Barry Sykes 

Born in 1976, Lives and works in London.


Email: barry(at)sykes(dot)tc

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Bio*


Barry’s varied artwork is made in direct response to the unease of unfamiliar situations, locations, relationships or materials. Employing basic handmade or digital techniques, over the years this has incorporated forgery, feedback forms, phonetics, karaoke and impersonating a police officer, each time examining skill, difference, authenticity and connection.

Recent projects during lockdown have included #WorldofAnteriors a fundraising series of watercolours about life in a shielding family. And also activity sheets, online Laughter Yoga and workshops on artmaking during Covid-19, for organisations including The Museum of London; Focal Point Gallery, Southend; Falmouth School of Art; Manchester School of Art and University of the Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey.

He is also the founder of the Sauna Reading Group.


*Regularly rewritten and archived. This version 02/11/2021.

CV


Solo Exhibitions


10.2021 'Missing You Already!', Barbican Arts Trust Studios, London, UK

04.2015 'Sociable Hermit', ICIA, University of Bath, UK


04.2014 "it must be told.", Enclave Guest Projects, Deptford, London


06.2011 'I Am Not Him And I Do Not Have Your Pen', solo Late at Tate evening, Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, UK


11.2011 'A Grey Area', Backside, The Motorcycle Showroom, Bristol, UK


01.2011 'Recreate A Nervy Pistol? (An Early Retrospective)'

Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth, UK


09.2009 'The Desperate Designer', Gallop, Deptford, London.

Part of The London Design Festival 2009


09.2008 'I Was Born On The Day Heidegger Died (But I Don't Know Much About His Work)', i-cabin, London


03.2008 'Tree Hugger', Platform, Vaasa, Finland



Selected Group Exhibitions / Events


11.2021 'Artworks Open', Artworks Project Space, London, UK

06/2020 'Why Don't You..?', Focal Point Gallery, Southend, UK


05.2020 'Interruptions', Holden Gallery, MMU, Manchester, UK 


06.2019 'Art Night Open', four venues across Walthamstow, London UK

10.2017 ‘The Festival of Radical Fun’, Museum of London, UK


10.2017 ‘Concentric Zone Theory’ Division of Labour, London, UK


02.2016 'Manual Labours: The Complaining Body', The Peltz Gallery, Birkbeck College, London, UK


10.2015 'Hermits and Reliable Artists', Division of Labour, London, UK


08.2015 'To Pay Respect To The Generosity Of The Three Minute Punk-Rock Song Pt.2: Re-Edit'. BEEF, Bristol (Curated by Toby Huddlestone)


11.2014 'Macht', Group exhibition curated by Sandra Mann. Prevent, Frankfurt, Germany


11.2014 'Yearbook'. Group exhibition for Enclave 'Yearbook' edition portfolio. Enclave, Deptford, UK


09.2013 'The False Memory Archive', The Exchange, Penzance UK (Collaboration within A.R. Hopwood solo show)


09.2013 '4 Days: Curtain Call', Arnolfini, Bristol, UK


09.2013 'Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!', blip blip blip, Leeds, UK (Curated by Hayley Dixon)


03.2013 'L.I.E in London', Collaborative video work with Library of Independant Exchange, Hannah Barry Gallery, London


03.2013 'Misuse: Creating Alternatives', organised by the Curating the Contemporary MA, London Met Uni & The Whitechapel Gallery.


11.2011 'To Pay Respect To The Generosity Of The Three Minute Punk-Rock Song', Crate, Margate. (Curated by Toby Huddlestone)


02.2011 '£171', Project Space 11, Plymouth, UK


12.2010 'Virtually Worthless Decorative Objects', Project Space 11, Plymouth, UK


11.2010 'Ink', North Lodge, University College London.


08.2010 'Agitprop!', Project Space 11, Plymouth, UK


05.2010 'No Soul For Sale', Turbine Hall, Tate Modern. (Invited by i-cabin)


04.2010 'Multichannel', Artists film and video group show, Artsway, Sway, New Forest, UK


02.2010 'Performance Metrics', The Gallery, Goldsmith's College, London. (Curated by Elisa Kay and Shama Khanna)



Residencies and Awards


2016-18 Artist in Residence, Oakwood Sun Club, Essex. In association with Radical Essex


2013/14 Research and production residency, ICIA, University of Bath, UK


11.2011 Research residency, Motorcycle Showroom, Bristol, UK


07.2011 Research residency, Gallery Maskinen, Umea, Sweden


2011/12 Research residency, i-Dat, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK


2010/11 Research, commission and exhibition residency, Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth, UK


02.2008 Six week residency and exhibition at Platform gallery, Vaasa, Finland


07.2005 Nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Visual Arts (with Sean Parfitt)


07.2004 Two month residency, 2YK Studios, Berlin 2004-05 Grizedale Arts Research and Development Bursary (with Sean Parfitt)


10.2003 Shortlisted for Bookworks Emerging Artists Commission


09.2002 10 day GARBA Residency, Montescaglioso , Italy



Curated Projects


08.2012 'The Apocralypse' Inviting 22 artists to devise hypothetical events, one published each weekday throughout August 2012.


09.2008 'Resolution Way' reconfiguring the original exhibition for the Deptford X retrospective Exhibition, APT Gallery Deptford


07.2002 'Resolution Way', Deptford, London . Three projects

by Bob and Roberta Smith, Cesare Pietroiusti, Semloh Bbew &Artlab. (Co-curated with Emma Ridgway and Sean Parfitt).



Teaching

2020 All years sculpture project, Handsworth Primary 
2019 Contemporary Exhibition Practice, BA Fine Art. UCA Farnham
2015-19 Fine Art Summer School, Central Saint Martins


Art Education


1999 - 2000 MA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, UK

1995 - 1998 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Liverpool Art School, UK

1994 - 1995 Art Foundation Course, Thurrock Technical College, Essex, UK

1988 - 1994 Coopers' Company & Coborn School, Upminster, Essex, UK

1986 - 1988 The Bell Junior School, Upminster, Essex, UK

1980 - 1986 Wykeham Primary School, Hornchurch Essex, UK



Other Income


2001 - onwards  Sole trader, Animals in Wire



Ailments


Tinnitus (significant, manageable)

Sciatica (mild, manageable)