Robert Barry
About the Artist
Barry was born in New York in 1936 and currently lives and works in New Jersey. Considered one of the pioneers of Conceptual Art, his practice focuses on themes of space and language, transcending the physical limits of the artwork itself. Barry has produced non-material works of art, installations, and performance art using a variety of otherwise invisible media (including radio waves and telepathy), challenging what would be accepted as “typical” artistic practice or experience. Through his works and performances, the artist questions the limits and the true nature of perception, our senses possibilities in relation with often unknown and intangible elements: Barry’s conceptual drive was to produce art that wasn’t aesthetic and which without documentation would be completely invisible to the eye.
Beyond, Instead, Possible…
2012
Window decal
The Antonio Dalle Nogare Foundation is home to the site-specific installation Beyond, Instead, Possible… by the American artist Robert Barry. The work was made for the library windows in 2012, following two visits to the museum by the artist and his agent, Massimo Minini, while it was still being built.
Robert Barry is considered to be one of the founders of American conceptual art. The artist uses a vocabulary of about 200 words to create installations on walls, canvases, windows, projections or sculptures. The selection of the words is made on the basis of the specific location, context or situation the work has been created for.
The Beyond, Instead, Possible… installation is the result of a direct discussion between Antonio Dalle Nogare and Robert Barry and is markedly affected by the natural environment that surrounds the building. Light and nature alter the work hour by hour, so it appears to be continually evolving.