Deitch Projects, New York; The Marino and Paola Golinelli Collection, Bologna
Exhibited
New York, Deitch Projects, Barry McGee: One More Thing, 7 May - 18 August, 2005
Catalogue Essay
Fusing together found and invented imagery, tags and assorted objects Barry McGee draws on a range of influences including the Mexican muralists, tramp art, the graffiti artists of the 70’s and 80’s and the San Francisco Beat poets to create a unique visual language. The work has the strong immediately recognizable visual signature of the best graffiti art, but is also enormously poetic and evocative. It communicates the artist’s strong empathy with people who have been left behind by contemporary society. Also known by his street name, twist, Barry McGee has a large following in the street art community. He has been working on the streets of San Francisco, his native city, since the mid 1980’s where his images continue to endure on walls, mailboxes and other surfaces despite the continuous campaign of public authorities to paint them out. (Barry McGee Press Release from Deitch Projects, 2007)