Liking the work is not really the point, though I do; it’s the skill demonstrated in the exhibition that is breathtaking. The perfectly constructed paper kites by Oh Jeahwan hanging behind woven paper baskets by Lee Young Soon below are a case in point. Ceramic panels by Lee Seung Hee use the material in a different way […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
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As a working contemporary artist I visit many exhibitions and shows, but sometimes it is the things I see that are part of daily life that capture my interest. My one-minute blog of interesting things reflects the fact that although we are increasingly time-poor, there is creativity all around us. Email me at info@carolinebanks.co.uk with your name and email to receive a weekly post that only takes 1 minute to read.
Korean masters at Tent: lacquer and Najon
The Korean display is, for me, one of the highlights of Tent due to the dazzling mastery of craftsmanship. This year, the exhibition Constancy & Change in Korean Traditional Craft included a set of wooden lacquered bowls by Park Gang Yong + Jung Sang-gil. Not only are the bowls carved to fit snugly in a […]
Seen during one of my walks on a grey autumn day
I walk past this house on a regular basis and have always been curious about the layout as it’s not a standard shape. I’m none the wiser as to the inside but was delighted to see that the owners had decorated the front door for some unknown (to the passerby at least) occasion. The hydrangeas are […]
The Handmade Alliance
The Handmade Alliance, which I came across at Design Junction, is a social enterprise teaching sewing skills to prisoners and former prisoners to help train them in a career, thus reducing reoffending rates. There is a real shortage of skilled machinists and hand sewers in the UK for businesses needing small runs and equally a […]
Knifemaker Grace Horne at Made London
Made London is always well worth a visit and this time I found knifemaker Grace Horne exhibiting her work here for the first time. Each of her pieces has a story, being much more than just functional. The travelling mortician’s kit below came about after receiving a commission from a mortuary technician to reproduce their favourite cadaver needle. These scissors, called Twisted Seamstress, form […]
Benjamin Parker’s cephalopods at The Other Art Fair
Before anyone complains about these photos, I’ve always had trouble capturing Benjamin Parker’s work once framed up. This time when I met him at The Other Art Fair his most recent cephalopod pieces impressed with their freshness and freedom of mark-making but were another nightmare for my camera. Fortunately he helped me out by sending a better image (you […]
Rugs by Ptolemy Mann
I’ve featured Ptolemy Mann’s work here before but this was the first time I’d seen her pile rug and flatweave gelim collection in the flesh. These photos were taken at Design Junction. Having made her name with the subtle use of colour in ikat, I enjoyed the satisfying combinations of her colour block designs too. She connects formal concerns […]
3D printed jewellery with precious stones by Silvia Weidenbach
Silvia Weidenbach deservedly won Best New Design at the Goldsmiths’ Fair with her innovative jewellery, setting precious stones in feather-light 3D printed nylon to create brooches. they are quite large yet weigh hardly anything. Holding one is quite strange as it weighs little more than a ball of cotton wool. Granny’s Chips, below, plays with the idea […]
More artists seen at Start Art Fair
Here are a few shots of work I’d be happy to look at for a long time or even live with: Landscapes by IDN (Ian David Newman) presented by A I Gallery Hungarian artist Marton Romvari‘ s saturated oils shown by Alludo Room Gallery Cabeza de Toro Penquena (small bull’s head) in terracotta by Xawery […]
New tiles from Lindsay Lang, seen at Design Junction
My, how time flies. I remember the first time I saw Lindsay Lang’s work when she was just out of art school.It really doesn’t feel like that long ago. Now she has a new licence deal with London Underground and launched more of her covetable tiles, this time in relief, when I last caught up with […]