sonia e barrett
London
My artwork is a rollercoaster of the materials that have shaped my life as a black woman.
MessageI have a listening practice. I listen to things usually considered to be "dumb": chairs, maps, hair and rocks. The work ensues in partnership with the "dumb thing": I serve "it".
Most recently, I have involved groups of people in creating spaces of alternative listening, where it is possible for all of us to listen together in ways we don't usually do. I set up the space in such a way that the art gives people a licence to do this. The sculpture is substantial, providing a space for non-artists to hear different perspectives, and later, it creates a platform for us to share our experiences.
The work platforms enable those who have never spoken publicly before to share knowledge they might not otherwise feel confident in declaring or sharing. The sculpture backs this new knowledge literally and metaphorically. It backs them because it is substantial, and they contributed to its creation.
By creating spaces for collectives, I bring geological time and more-than-human perspectives to bear on issues such as the British Empire, industrial pollution, time and property.
I have a Radical Black Feminist World-building practice. I began working to disrupt the drawing rooms of multigenerational colonial wealth. Some people think I am just smashing them up. I am using them as laboratories to work out ways for all of us to leave objectifying service behind.
My artwork is a rollercoaster of the materials that have shaped my life as a black woman. I work with furniture, maps, hair, cloth, feathers and stones. I trace connections between people, races, animals, and objects, to mourn the shortcomings of the past and envision a future where we can coexist. I initiate large-scale sculpture that creates a participatory space to tackle some of the challenges of our time.
Statement
Sonia Barrett is a visual artist who seeks to disrupt the comfortable spaces of neoliberal Capitalism. She begins by examining the domestic living spaces of individuals with intergenerational wealth who were involved in the 18th-century Empirical Triangular trade. She uses a variety of materials to create discomfort in those spaces. She works to institute and reclaim space for envisioning and enacting a new world in partnership with others.