Orla Barry comes from Ireland and studied art in Dublin and Belfast and at De Ateliers in Amsterdam. Her work is rooted in language and symbols and is based on the tension between visual and literary representation. She writes poetic prose, scraps and passages of writing comprising philosophical reflections, passing thoughts, biographical facts, elements from fictional stories, and sound associations. Her series of photos, publications, films and performances deal with themes such as linguistic intoxication, proximity and distance, melancholy and frivolity, friendship and family relationships and what unites or divides us. She has held solo exhibitions at W139 in Amsterdam, SMAK in Ghent, the Camden Arts Centre in London, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and Argos in Brussels. Her work has also appeared at such prestigious group exhibitions as Manifesta 2 in Luxemburg and the Young Painting Prize in Brussels.