Emily Barker (artist)

Emily Barker
Born1992 (age 31–32)
San Diego, California, U.S.
EducationSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago
OccupationMultidisciplinary artist
Known forDisability advocate

Emily Barker (born 1992) is an American multidisciplinary artist and activist based in Los Angeles.[1][2][3] Their work focuses on topics related to disability, discrimination, and capitalism.[4]

Biography

Emily Barker was born in 1992 in San Diego, California, and grew up in the state of Georgia.[3][5] Barker uses the pronouns they/them.[6] They studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).[7] At age of 19, Baker was diagnosed with paraplegia following an accident. The following year they were diagnosed with complex regional pain. Barker is a wheelchair user and chronically ill.[7][3] In addition to making art, Barker has worked as a fashion model and podcast host.[1] They have participated in mutual assistance initiatives supporting other marginalized people with similar experiences to theirs.[8]

Artistry

Barker's work examines and challenges ableism embedded into contemporary society.[9][7]

They have had a solo shows: Wall Works at Sentiment Gallery in Zurich Switzerland, Body Politic at the Torrence Art Museum in California, and Illusions of Care in Los Angeles at Carlye Packer.[10][11]

Her piece Death by 7865 Paper Cuts is an installation of a pile of 7,865 documents from 2012 to 2015 that includes bills for medical treatments, medical records, and care plans with their accompanying costs.[12]

In 2020, at Murmurs, an art space in Los Angeles, California, presented Barker's first solo show titled Built to Scale and 2021 MMK exhibition Crip Time.[13][14] Barker participated in the 2022 Whitney Biennial titled Quiet as It's Kept curated by Adrienne Edwards and David Breslin;[15] it was the only work explicitly about the topic of disability.[16]

Barker received the Creative Capital Award in 2024. They have done artist talks at MIT, The Royal College of Art and Design, Otis College of Art and Design, UCLA, and The Whitney Museum.[17] [18]

References

  1. ^ a b "This Artist and Model Is Changing the Conversation Around Disability and Fashion". Vogue. 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  2. ^ Almino, Elisa Wouk (2020-05-18). "Meet LA's Art Community: Emily Barker Is Designing Thoughtful, Beautiful Living Spaces for Disabled People". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  3. ^ a b c "Emily Barker Wants Accessibility To Become The Norm". HuffPost. 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-04. The artist and activist was born in Southern California and grew up in Georgia.
  4. ^ "Emily Barker on the 2022 #Dazed100". Dazed. 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  5. ^ "Emily Barker". Whitney Museum of American Art. 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  6. ^ Cachia, Amanda (2022-09-14). Curating Access: Disability Art Activism and Creative Accommodation. Taylor & Francis. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-000-64819-5.
  7. ^ a b c "Gossamer | Emily Barker". Gossamer. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  8. ^ "Emily Barker Uses Their Artwork to Bridge Gaps in Disability Awareness". Arts Help. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  9. ^ "Emily Barker antagonizes the apparent neutrality of the able-bodied archetype by addressing accessibility in Built to Scale | | atractivoquenobello". www.aqnb.com. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  10. ^ "Emily Barker". Creative Capital. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  11. ^ "Emily Barker". Contemporary Art Library. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  12. ^ "Death by 7865 Paper Cuts | An Artist's View of Health Care Bureaucracy - Vitori Voice". voice.vitorihealth.com. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  13. ^ "The Avery Review | Divergence from the Norm: Commodity Impairment in Emily Barker's Built to Scale". www.averyreview.com. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  14. ^ LA, Curate (2020-01-17). "Built to Scale: Emily Barker puts Privilege and Ableism on Display at Murmurs". Medium. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  15. ^ Mitter, Siddhartha (2022-01-25). "Whitney Biennial Picks 63 Artists to Take Stock of Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  16. ^ LeRoux, Ayden (2022-06-22). "Emily Barker by Ayden LeRoux". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  17. ^ "Emily Barker". Creative Capital. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  18. ^ admin (2021-05-05). "A Conversation with Emily Barker". Artillery Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-21.