Justin Barfield, Visiting Assistant SPF, is interested in our relationship with ‘place’ and addresses this relationship by highlighting physical changes brought about by both humans and nature. When the old is removed, renovated, or neglected an instance is created when progress and decay become intertwined leaving layers of memory. These physical changes become the narrative to how he views his surroundings, everything suspended in a complicated growth somewhere between being rebuilt and demolished. Justin articulates this narrative in his art by representing moments of tension embedded in somewhat insignificant decaying material and scenes addressing large environmental impacts.
Born in southern Louisiana, Justin Barfield received his Bachelor of Arts at Southeastern Louisiana University and his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Notre Dame. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally including the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, Indiana,
Originally published at artdept.nd.edu.