Written by: Mina Adsit
The Walker Art Center recently acquired a group of paintings by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artist Leslie Barlow for its permanent collection. In addition to being an accomplished working artist, Leslie is active in art-centered community outreach. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. A project founded by Leslie is ConFluence, a convention celebrating art, fandoms, sci-fi, futurisms, and fantasy centered on content by and for Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color (BIPOC). She promotes the work and development of emerging BIPOC artists through the PF Studios program (Public Functionary) . www.publicfunctionary.org.
The following interview with the artist provides background on her work and the Walker Art Center’s acquisitions. Four of the works are from her Portraits in Pandemic series. The fifth painting, Behind the Mask, is from her Us, Becoming series.
1. How long have you had a relationship with the Walker? Has your work been exhibited there previously?
Barlow: My relationship with the Walker has developed over many years, both as an artist and as an audience member. In 2019, I had the opportunity to lead a series of life-drawing workshops at the Walker, which was a lot of fun and was really well received. My work has not previously been exhibited at the Walker, but the recent acquisition of Behind the Mask and Portraits During a Pandemic may be included in an exhibition soon.
2. Why were you moved to make Portraits in Pandemic in 2020?
Barlow: I began Portraits in Pandemic in the early months of 2020 as a way of making sense of a moment when our ordinary ways of being together had suddenly been disrupted. I was interested in creating portraits of people in my community that could hold both the uncertainty of that period and the intimacy of staying connected despite physical distance. The project became a way of documenting that particular moment while also thinking about care, vulnerability, resilience, and how we see one another.
Portraits During a Pandemic, Oil on Paper, 2020 Created from video call shots
3. Can you provide some background on Behind the Mask and how the image relates to your practice?
Barlow: Behind the Mask is a portrait of my friend Adrian, a cosplayer, photographed in his basement surrounded by his collection of figures, memorabilia, and cosplay masks. The masks hanging behind him become part of the portrait, creating a layered relationship between Adrian, the characters he embodies through cosplay, and the objects that reflect his interests and imagination. The painting is part of Us, Becoming, my ongoing project exploring Black cosplayers and the ways that imagination, play, and self-fashioning can become powerful forms of identity and world-building.
Behind the Mask, Oil, Acrylic, collage on panel, 2025
4. What projects are you working on now?
Barlow: I’m currently working on Us, Becoming, a large-scale project that includes painting, video, and installation that will be presented at a museum in Spring 2028. Alongside my studio work, I’m also continuing to develop ConFluence, a BIPOC-centered fandom convention, which explores fandom, creativity, community, and collective imagination as meaningful cultural practices. You can learn more about and follow the progress of these projects on my instagram @lesliebarlowartist and at ConFluence’s website www.confluencemn.com