CARLOS BARRIOS SUSURRAR – WHISPER SENSITIVE AND PASSIONATE

by Valerie Faber
(Bodalla)

11 January 2012

The wildly expressive figurative drawings and paintings of Carlos Barrios in Susurrar - Whisper opens at Gallery Bodalla on Thursday 19 January at 6pm.

Born in El Salvador and raised during the civil war, the raw pathos of human inter-relationships depicted in Carlos Barrios' work is driven by his young life there.

He has been drawing and painting since he was 6 years old drawing inspiration from the art and artifacts collected by his archaeologist father. El Salvador is still plagued by extortion and kidnapping after the lengthy civil war, yet Carlos returns frequently and shows his art there, trying to keep his culture alive. He says the war has marked him forever.

Barrios writes: ‘madness and normality co-existed in this time of war and on many nights the electricity was cut and in the candle lit spaces of the house I saw creatures moving and watching us, so I would paint and draw them’.

John Olsen has described Barrios as possessing "a toughness which appears in his art as a roughness that is in fact a passion…, he has a sensitivity and sense of urgency."

"Winner of many art prizes in El Salvador before coming to Australia, he won the Two Dimensional Contemporary section, Liverpool City Art Prize, Casula Powerhouse 2009, and was a finalist in the Sulman Prize 2005, 2006, the Blake Prize 2006, 2007 and NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize 2009,2010,2011.

“Drawing on relationships and families in an urban setting he has a unique talent of transferring the true essence of his subject into his work with energy and movement," Gallery Bodalla director Valerie Faber said.

You are invited to meet Carlos and enjoy the exciting music of Flamenco and Latin guitarist, Geoffrey Potter at Gallery Bodalla at 6pm Thursday 19 January.

Gallery Bodalla is open Thursday to Sunday and public holidays 10am-4pm, heritage post office building, Princes Hwy, Bodalla. www.gallerybodalla.com.au

For further information: Valerie Faber 0244 735 011 - m0421 238 174 - gallerybodalla@gmail.com