Julia Phillips Presents New Ceramic and Metal Works at Barbican's The Curve

The Barbican in London is hosting the first UK institutional solo exhibition of German and American artist Julia Phillips, titled 'Inside, Before They Speak,' from this Friday until April 19, 2026. The show features newly commissioned pieces for The Curve, exploring themes like psychological states and biological processes through sculpture and drawing. Phillips uses ceramics, often casting clay against her body and incorporating industrial hardware, to create surreal forms that evoke human anatomy and medical technology. Highlights include two spherical hanging sculptures, 'Suspended Interior I' and 'Suspended Interior II' (2026), which depict enlarged bodily forms, and a series of ink drawings inspired by donor-assisted fertilization. The exhibition engages with the Barbican's Brutalist architecture and includes a free guide with an interview by Dr. Gail Lewis.