Born to Grenadian and Haitian parents and raised between the Caribbean and New York, Alvaro Barrington creates work that probes the intertwined histories of cultural production. His “Garvey” series reflects on the exchanges between early 20th-century London and the Harlem Renaissance—two hubs shaped by large-scale Caribbean migration at the height of Modernism—and how these movements continue to inform ideas of identity, sexuality, soul, nationhood, nurture, punishment, and mortality.Though Barrington identifies first and foremost as a painter, his practice expands beyond traditional canvas. He employs burlap, textiles, postcards, and clothing, treating materials as both visual devices and carriers of layered personal, political, and commercial histories. This multimedia approach allows him to test how images can be constructed not only through paint but also through the symbolic and social weight of the materials themselves.
