Works
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About
Alvaro Barrington paints vivid abstractions that consider the cultural production of subjects ranging from Hibiscus flowers to the life of Marcus Garvey. Raised between Brooklyn and the Caribbean, Barrington utilizes cross-disciplinary materials and crafts that often reference his childhood, including the sewing of his Grenadian aunts. In his early work, Barrington experimented with “copying” artists like Willem de Kooning, Henry Taylor, and Howard Hodgkin. The influence of such artists, whose work Barrington highlighted in a 2019 show he curated entitled Artists I Steal From at Galerie Thaddeus Ropac in London, can be felt in the bold, gestural quality of his compositions.
Alvaro Cadet-Barrington (1983, Caracas) lives and works in London and New York.
His recent solo exhibitions include Oh Sandy, why did you leave me all alone, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2023); La Vie en Rose, Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg (2022); SPIDER THE PIG, PIG THE SPIDER, South London Gallery, London (2021); Wave Your Flags II, Sadie Coles HQ, London (2021); Drug Culture: Vol ii. Trust your local drug dealer, Emalin, London (2021); Garvey 1: BIRTH -The Quiet Storm, Nicola Vassell, New York (2021); You don’t do it for the man, men never notice, You just do it for yourself, you’re the fucking coldest, Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Paris (2021); Garvey 2–They eyes were watching God, Corvi-Mora, London (2020); Garvey: Sex Love Nurturing Famalay, Sadie Coles, London (2019); A Taste of Chocolate, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London (2018); and Alvaro Barrington, MoMA PS1, New York (2017).
CV
Education
The Slade School of Art, London, MFA
Hunter College, NYC
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2023
Oh, Sandy? Sandy, Sandy, Karma, New York, USA
Oh Sandy, why did you leave me all alone, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA
2022
La Vie en Rose, Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Salzburg, Austria
2021
Alvaro Barrington: Spider the Pig/Pig the Spider, South London Gallery, London, United Kingdom
[TtxAB], Blum & Poe, New York, NY
Wave Your Flags II, Sadie Coles HQ, London, United Kingdom
Wave Your Flags I, The Tabernacle, London, United Kingdom
Drug Culture: Vol II. Trust Your Local Drug Dealer, Emalin, London, United Kingdom
My Words Will Live Forever––Fuck My Name, Emalin, London, United Kingdom
You don’t do it for the man, men never notice, You just do it for yourself, you’re the fucking coldest, Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
2020
Garvey 2–They eyes were watching God, Corvi-Mora, London, United Kingdom
The Shop at Sadie Coles, London, United Kingdom
2019
GARVEY: SEX LOVE NURTURING FAMALAY, Sadie Coles HQ, London, United Kingdom
Tt X AB: Tall Boys & A Double Shot Espresso, Emalin, London, United Kingdom
2018
A Taste of Chocolate, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London, United Kingdom
Condo, Emalin, London, United Kingdom
2017
Alvaro Barrington, MoMA PS1, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2022
The Drawing Centre Show, Le Consortium, Dijon, France
Testament, Goldsmiths Center for Contemporary Art, London, United Kingdom
2021
In the Eye of the Storm, Z33, Hasselt, Belgium
Pigeon Park, 33 Manor Place, London, United Kingdom
The Lot Show, 1-96 Beach 97th St, Far Rockaway, NY
Mixing It Up: Painting Today, Hayward Gallery, London, United Kingdom
The Earth, That Is Sufficient, Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York, NY
London Zeitgeist, Piccadilly Lights, London, United Kingdom
Drawing Biennial 2021, Drawing Room, London, United Kingdom
Tempest, Tanya Leighton, Berlin, Germany and Sadie Coles HQ, London, United Kingdom
2020
No horizon, no edge to liquid, Zabludowicz Collection, London, United Kingdom Landscapes of the South, Mendes Wood DM, New York, NY
A Focus on Painting, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London, United Kingdom
Drawing 2020, Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY
After Image, Mamoth Contemporary, London, United Kingdom
100 Drawings from Now, The Drawing Center, New York, NY
2019
Breathless: London Art Now, curated by Norman Rosenthal, Ca’ Pesaro Int’l Gallery of Modern Art, Venice, Italy
Material Tells, Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Artists I Steal From, curated by Alvaro Barrington, Thaddaeus Ropac, London, United Kingdom
2018
Natura Naturans, Mendes Wood DM, New York, NY
Hog’s Curve, Halsey McKay, East Hampton, New York, NY
The Way Things Run (Der Lauf der Dinge) Part 1: Loose Ends Don’t Tie, PS120, Berlin, Germany
Widening the Gaze, Slade School of Fine Art, London, United Kingdom
2017
Woven, Rental Gallery, East Hampton, New York
The Sleeping Procession, Cass Sculpture Foundation, West Sussex
Articles and Reviews
2021
Searle, Adrian. “‘High-End Hermès Yak Wool Blankets Covered in Concrete’ – Alvaro Barrington Review.” Theguardian.com, October 6, 2021.
