Phyllida Barlow

The large-scale sculptures of the British artist Phyllida Barlow (born 1944) eschew serenity, balance and beauty in favor of instability, obstruction and oddness. They invade the spaces they inhabit, instead of neatly complementing them. Her use of inexpensive everyday materials--concrete, plywood, cardboard, plaster, fabric and paint--suggests that her works are a double act of recycling: both of the materials she uses and the images she draws from her memory. With installation shots of the artist's new works at the Royal Academy, London, and photography in the studio, the book's introduction situates Barlow as a key figure within contemporary sculpture. An interview between the artist and the show's curator, Edith Devaney, examines the new work in the exhibition.