Speaker Series and view presentation by past speakers at http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/360

The 360 videography project is supported by Suzanne and Ansel Aberly. This support enables digital recording of all 360 Speaker Series programs and the creation of an online archive for learners of all ages.
Additional support for the 360 Speaker Series provided by Sylvia Hougland and the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.