Barkley is an artist, writer, curator, and gardener based in Sydney and Berry, Australia. His work draws upon the deep history of ceramics, popular music, gardening, and conversations about art and the internet. He was previously a senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and curator of the University of Wollongong Art Collection. He is co-founder of Kilnit Experimental Ceramics Studio Glebe and co-director of The Curators Department, an independent curatorial agency based in Sydney. His work can be found in the collections of the Art Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, and Artbank Sydney.