Barrie J Davies at the Fold Gallery kirkby stephen Cumbia 5th - 27th Aug 2005

Barrie J Davies at the Fold Gallery kirkby stephen Cumbia 5th - 27th Aug 2005

Barrie J Davies is an Artist

A one-man show by Cardiff artist Barrie J Davies.

Rather than pigeonhole himself as a painter, sculptor, interventionist, illusionist, binge drinker, or conceptualist, Barrie J Davies is an Artist. Barrie takes the logical approach that as an artist everything he does, by default, must be art. Taking mundane objects like post-it notes or piles of coins he transforms them into works of art, mostly by saying they are.
In his first solo show outside of his hometown, this exhibition takes a light-hearted look at the everyday object. His “Sculpture to fit a gap between the floor and the ceiling” is essentially a pile of empty beer from the floor to the ceiling. ‘Bad painting’ and ‘Unlimited Edition Print’ are in fact, just that.
‘Rejected’ on the other hand is an impressive work in progress – a file of rejection letters from the worlds’ greatest art establishments: The Tate Gallery, Charles Saatchi, the Guggenheim. They’re all there. In rejecting Barrie’s proposals they are unwittingly participating in the same project and is our first hint at substance behind the work. On closer inspection the other works reveal a hidden layer of subtext and commentary on urban artists struggle to redefine their territory. The mundane and everyday rebranded as art as if the tag of Art elevates its status. Barrie's work questions whether that is necessarily so Is art really that much better than selotape?
Barrie describes his work as “..Hovering between something, nothing and everything.” There’s certainly no trick of the light with his work. It’s more of a ‘Ronseal’ approach to art – it does exactly what is says on the tin; only with tongue firmly embedded in cheek. Through his use of entertainment he manages to question the whole notion of what we look for in art and the power of the gallery space to transform the viewers’ perceptions. Whether we perceive something to be good art is after all, just a matter of taste.