Talk Art

Alvaro Barrington, presented by BMW

Oct 21, 2024

Alvaro Barrington, a leading multimedia artist known for his unique exploration of cultural production, discusses his epic solo show 'Grace' at Tate Britain and an innovative collaboration with BMW at Frieze Seoul. He dives into how his art addresses personal and political histories through materials like burlap and textiles. Barrington also shares his vision for the future of cars as self-driving units that foster cultural connections, highlighting the intersection of art, technology, and identity in contemporary society.

01:15:37

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Alvaro Barrington

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Quick takeaways

Alvaro Barrington's installation 'Grace' celebrates family and femininity, weaving personal and communal narratives into a Caribbean cultural context.

Collaboration is essential in Barrington's artistry, highlighting that genuine creative partnerships stem from shared experiences rather than a solitary genius myth.

Barrington's engagement with BMW envisions future cars as cultural facilitators, integrating art and technology to enhance emotional and social connections.

Deep dives

Significance of the Grace Installation

The artist's installation at Tate Britain, titled 'Grace,' is a profound homage dedicated to his mother, grandmother, and sister. It embodies themes of family, love, and support, showcasing the often overlooked role of women within families. The installation features a central figure reminiscent of Botticelli's Venus, yet distinctly embraces a Caribbean cultural aesthetic, reflecting a more liberated expression of body and identity. The work interweaves personal narratives and shared experiences, transforming the act of art-making into a celebration of communal relationships and familial bonds.

Intro

2min

Celebrating Collaboration in Art

5min

Cultural Identity and Artistic Expression

8min

Art, Family, and Cultural Evolution

32min

Cultural Identities and Driving: A Personal Exploration

5min

Navigating Identity Through Art

3min

Art, Culture, and the Intersection with Car Industry

5min

Art Heists and Aspirations: A Playful Dialogue

1min

Artistic Influences and Personal Narratives

14min

New Talk Art special episode!!!! We meet leading artist Alvaro Barrington, presented by BMW.

We explore his work since we last met him on the podcast a few years ago, his current, epic solo 'Grace' at Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries, as well as a very cool recent collaboration with BMW at Frieze Seoul. Inspired by the BMW Art Car Collection and curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, the artist has paint over seven miniature i7s, drawing inspiration from video games and music.

Barrington's practice explores interconnected histories of cultural production. 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.

Barrington is interested in how the vehicles of the future will have the potential to recognise our moods, emotions and schedules, and as such adapt to them accordingly. The artist explores the future of cars reimagined as self-driving entertainment units and places for meeting that can help bridge different cultures through new technologies such as instant language translation. Utilising artificial intelligence, cars will go far beyond their purely transporting function and instead help us foster new connections and fulfil our daily needs.

For this project, Barrington looked into video games centered around cars, which were not only important as play and entertainment, but also as platforms for music and culture. Exploring the history of cars and other vehicles that enable travel and movement, the artist has focused on the intersection of cars and culture and the way they have influenced one another. Merging these references, the artist created 7 unique cars, each featuring a drawing from a film, music video or portraying a cultural figure, which remain influential in Barrington's life and practice.

For his Tate Britain commission, Barrington's personal exploration of identity and belonging is a journey in three parts honouring his grandmother, sister and mother.

He draws from personal memories across time and place, from his grandmother's Caribbean home where a thunderstorm hammers on the corrugated tin roof, to the exhilarating energy of Carnival. Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries are transformed into a space alive with sound, colour and texture.

This is Barrington’s poignant celebration of the people and places that make us feel we belong.

'GRACE is the constant reimagining of Black culture and aspirational attitude under foreign conditions. GRACE here explores how my grandmother, my mother, and my sister in the British Caribbean community showed up gracefully.' - Alvaro Barrington

Grace runs until 26 January 2025 at @Tate Britain, free entry. Visit: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/alvaro-barrington

Follow @AlvaroBarrington and @BMWGroupCulture

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