MARFA — Impact Work, a series of 15 powder-coated aluminum sheets bearing the marks of sledgehammers, pickaxes and drills by local artist Cody Barber are now on view at the Marfa Country Clinic.
The exhibition, which opened to the public during Chinati Weekend, is Barber’s first solo show in Marfa since the coronavirus pandemic. Barber moved to Marfa in 2013 and maintains a studio in town where he created Impact Work.
While an atypical gallery space, Barber equates the Marfa Country Clinic waiting room to a lively “aquarium of light,” where his works act as a colorful school of swimming fish. He’s a fan of art shows the clinic’s hosted in the past, he said, and of Don Culbertson and Valerie Breuvart, the clinic’s owners, motivation for displaying art installations alongside healthcare pamphlets and vaccination notices.
“I think it’s really cool that their MO is getting artwork in front of their patients, especially while their patients are waiting to see the doctor, which isn’t always the most fun situation to be in,” Barber said.
Barber’s pieces are also in good company with the waiting room’s collection of Eames fiberglass chairs, objects that made an early impression on Barber, he said. “When I first moved here, I was like, holy crap somebody has Herman Miller chairs in the clinic,” Barber said. “I want to go to that clinic. They have good taste.”
Culbertson and Breuvart first approached Barber — who uses powder coating in both his roles as an artist and as a small business owner — about the idea for a show in 2022. “We admire Cody’s limitless experimentation with powder-coating,” Breuvart said. “More than just a technique, powder-coating is his medium, the same way painting or photography is to other artists.”
Barber’s Impact Works result from his experimentations with how aluminum sheets, placed in sand, react to blunt force blows from hand tools. Some sculptures were pricked by a pitchfork, others smacked repeatedly with a sledge hammer. Certain works are emotionally fueled, some are so warped they require levelers to be hung on the wall.
“Some of them I can actually remember how I was feeling and what I was thinking about when I did it, but the majority of them were just made as experiments,” Barber said.
The 15 individual works range in color and finish, from matte white to glossy traffic yellow and fluorescent pink pieces. Barber sources standard RAL colors, similar to Pantone, from manufacturers, at times manipulating colors during the powder coating process using layering and spraying techniques.
Breuvart said part of what draws her to Barber’s Impact Works series is the “contrast between the rough and powerful gesture of the impact-making with the delicate and exacting process of the powder-coating, sealing the metal’s wound into color.”
Barber said switching hats between artist and “freelance powder coater” allows him to hone his craft while remaining open to the community. “I’m always practicing, even if I’m gonna powder coat your kitchen stool or your dining table chair, I’m still practicing my art, I’m still practicing the way that I paint,” Barber said. “I can’t imagine being an artist that is just always in my studio, working on my art. I like that the small business side of what I do keeps me in contact with the community.”
Barber is also a patient of the Marfa Country Clinic, where he’s gone for routine physicals, emergency stitches and, most recently, mental health resources via telehealth. He said his connection to the clinic in that capacity only makes the opportunity to show artwork there more meaningful.
The show’s opening last weekend was a success, Barber said, with just as many locals as out-of-town visitors and solid sales. Impact Works will be on view at the clinic until January 1. Barber encourages people to stop by during regular open hours while being mindful of the business’ role as a clinic not gallery.