She is best known for her role in the 2009 South African/UK horror film, Surviving Evil, in which she starred alongside Billy Zane, Christina Cole and Natalie Mendoza.
She also played Miranda Barlow in the 2014 American television series Black Sails, produced by Michael Bay and Jonathan E. Steinberg.
Barnes was born in KwaZulu-Natal and graduated at the University of the Witwatersrand with an Honours Degree in Dramatic Art.
[2] Barnes has starred in numerous South African produced films and series including Egoli, 7de Laan, Binnelanders, Scandal!, Sorted, Suburban Bliss, S.O.S.
and the South African/Canadian co-production Jozi-H. She appears in the 2014 American television series Black Sails, for which she has received critical acclaim for her performance.