Barry Sykes
Born in 1976, Lives and works in London.
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(Feel free to correct me if I have misremembered.)
Bio*
Barry Sykes' performance, sculpture and works on paper examine awkwardness, absurdity, authenticity and intimacy with recent projects involving Laughter Yoga, feedback forms, carpentry and Naturism.
In his varied approaches he subverts basic handmade and digital techniques, in attempts to capture intangible experience and explore the edge of inappropriate behaviour. Rooted in making and the object this open-ended, often unfinished approach has incorporated phonetics, forgery, karaoke, astronomy, PowerPoint lectures, West End theatre and experiments in early photography.
Recent events have been presented with Focal Point Gallery, Southend, UK; The Museum of London; The University of Bath, UK and as part of Art Night 2019. He has undertaken residencies around the UK and in Germany, Sweden and Finland.
He is also the founder of the Sauna Reading Group.
*Regularly rewritten and archived. This version 23/09/2020.
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
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
07.2004 Two month residency, 2YK Studios, Berlin
2004-05 Grizedale Arts Research and Development residency (with Sean Parfitt)
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)
