Phyllida Barlow (1944–2023) is one of the most distinctive sculptors of contemporary art. Her powerful, expansive installations have earned her international acclaim. A defining feature of her practice is a radically abstract formal language. The often-unwieldy objects together create a seemingly dystopian environment. Barlow uses simple materials such as wood, plaster, gauze bandages, plastic, or polyurethane. The surfaces are usually colorful and appear to have been painted. Forms appear broken, folded, stacked, or layered—always caught between monumentality and improvised expression. 

Barlow’s installations merge into dense, multi-layered environments that appear like landscapes in their own right. Large, massive constructions extend into passageways, obstruct sightlines, and create a feeling of instability and confinement. They evoke associations with urban ruins. Many of Barlow’s works reflect her memories of war-scarred, postwar London.

Barlow gained particular recognition in 2017 for her contribution to the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, in which she redefined the building interior with massive, in some cases obstructive structures. This late international success—supplemented by major solo exhibitions, such as at Tate Britain in 2014, and comprehensive retrospectives—highlights her influence beyond national borders.

Phyllida Barlow’s artistic practice is marked by a constant spirit of experimentation, material research, and a pronounced engagement with space, and provides lasting inspiration for current forms of sculptural design. The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Krems is the first museum retrospective of Barlow’s oeuvre in Austria. The show brings together large-scale installations, individual sculptures, and models (maquettes) with paintings and works on paper.

Curator: Florian Steininger