Sophie Barber’s paintings, ranging from large to tiny, depict that which she finds around herself. Natural and manmade imagery, like tents, houses, birds, and people, are painted against block-colour backgrounds. The simplicity of the composition alludes to folk art, with subject matter presenting itself as illusive visions rather than literal representations. Curiously and humorously, Barber works with existing images, like sculptures of Franz West, Giotto or Annie Leibovitz’s photographs of Kendrick Lamar, sometimes painting directly on magazine covers. The artist’s depictions are chunky, atmospheric, homely, yet secretive. In Barber’s hands, the mundane is continuously reimagined and recontextualised through the lens of abundance. ...
