Lou Barker
BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History
Louise Barker is an installation artist, working with graphic design in Manchester. Embedded in their practice are allusions to advertisement, contemporary pop-culture, and the whimsical and taboo contemplations which surround this. Louise’s interest in typography has formed a foundation for her subsequent creation of fun, roguish vinyl-cuts.
She creates environments which embody British current affairs. Through their practice, a viewer is immersed in an uncanny realm, filled with whimsical feelings and thoughts. The work provides a satirical perspective on events which resonate with an intergenerational, contemporary society. By working with installation and public art, Louise’s works bombard a viewer with ideas which are perceived inappropriate and frivolous for a gallery context. She encourages her viewers to question the role of humour within the gallery and how this transpires to everyday reality. Louise creates an experience which delves into a narrative that, on the surface appears vibrant, punchy, and humorous, but contains politically-aggravated and unsettling indications of war and global crises. Her lived-in installations contribute to this world which we all know too well.
