Tove Barnes
Tove Barnes is a Gurnsey-based fine artist and illustrator who spoke on the Alumni Panel at the 'I AM AN ARTIST' talks in February.
What drew me to Barnes' work was the unapologetic urgency of her work: the deformity, wobbliness and imperfection in all it's glory.
As a previous artist in resident at KARST (2019/2020), Barnes has also worked in ceramics to explore ideas regarding taste and ugliness. Her wonky pots and sculptures challenge viewer's perception of aesthetic. Conventional 'ugliness' can be tasteful in a conceptual manner, and under an artistic lens.
Whilst working on her residency in Plymouth, Barnes also sought inspiration from the grungy nature of the city, applying that graffiti-like style and sarcastic, dark humour to her larger installations for exhibition.
Due to the lockdown, Barnes had to move back to her home in Guernsey, where she is now working on smaller-scale pieces that resemble a greater fragility. Materials she appears to use often include traditional ink for linework and lettering paired with delicate watercolour markings.
What I love about the duality of these materials is not only the vulnerability and, in some cases, unpredictability they possess, but also that through them Barnes is able to convey an emotive element to her work.
The ink pieces are some I'm particularly fond of: I love their simplicity and messy, hurried nature. It almost seems as though Barnes draws with a sense of urgency, as though the ideas and feelings in her head have to be expelled onto the page as some form of release.
A lot of Barnes' current work also appears to more regularly combine imagery and text, all utilising traditional hand-crafted elements. Occasionally the written elements appear to be confessional, and others contain a positive message, that although they are read by the viewer, are in my opinion most likely words of encouragement Barnes writes to herself.
Barnes' art is raw, messy, articulate and altogether deeply personal. She not only takes influence from her personal life but from lifestyle and the world in her immediate vicinity, which allows her work to change and grow with the same immediacy as her drawing style.
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