Claire Barclay
Claire Barclay is a visual artist recognized for producing large-scale sculptural installations created in response to specific contexts. Using the mediums of sculpture and print, the artist engages a mainly process based, improvised approach to making art. Her work explores the role of materials and functionality, combining specially made elements to evoke thinking around the psychological relationships between human beings and the objects that we produce. Taking inspiration from a range of reference points, including historical artifacts, museum collections, craft practices, methods and places of production, and anthropological perspectives, the work plays with upsetting conventional hierarchies and assumptions in relation to value and meaning of materials and forms.
Claire Barclay lives in Glasgow and graduated from Glasgow School of Art in the early 90’s. She has exhibited consistently within a gallery context, although sometimes making commissioned sited works or working within education. In April 2022 she produced an ambitious solo exhibition Thrum for MAC Belfast. Also this year she contributed to Human Threads an Artlink project for Tramway Glasgow. Other notable solo exhibitions include, Yield Point Tramway Glasgow 2017, Trappings as part of ‘Generation’ The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2014, Bright Bodies Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall as part of Glasgow International Festival 2016. Openwide The Fruitmarket Gallery Edinburgh 2009. Homemaking The Moderna Museet Stockholm 2000, Ideal Pursuits Dundee Contemporary Arts 2003, Half Light Tate Britain 2004, Pale Heights Mudam Luxembourg 2009, Shifting Ground Camden Arts Centre 2008, Fault on the right side Kunstverein Braunschweig 2007, and Shadow Spans The Whitechapel Art Gallery London as a recipient of the 2010 Bloomberg Commission. In 2003 she represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale, with ‘Low Scenic’ at the Pilazzo Giustinian-Lolin. She is represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, London.