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10 Sep 2011 - 02 Sep 2012

Barnaby Barford, the artist who creates unique ceramic narrative pieces reflecting today’s society, has been commissioned to produce a series of sculptures at the Laing Art Gallery.

Producing six out of the seven sculptures, Barford left the completion of the seventh for the Laing’s visitors to contribute their own ideas of how the story should end.  Using some of the ideas provided by the public, Barford has made the last sculpture, which forms the final piece of the story.

Barnaby Barford will talk exclusively about the inspirations and the development of the final piece at the Laing on Tuesday 1 May, 1.00pm - 2.00pm.  This talk is free and no booking is required.

The Big Win: A Modern Morality Tale tells the story of a ‘layabout’ striving to live a celebrity lifestyle who wins the lottery. Charting his rise and fall as his money runs out, the sculptures will explore our insatiable appetite for celebrity culture and living beyond our means. Loosely based on the narrative of ‘A Rake’s Progress’ by 18^th century artist William Hogarth as well as the themes inherent within the Laing’s 18^th and 19^th Century Permanent Collection, Barnaby Barford’s The Big Win also depicts contemporary society’s problems and experiences such as gambling and luxurious living. 

To see some ideas, please visit our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laingartgallery/