Alvaro Barrington (b. 1983 Caracas, Venezuela). Born to Grenadian and Haitian parents and raised between the Caribbean and New York, Barrington's practice explores interconnected histories of cultural production. His series 'Garvey' examines the cultural exchanges of early 20th century London and the Harlem Renaissance— both sites of large-scale migration from the Caribbean at the height of Modernism–and their ongoing influence on artistic output and notions of self-hood, sexuality, the soul, identity, nurture, nationality, punishment and death. Considering himself primarily a painter, Barrington's multimedia approach to image-making employs burlap, textiles, postcards and clothing, exploring how materials themselves can function as visual tools while referencing their personal, political and commercial histories.
Text courtesy Sadie Coles HQ.
Related Press Finding Sex, Love and Famalay with Alvaro Barrington at Sadie Coles 12 November 2019, Frieze The inaugural issue of Garvey!: SEX, LOVE, NURTURING, FAMALAY (2019) borrows its glossy paged, image-centric layout style from the now defunct African-American teen magazines Word Up! and Right On. In a similar editorial fashion, Garvey! features a letter from the editor quoting the rapper 2Pac, an interview with Lauren Du Graf and a...
Related Press Gratitude: Alvaro Barrington 27 September 2019, Mousse Magazine 'I grew up loving drawing, loving making. I used to draw at every moment and people around me knew me as 'the kid who could draw.' Often I was the go-to for anything creative. Somewhere around high school and getting an education and life (I was a horrible student in high school, never went to class, partied a lot), I lost my way and I found...
Related Press Throwing open the gallery doors: the art world darlings keeping it real 27 September 2019, The Art Newspaper Both Oscar Murillo and Alvaro Barrington are proof that even major art market players can still keep it real. Colombian-born Murillo is known for working with his immigrant family and communities that have nothing to do with art, and in the weeks leading up to his current exhibition at Carlos/Ishikawa, he installed a working kitchen in the...
