Robbie Barber
Artist Statement
My architecture-related sculptures are influenced by my travels throughout rural America. I am attracted to the strong visual character of this country’s vernacular architecture. Vintage lapboard houses, mobile homes, and agriculture-related structures have become regional icons that ultimately tell the stories of their inhabitants and builders. This implied history interests me deeply.
Typically considered eyesores, these structures are glaring reminders of the social and economic plight of much of our society. Yet on a formal level, they have a hidden beauty, complex in color, texture, and shape. Much like America’s Ashcan School, I am interested in the depiction of unheralded everyday subject matter and the subtle nobility in these castles of the mundane. A feeling of sadness is often prevalent in these works, reminding me of the stories my Mother and my Aunt Mildred have told me of their early life in rural North Carolina, and of the ones they will not tell, no matter how much I prod.
My cast sculptures are influenced by my interest in toy design, and both folk and outsider art. These works feature paint-worn patinas inspired by played-with cast iron piggy banks, die-cast toy automobiles, and tin toys. For many of these works, I use a variety of original forms from which to pull a mold from. These include wood, clay, vegetables, and cactus. Other works included in this portfolio are made by carving directly into mold blanks, creating forms through spontaneity and controlled accidents.
The portrait busts seen here come directly from my interest in toys, and feature heavy stylization of the figure. This style is intended to be tongue-in-cheek, and in contrast to the “serious” portrait busts created by Roman sculptors and others throughout art history. Other cast works here feature my interest in fetish and fertility figures, and icons in general. My goal is to capture the magical quality of these powerful objects of meaning.