Robert Barry
Robert Barry
Robert Barryis an American artist. Since 1967, Barry has produced non-material works of art, installations, and performance art using a variety of otherwise invisible media. In 1968, Robert Barry is quoted as saying "Nothing seems to me the most potent thing in the world."...
ProfessionPerformance Artist
Date of Birth9 March 1936
believe people mind
I certainly don't believe that people can read other people's minds.
ideas
The idea of words and photos was something that appealed to me.
art couple europe
I was a guest at CalArts. John Baldessari invited me out a few times. I've been there. I've been in Pasadena, taught out at Boulder, University of Colorado. And I've taught in Europe. I've lectured and taught. I've taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nigne [sp]. I was there for a couple of weeks, I was there. I've taught all over - in Switzerland, Germany.
tree way photograph
I always took photographs. I photographed a lot of trees, by the way, which is another image I used often in my work, the tree image.
reading writing trying
If I'm reading something and a word pops up, or I just catch it, I try to mark it off and then, later, write it down on a piece of paper and add it to my list.
ideas certain basic-things
And after a while, you just pare things down more and more and more, until you get to certain basic things which just - basic ideas which just seem to work for you over and over again.
real world littles
I'm used to being the background. I'm used to having work that only lasts for a little while. I'm used to being - working in the real world, where real things are.
color shapes size
Words are objects of a color and a size and a form and a shape.
style wanted
I wanted my style to be very recognizable.
thinking mind looks
I think you say the word in your mind anyway, you know. When you look at a word, you say it.
trying bigs big-things
The big thing is I try not to repeat.
roots drawing tree
After I did the drawings of trees combining them with words, I started doing - I did that for a very short time. Then it kind of - that sort of evolved into just showing the branches of a tree coming down into the trunk and then going into the root system. So I showed both the branches and the roots of a tree, which were about equal. There is as much going on under the ground as is going on above the ground, which you can see.
competition lost has-beens
I have been in competitions for commissions. I've won most and lost some. Mostly, I've won.
past drawing want
And yes, there are things I want to keep, that I like around me - especially when there's very little left. I just want to keep those little bits of reminders of my past. There are certain drawings from the '60s; certain little paintings from the '60s that I keep.