Clinton Barker

Born in Australia, lives and works in Japan.

Clinton Barker’s practice centres on the exploration of life and death, the pursuit of enlightenment, and the cyclical nature of cause and effect. Through a language of abstraction, semi-abstract figures, and symbolic forms, he creates works that express internal states and philosophical ideas—often blurring the boundary between the physical and the metaphysical.

This body of work marks a return to a more abstract expressionist style, shifting away from the overt figuration of earlier paintings while still allowing the figure to emerge through layered linework and gesture. For the artist, this move represents a return to a primal source—where concentrated forms of energy exist before they take on recognisable shape. His commitment to art was catalysed as a young man after encountering Ian Fairweather’s Epiphany at the Queensland Art Gallery, a moment that revealed the enduring, transcendent power of art to connect across time and space.

Ongoing themes of transformation, perception, and spiritual inquiry continue to inform his work, which he sees as both a personal investigation and a shared sensory experience. He is currently in the process of establishing an artist residency on a semi-remote island in Japan, extending his practice into new contexts of reflection, exchange, and retreat.