Okoro, Enuma. “‘Blackness Has Been a Constant Reinvention of Ourselves’.” ft.com, September 30, 2021.
Smith, Roberta. “Art Gallery Shows to See Right Now.” NYTimes.com, September 16, 2021.
Durbin, Andrew. “Alvaro Barrington.” Frieze 220 (June/July/August 2021): 88-95.
Weber, Tomas. “Alvaro Barrington: You don’t do it for the man, men never notice. You just do it for yourself, you’re the fucking coldest.” ArtReview (May 2021): 83.
Sherwin, Skye. “Artists on Artists: Alvaro Barrington.” Artbasel.com, March 2021.
Adler, Dan. “How Gardy St. Fleur Became the NBA’s Go-to Art Adviser.” Vanityfair.com, March 19, 2021.
Holmes, Helen. “Gardy St. Fleur, Art Advisor to NBA Stars, on Championing New Media and BIPOC Artists.” Observer.com, March 14, 2021.
“‘This Year Has Deranged My Senses’: 12 Artists on How the Pandemic Has Changed the Way They Approach Their Work.” Artnet News, March 11, 2021.
“Alvaro Barrington’s New Paintings Pay Homage to Musical Greats from Erykah Badu to Biggie.” Somethingcurated.com, March 9, 2021.
“Art Industry News: The New York Times Calls Artnet’s Wet Paint the ‘Essential’ Chronicle of NYC’s Downtown Art Scene + Other Stories.” Artnet News, March 8, 2021.
Bakare, Lanre. “Black British Artists Send Works to Inspire Children at School.” Theguardian.com, March 4, 2021.
Fazzare, Elizabeth. “Cultured Collections with Brigette Romanek.” Culturedmag.com, January 15, 2021.
2020
Buck, Louisa. “A Global Conversation—in Face of Pandemic, 21 Galleries Launch a Collaborative Exhibition Programme.” Theartnewspaper.com, December 23, 2020.
Brown, Kate. “How Rising Art Star Alvaro Barrington Charmed London’s Top Galleries into Breaking Their Own Rules for the Chance to Work with Him.” Artnet News, January 13, 2020. Juliano, Michael. “Frieze Is Here to Let the Art World Know That L.A. Is Cool (But You Already Knew That).” Time Out Los Angeles, February 15, 2020.
Silva, José da. “Artists Go Bumper to Bumper at Frieze with Auto-Themed Works.” Art Newspaper, February 15, 2020.
2019
"Art Basel Diary: Celebrity-Spotting, Nimble Octopi and a Bratwurst That Cuts the Mustard." Artnewspaper.com, June 13, 2019.
Buck, Louisa. "Great Artists Steal: Alvaro Barrington's New Show Reveals Eclectic Range of Influences." Art Newspaper, June 6, 2019.
Lloyd, Joe. “Alvaro Barrington – Interview: ‘When You Look at My Paintings, You’re Encountering Parts of My Identity.’” StudioInternational.com, July 19, 2019.
Nayeri, Farah. "The Painter Alvaro Barrington on the Art He 'Steals' From." New York Times, June 26, 2019.
2018
“Alvaro Barrington.” i-D Magazine no. 351 (Spring 2018): 76.
Nugent, Gabriella. “Alvaro Barrington & David Weiss: A Different World.” Brooklyn Rail, February 7, 2018.
2017
Abrams, Matthew J. “Studio Visit: Alvaro Barrington at MoMA PS1.” BombMagazine.com, December 4, 2017.
Kopel, Dana. “Combining Histories: Alvaro Barrington.” Mousse Magazine, December 2017.
Museum and Collections
Tate, United Kingdom
The Hepworth Wakefield, United Kingdom
X Museum, China
Start Museum, China
K11 Art Foundation, China
Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), USA
Rennie Museum, Canada
Loewe Foundation, Spain
Fundación NMAC, Spain
Exhibitions
Publications
Alvaro Barrington
Alvaro Barrington 2020
