Barbican, London
The Real Thing is an upcoming exhibition of American minimalist painter Robert Ryman, at the Barbican galleries. Master of texture and surface, Robert Ryman's work challenges how we understand the canvas, and what it can convey. Natural light is an essential component of Ryman's work, and “like no other painter before him, Ryman uses light itself as a material and turns its subtle scale of refraction into form” - Christel Sauer. This is particularly evident at Dia Beacon in upstate New York, where Ryman was closely involved in the design of the gallery spaces and the installation of his work within them.
Our exhibition proposal transforms the typically dark Barbican galleries into brightly daylight spaces, opening up the underutilised rooflights to bring daylight in. New walls relate directly to these rooflights, allowing the works to be viewed as intended by Ryman. These rooflights act as the organising principle of the exhibition - an element around which all others rotate.
‘You have to see the real thing… seeing a real painting is the only way to do it.’ - Robert Ryman
Medium Works were delighted to be invited to pitch for the exhibition design, alongside Caruso St John Architects and Apparata. The exhibition is due to open in October 2026.
