“Every colour is a universe.”
A studio visit at Alvaro Barrington in London – one of the brightest shining stars in the art world right now.
”When I stand in front of a painting, it acts like a play, I’m watching a person performing, but they are not there. And that’s really exciting for me. It just fits my temperament. I could sit eight hours in front of a painting.”
In this personal portrait, Barrington tells about his personal roots, growing up between the Caribbean and New York, and his artistic beginnings.
“My sister had a studio apartment in New York. The bathroom was outside. It was tiny. The only thing that could fit was the bed. And then there was a part on the floor. And I remember she gave me a third of the floor, so that I could paint and draw. I think when you get that kind of support, it comes with a gratitude.”
“Many people could be their weirdest versions of themselves in New York. In small villages, there is a different type of policing. The policing is like you can’t change too much because then it disrupts the harmony of the small village. But in a big city, you could change everything you want and reinvent yourself in the craziest way. These two arenas formed me. On the one hand to radically reinvent and reimagine myself. On the other hand to have a deep need for intimacy.”
Barrington goes on reflecting about the strong influence that music and especially hip-hop had on his work, about how both history and memory shaped his view on the world and why he sees art as so important:
“The responsibility of the artist is always to be honest about how they understand the world. It is not about a moral positioning. It is really how do you see the world that you live in. And from that then we could begin to address well what is the world we live in. But you can’t get there if you’re not honest. The artists have the drive to be honest about how they understand the world.”
Alvaro Barrington (b. 1983 in Caracas, Venezuela) was born to Haitian and Grenadian parents and was raised between the Caribbean and Brooklyn, New York. He currently lives and works in London. His artistic practice is multidisciplinary, reflecting on histories of cultural production and their exchange.
Whilst firstly considering himself a painter, his process to image-making is wide-ranging, as his works include the application of diverse non-traditional materials – such as concrete, wood, textiles, yarn, burlap, cardboard, clothing, postcards, prints, drawing, and photography. For the artist, each medium has numerous possibilities, and each is a tool to represent both individual and collective cultural narratives. Recurrent subject matters are close-ups of faces, body parts, and equatorial plants. References are seen in his use of imagery such as hibiscus flowers, the 20th century Harlem Renaissance, Marcus Garvey, hip-hop culture of the 90’s, such as Tupac, and inspiration from other artists’ practices such as Willem de Kooning, Joseph Beuys and Robert Rauschenberg. His works explore diverse themes, such as migration, nationality, selfhood, sexuality, time, and the digital realm.
Barrington is also actively involved in various community practices such as charities, concerts, performances and shows. Believing that art needs to be accessible to communities in public sites, Barrington has been participating in the organisation of the Notting Hill Carnival since 2019. In 2022, he was the producer of Queen of the Caribbean, the main concert stage at the Notting Hill Carnival. In 2024, Barrington was selected as the artist for the Tate Britain Commission. The same year, the platform Artsy included Barrington on their list of the most influential artists worldwide.
Recent solo exhibitions include Massimo de Carlo, Milan (2025, 2022); Tate Britain Commission, London (2024); Art Basel Parcours (2024); Karma, New York (2023); Blum & Poe, Los Angeles (2022); Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg (2022); South London Gallery (2021); Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais (2021); Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York (2021); Emalin, London (2021, 2019, 2018); Corvi-Mora, London (2020); Sadie Coles HQ, London (2019); Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London (2018); and MoMA PS1, New York (2017).
Alvaro Barrington was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner in November 2024. The interview took place in Barrington’s studio in London.
Camera: Jarl Therkelsen Kaldan & Astrid Agnes Hald
Edited by: Astrid Agens Hald
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2025
Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, and C.L. Davids Fond og Samling.
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