Press release

Matthew Barney (b. 1967) is known for his innovative and broad-ranging practice encompassing film, performance, sculpture, photography and drawing. Celebrated for his feature-length cinematic work, including the seminal Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002), River of Fundament (2014) and Redoubt (2019), the artist creates fantastical universes which challenge the limits and politics of gender, sexuality and codified beliefs.

Describing himself primarily as a sculptor, Barney works with materials stretching from petroleum jelly to bronze, creating objects and installations that are intrinsically linked to his cinematic world. Barney’s drawings mark both the beginning and end of his filmic projects, existing as preparatory sketches and as reflective recollections of internal states. The closely interrelated elements of his oeuvre form the parts of a mythological Gesamtkunstwerk, addressing questions of life and death, the natural world and industrial transformation, the cosmic and terrestrial.