Julia Phillips at the Barbican Curve - Review

"Writers often use the term 'visceral' metaphorically, to signify raw, instinctive emotions: but as applied to the current exhibition at the Barbican Curve, Julia Phillips's Inside, Before They Speak, the term is used quite literally. The exhibition focuses on the Chicago-based artist's almost obsessive interest in the body, particularly its insides - or viscera - and human conception. Take, for example, 'Suspended Interior II'."

"The central mass is immediately reminiscent of intestinal folds, not only for its shape but also because of Phillips' choice of colour - the visceral pink that dominates most of the exhibition. Inside, Before They Speak is the German/American Julia Phillips's first UK institutional solo exhibition, especially commissioned by the Barbican on the 20th anniversary of its programme that asks artists to create or exhibit works particularly suited to The Curve. Phillips's work sits nicely in The Curve's specific space, which wraps itself gently around the Barbican Concert Hall, offering the visitor a gradual view of the pieces exhibited - 13 in total in this case."

"Just inside the entrance to the Curve, there's a stand with free booklets; it is advisable to take one as a companion to one's visit, since this is not the kind of exhibition where the works speak for themselves regardless of context. On the contrary, the booklet provides much-needed context, particularly in its final pages, which offer detailed guidance on most pieces' intention and what to look for."

Inside, Before They Speak foregrounds bodily interiors and human conception through sculptural forms and drawings that emphasize viscera. Works adopt a dominant visceral pink and shapes that evoke intestinal folds, with pieces such as Suspended Interior II directly referencing internal anatomy. The exhibition fills the Barbican Curve with thirteen works designed for the space's gradual, wrapping presentation. Free booklets at the entrance provide essential context and detailed guidance for interpreting individual pieces. A series of four ink drawings titled Assisted Conception Drawings (I-IV) draws on terminology from donor-assisted fertilisation dialogues and depicts embryos in varying states.

Read at London Unattached