Wyatt Barr

In my practice of creating work that is decidedly ambiguous, I do not intend to separate the roles of maker and onlooker. The onlooker and I function in similar ways. Someone viewing my work for the first time, with little to no knowledge of how it’s made, is completely uninitiated in regards to its meanings. And this is neither unfortunate nor accidental; this is necessary. The primary goal in showing these pieces is to have them exist more fully, as a direct result of being shown. Their 'success' hinges on the viewers' various interpretations. Obviously, nothing about the work actually changes as a result of its being shown, but my impetus in creating it is largely contingent on its being seen and considered by strangers. And so, until these paintings are actually experienced by a body of outsiders, they are as ineffective as an unpublished crossword puzzle; they are as unnecessary as a full course meal with no dinner guests.
Picasso said, "A picture lives a life like a living creature, undergoing the changes imposed on us by our life from day to day. This is natural enough as the picture lives only through the person who is looking at it." If this sentiment is true, it is appropriate then that what little definition my work d...

Maine College of Art, BFA 2017

2017

Fleshed Out, Black Hammer Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2015

Ungrounded: Landscapes in Black and White, Local 188, Portland, ME

Juried Show, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY

2014

In Nature’s Realm, A Fine Thing: Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts, Portland, ME

2013

Labor: The Art of Work, Richard Boyd Art Gallery Peaks Island, ME

Illustrators of Our Times, Cazenovia College Art Gallery, Cazenovia, NY

Five Artists: Their Work (with Rollin Leonard, Kimberly Convery, Mario Rivoli and Clint Fulkerson), A Fine Thing: Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts, Portland, ME

Street People, Weymouth Gallery, Wells, ME

Portraits, Local 188, Portland, ME

PERFORMANCE DRAWING

2015

Carne: Esduardo Marsical Theater, (live drawing/dance), Nancy Margolis Gallery, NYC, NY

Carne: Esduardo Marsical Theater, (live mural drawing), Portland Stage Company, Portland ME