Phyllida Barlow at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

Construction sites, abandoned objects on the street and even a rubbish-filled alley have inspired Phyllida Barlow’s gritty sculpture, now on view at Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Chelsea.  Barlow once described her work as ‘hideous,’ and in her current show, ‘tilt,’ her sculpture stands in apparent defiance of gravity, incorporating jarring angles and textured surfaces that offer more for the eye to puzzle over than to delight in.  This towering accumulation of jagged forms entices with its pink color but is ultimately menacing, suggesting immanent catastrophe.  (On view through Dec 22nd).

Phyllida Barlow, untitled: pinkspree; 2018, filler, PVA, paint, plywood, sand, spray paint, timber, 102 x 110 ¼ x 89 inches, 2018.

Phyllida Barlow at Hauser & Wirth

Phyllida Barlow, untitled:  column, cardboard, plywood, foam, felt, colored felt, steel pipe, 2012.
Phyllida Barlow, untitled: column, cardboard, plywood, foam, felt, colored felt, steel pipe, 2012.

Constructed of layers of cardboard, plywood, foam and felt, Phyllida Barlow’s untitled column sculptures at Hauser & Wirth are monumental without being macho.  Bright, enticing colors and soft materials humanize these minimalist stacks.  (At Hauser & Wirth, 32 East 69th Street through 12/22).