Inspirit: Artefact 2021

RUUP & FORM SHOWCASES INSPIRIT: FOUR LEADING FEMALE ARTIST MAKERS RELEASE NEW WORK AT CONTEMPORARY CRAFT FAIR, ARTEFACT

22-29 June | Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, London

Ruup & Form announces Inspirit at the debut of the contemporary craft fair, Artefact – a collective of four, female artist makers who have each honed a distinctive voice and ingenuity in pushing boundaries in contemporary, handcrafted objects. Inspirit will release new work conceived and made over the last year which come together under the expert eye of Ruup & Form gallerist Varuna Kollanethu, and traverses ceramics, textiles and wax botanical sculpture in a communion of voices, hope and energy which will beautifully translate into the home.

“With Inspirit I wanted to prompt and explore the emotional connections we make with handcrafted objects. One of the many wonderful things about owning unique objects is how you’re able to interpret and bond with the creator via touch – as well as enjoy the technical brilliance and aesthetic. Inspirit is rooted in making connections and being inspired – offering you the exciting opportunity to transfer into your own home and for these art works to take on a second life, prompting conversations and bringing joy.”

Varuna Kollanethu, Ruup & Form

Anne Butler, ceramic artist

“There is much reminiscent of archaeology, geology and architecture in my porcelain sculptures which explore relationships between process, material and the passage of time. My sculptures are inspired by the structure and dissolution of the organic and manmade. They are constructed, layered, excavated, deconstructed, collapsed and fragmented to reveal associations between material cultural, shared cultural meanings and individual memory as well as contrasting qualities such as strength and fallibility, permanence and loss.”

Well-travelled and currently working out of Carryduff, Northern Ireland, Anne creates striking sculptures in Parian porcelain, experimenting both with raw and fired materials, liquid and solid. Her extensive palette of techniques – casting, hand-building, and printing – is continuously challenged and developed to contrast the precision of industrial techniques and geometric structure with the fallibility of the handmade.

Anne’s working method is intrinsically connected to the act of making and endless experimentation with the changing state of Parian porcelain. Multiple firings accentuate the porcelain’s satin, marblelike quality when solid, and its delicacy and translucency when thin.

Archana Pathak, textile artist

“My art process always begins with a question. The process of making sometimes untangles the question to some degree or just helps me find peace with not really knowing the answer to every question.”

In Lure of a New World’ explores the interplay of memory, place, and identity through repetitive stitching – each piece constructed from shredded, printed fabrics of old maps, representing an abstract map of a new world With a background in commercial design, artist Pathak infuses the traditional handcrafts and textiles she was immersed in her homeland India in one-off textile pieces which explore the interplay between memory, place and identity. Her inspiration comes from found artefacts - often old maps that bring forth the evolving nature of boundaries – physical as well as psychological. Along with these constantly evolving boundaries, are the identities that are being re-shaped. Her studio practice involves collecting, organising, slowing down and making sense of her life. The rituals around her work helps her question, comprehend and eventually believe in what her work stands for. It helps her appreciate what is precious and important in today’s fast and digital world. With minimal tools, she uses stitch to recreate a sense of belonging that often requires listening and nurturing. Her process of slow making is an attempt to stay connected to what is fading but precious in life.

Annette Marie Townsend, interdisciplinary artist

“My artwork explores nature and the theme of protection. It focuses on the small delicate details that I observe in the natural world that might sometimes be hidden or overlooked. I am inspired by the infinite complexity of microscopic patterns, the richness of natural textures and the composition of miniature habitats.”

After graduating with a BA (Hons) Design in 1995, Townsend was employed by Amgueddfa Cymru, the National Museum Wales, as a Scientific Artist. Her career at the museum extended over 20 years, during which time she produced illustrations for academic publications and three-dimensional models and dioramas for gallery display. She also trained and qualified as a Natural Science Conservator, helping to preserve and care for the millions of botanical, geological, and zoological specimens in the natural science collections. Annette now works independently, from her urban garden studio in Cardiff and is widely known for her expertise in wax botanical sculpture. She creates artwork inspired by the natural world which expresses a fascination with intricate detail and beauty, drawing direct reference to her experience in preserving, documenting, and storing scientific specimens in a museum context. Annette has produced commissioned work for many UK institutions including the National Botanic Garden of Wales, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Manchester Museum, English Heritage and the BBC. Annette was one of the contemporary craft artists selected by the Craft’s Council to exhibit at Collect: The International Fair for Contemporary Craft and Design, in both 2020 and 2021. 

Hannah Walters, ceramic artist

“My work is made from porcelain, mixing a naive and playful style with a traditional and valuable material, as well as crank clay, a crude and heavy material. Sometimes jarring and often humorous, this clashing of cultural reference and material is both satisfying and unnerving all at once. My work is homage to the continued relevance of historical objects as reflective of the society in which they are both made and viewed.”

Also based in Cardiff, Hannah’s time working in her family’s antique centre has heavily inspired her art – an ornate antique aesthetic fuses with a contemporary understanding of imagery to create sculptural and functional pieces, often blurring the line between. Her work mostly comprises of an unusual mix of crank clay and porcelain, which offers discussion of value and conflict. She aims to make contemporary antiques, objects tied to both the past and present. Hannah’s ceramic education began in Coleg Sir Gâr in Carmarthen where a ceramics module, taught by ceramist Peter Bodenham, changed her path from a degree in Ancient History to one on Contemporary Crafts with Falmouth University. This led to her graduation from her Ceramics MA from Cardiff Met. University in 2019 with distinction. It was here that she was taught under renowned porcelain sculptor, Claire Curneen.

Her work has been shown in art magazines and journals such as Ceramic Monthly USA, Emerging Potters and Studio Potter. She has also worked with a number of organisations on projects and art demonstrations including the Eden project, Falmouth Art Gallery and the national trust property, Trellissick gardens.

As the world changes at an unprecedented pace, technology can make life more efficient, but often to the detriment of carefully crafted pieces. Artefact is both a marketplace and a celebration of contemporary craft, encouraging visitors to experience the tactility and joy that handmade objects can bring to their lives.

For more information, interviews, and visuals, please contact: michaela.zamloot@buttoncollective.com | +44 (0)7922 184 701 eliza.ballin@buttoncollective.com | +44(0)7833 397 251

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Artefact

Dates 22 – 29 June 2021

10am – 6pm

Entry is free.

Event location

Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour Lots Road London SW10 0XE

Event information

+44 (0)20 7225 9166

www.dcch.co.uk

Ruup & Form

Founded by Varuna Kaur Kollanethu in 2019, Ruup & Form is a contemporary craft and applied art gallery furthering the blurring lines between art and craft, presenting carefully curated collection of effortless aesthetics and unique contemporary crafted objects. The gallery believes craft and design in all its forms demonstrate creativity, ingenuity, and practical intelligence. It contributes to the economic and social wellbeing of communities, connects us to our cultural histories, and is integral to building a sustainable future.