Alvaro Barrington was born in Venezuela (1983, Caracas) to Haitian and Grenadian parents and was raised between the Caribbean and Brooklyn, NY. He currently lives and works in London. His artistic practice is multidisciplinary, reflecting on histories of cultural production and their exchange. Whilst firstly considering himself a painter, his process to image-making is wide-ranging, as his works include the application of diverse non-traditional materials – such as concrete, wood, textiles, yarn, burlap, carboard, clothing, and postcards, prints, drawing, and photography. For the artist, each media has numerous possibilities, and each is a tool to represent both individual as well as collective cultural narratives. Recurrent subject matters are close- ups of faces, parts of the body and equatorial plants. References are seen in his use of imagery such as hibiscus flowers, the 20th century Harlem Renaissance, Marcus Garvey, hip-hop culture of the 90’s such as Tupac, and inspiration from other artists’ practices such as Willem de Kooning, Joseph Beuys and Robert Rauschenberg. His works explore diverse thematics, such as migration, nationality, selfhood, sexuality, time, and the digital realm. Barrington is also actively involved in various community practices such as charities, concerts, performances and shows. Believing that art needs to be accessible to communities in public sites, Barrington has been participating to the organization of the Notting Hill Carnival since 2019. In 2022, he has been the producer of Queen of the Caribbean, the main concert stage at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Barrington is the selected artist for the 2024 Tate Britain Commission.