Photographe of  ɘɔnɘɔonni Ɉɘɘwƨ llɘwɘяɒʇ, 2023 by Simeon Barclay, consiting of a Metal fence, neon, plastic, metal bin holders, metal fixings. The black metal railings are lit by the purple glow of the neon text. 

Photograph of ɘɔnɘɔonni Ɉɘɘwƨ llɘwɘяɒʇ, 2023 by Simeon Barclay, consiting of a Metal fence, neon, plastic, metal bin holders, metal fixings. The black metal railings are lit by the purple glow of the neon text. 

ɘɔnɘɔonni ƚɘɘwƨ llɘwɘɿɒʇ

Photo of Buff #1, 2023 by Simeon Barclay consisting of Neon, metal, fixings, children’s stuffed toys, bull bar. 

Buff #1

an image of Simeon Barclay's sculpture 'Warrior Falling on Their Feet', 2023 consiting of a Walking stick, umbrella, concrete, betting slip, foot fracture brace walker, bag for life

Warrior Falling on Their Feet

an image of Pop Pose, 2023 by Simeon Barclay, consisting of Black ACM board, vinyl, metal, oil and acrylic paint, chain, replica Great Helm, children’s unicorn bicycle helmet, acrylic on canvas, plastic rose

Black acrylic painting with image and text and a toy knights helmet with a unicorn cycle helmet

Pop Pose

A portrait of Simeon Barclay holding a transparent overhead projector acrylic that says 'plus so much more' backwards in marker pen in front of his face.

Workplace and Gathering are delighted to present 

, an ambitious solo exhibition of large-scale sculpture, installation, and wall-based work by Simeon Barclay, collaboratively shown across both galleries.

Each gallery will feature paintings from the same wall-based acrylic series, drawing an explicit continuity between the overlapping exhibitions. Set against a striking black background, cropped and edited film stills from Hedi Slimane's Celine Autumn/ Winter 23 fashion campaign depict models projecting an effortless nonchalance behind sunglasses, a sight that both absorbed and repelled the artist due to their layer of impenetrability. To further explore this tension, Barclay has intervened into the surface with vinyl and painted canvas, creating colourful abstract blocks akin to the work of Matisse as a gesture towards deconstruction, fandom and appropriation.

At Workplace, a metal railing skirts around the darkened basement, where a series of neon text works held within semi-transparent bins illuminate the space. Visitors, kept at a slight remove by the barrier, can wander through the haunting atmosphere of the environment. A film installation projects handheld footage into the gallery to fill the space with emergency strobe lights, evoking an elusive sense of danger at night, whilst upstairs a fabricated weightlifting rack is adorned with strange and familiar sculptural elements, invoking the notion of strength as a defence mechanism. Here, Barclay’s references to public architecture, institutions of control and tools for individual optimisation gestures towards the privatisation of urban space, where access to public areas is contingent upon private forces and reduces the agency of passers-by, often made indirectly visible due to the presence of sentinels and physical barriers. The silence of the film along with the ambiguity of the weightlifting rack further underscores this sense of what is stated and unstated, what is seen and unseen.

close up image of a model at a Celine fashion show, the model has dreadlocks and is wearing dark glasses

Installation views of Simeon Barclay's exhibition 'At Home, Everywhere and Nowhere'

United Kingdom

London

WORKPLACE

Experience Simeon Barclay's powerful solo exhibition across two galleries, showcasing large-scale sculptures, installations, and engaging wall-based works exploring themes of control, nonchalance, and urban space.

At Home, Everywhere and Nowhere

A walkthrough of Simeon Barclay's exhibition at Workplace | London

At Home, Everywhere and Nowhere

Artworks

Related Artists

Simeon Barclay

London

Newcastle