Claire Barclay (born Paisley; 1968) studied at The Glasgow School of Art. Barclay works mainly in sculpture and printmaking. Although the forms she produces are abstract, they are informed by an interest in the material world we live in. Her sculptures frequently employ traditional craft techniques and materials, alongside those associated more with industrial design and production. This is demonstrated in Fallen, which contrasts powder coated steel and machined aluminium with printed silk and leather. 

Barclay has suggested that her sculptures could be thought of as ‘pauses’[1] between their making and dismantling and they appear stilled whilst in action. The works also often suggest tactile relationships to the things that surround us, using the materials with which we clothe ourselves and referring to tools we use, such as combs, but in ways that upset this familiarity, creating disquieting tensions. In Fallen the allure of draped silk meets the sharpness of slit metal and threat of comb sliced leather.

 

[1] National Galleries of Scotland, https://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/b/artist/claire-barclay/object/trappings-gma-5522