Deutscher and Hackett

'...The obsession with the human form is about me trying to locate myself, to understand being present physiologically. [It is] layered with concerns regarding body politics, sexuality, death, pleasure principles, love, body-boundary confusions. To put it succinctly, I'd say my work is a sort of documentation of my desire to understand what it means to me to be in a woman's body...'¹

I was a little surprised to observe the mid-wife drive up in a hot-rod, 2002, is an impressive example of the 'psychologically and visually sexy'² art for which Barton has become so widely admired. Yet if typically Barton explores the darker side of the human psyche, imbuing her work with an impending violence that suggests what seems cute and benign may also be carnal and predatory, the present composition is, rather, suffused with a distinct sense of humour and joy. Executed shortly after the birth of her first child, indeed the work references the artist's recent experience of pregnancy and motherhood; as Barton recalled at the time, 'I feel so juiced up right now, I'm overflowing with inspiration... I can honestly say that giving birth was the most terrible and at the same time, most wondrous experience I've ever had. I felt as if the work that I was making in my pregnancy was leading me towards this in so many ways, and I'm interested to see how things will shift. My work in the past has mainly been about exploring the shadowy aspects of the psyche. Now I've got this great desire to celebrate life.'³

Without doubt one of the most critically acclaimed, eagerly sought-after figures in Australian contemporary art, Barton graduated from the University of New South Wales' College of Fine Arts in 1993. She has subsequently been a finalist in prestigious competitions such as the Blake Prize for Religious Art; the Sulman Prize and the Helen Lemprière Travelling Art Scholarship, and held numerous highly successful solo exhibitions with Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney; Kaliman Gallery, Sydney and Karen Woodbury, Melbourne. Seductive and uncompromising, her intricately detailed paintings, drawings and soft sculptures have become increasingly popular with private as well as corporate collections, including Artbank; BHP Billiton; RACV; and the International School of Tourism, New South Wales.

1. Del Barton cited in Barker, C., 'Basic Instinct: Rabbit Protectors and Pussy Lovers', Oyster Magazine, vol 43, December-January 2003.
2. Edward Colless cited in Australian Art Collector, vol 39, January-March 2007, p.99
3. Del Barton cited in Barker, ibid.

VERONICA ANGELATOS