Claire Barclay

Claire Barclay’s sculptures and installations present investigations into the physical and symbolic nature of materials and the spaces they inhabit. Frequently employing traditional craft techniques and materials, alongside those associated more with industrial design and production, Barclay’s work consistently explores the language of image and object. Printmaking has become an increasingly important part of her practice. She states:
‘For some time I have integrated printed imagery into installations in the form of printed fabric.  More recently I started printing on to paper, but found myself drawn to incorporating the bold graphic quality of these prints into my sculptural work.  I see a correlation between the way I make sculpture and the way I have developed screen-printed works which I would like to understand in greater depth through experimentation.’
Barclay spent one month at the Banff Centre, Canada, in April 2013. During this time she researched craft traditions and materials connected to Banff’s local area. She was also able to visit the ethnological and First Nation collections held at the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. Through this, she was able to develop further her research and approach towards the connections between North American and Scottish traditions of object making.
Claire Barclay graduated from Glasgow School of Art’s Environmental Art course in 1990 and from its MFA course in 1993. She has exhibited her work widely throughout the UK and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions have been held in Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.