
Ruairi Barfoot
Dates: 1 – 31 July, 2019
Location: 5 Bold Place, Liverpool, L1 9DN
Times: 24/7
Ruairi Barfoot’s paper tapestries aim to evoke the endlessly unpredictable course of lines in nature. Inspired by superautomatism – the act of subconscious and unpremeditated mark-making – he makes hundreds of intricate cuts into paper. These multiple individual incisions and silhouettes coalesce into large and evocative natural forms that range from sea- and cloudscapes to entangled roots. While physically stagnant, the effect of Barfoot’s immersive works are actually ever changing due to the interplay of light and shadow on, through and behind the paper sheets, superimposing the changing weather conditions of Liverpool onto these mysterious, imaginary vistas.
While not directly referencing the natural world, Barfoot’s paper forms and shapes visually link up with those found in nature. His beautiful creations strike a cord with the force and fragility of the natural world in that even though the result of cutting the paper is aesthetically delicate, the action that creates it is extremely violent.
Ruairi Barfoot studied Fine Art at University of Ulster and Manchester Metropolitan University. He currently volunteers in the Manchester Craft and Design Centre and, this September, will be studying for a masters in History of Art at the University of Glasgow. Instagram.com/ruairibarfootart