Jane King East Sussex, United Kingdom
My ceramic sculptures possess a strong voice and, and a bold narrative about contrast, visual drama and playfulness. They are visually and haptically exciting. I have an MA in ceramics, and exhibit my work in the UK and abroad. My work has been shortlisted for a number of national and international prizes, and is held in public and private collections in the UK, USA and Italy .
Through my work I explore aspects of my sense of self, in particular my need to feel in control in a world which is increasingly unpredictable and chaotic. I see the same contradiction mirrored on social media, where many of us are concerned with presenting a fiction: a curated, controlled and idealised version of our lives, rather than the often challenging and capricious nature of reality. I explore this contradiction through my work, in which form, line, texture and colour act as metaphors.
I aim for a sculptural tension between the structured and ordered and the organic and irregular, the two states co-habiting dynamically in each object to achieve contrasts which are exciting. I make carefully, in a controlled way, but then try to contradict my need for control by working in a freer, more expressive way, on the same piece. For example, I might throw a regular cylinder on the wheel, and then squeeze it quickly out of shape, or perhaps apply some sticky clay over the surface. Or I might meticulously hand-build a geometric, angular form, and then attach a free-flowing rippled slab, or corrupt it with a more organic growth-like form, or rough texture. Process is an important part of my work; the route to the finished piece is, for me, exciting in itself.
Surface treatments include dark glazes offset by vivid acrylic colour. The use of non-ceramic material provides an additional means of achieving contrast, not just in colour, but in surface quality and feel - and an element of the unexpected.
I make small series' of works which are related through their overall form and concept. Through drawing and research alongside making, forms evolve into new combinations and visual stories, leading to the development of new series.
Artwork
Symbiosis series, green and black, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2023
Symbiosis series, yellow and black, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2023
Symbiosis series, pale pink and black, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2023
Plinth series, pink and blue, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2022
Plinth series, green and green, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2022
Plinth series, tangerine and black, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2022
Fold series, green and green, ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2021
Symbiosis series, dark orange and black, Ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2024
Symbiosis series, green and black, Ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2023/4
Core series, dark orange and black, Ceramic, with earthenware glaze and acrylic, 2024
Projects and exhibitions
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Collect26/02/2025 — 02/03/2025 Collect International Art Fair, with Design-Nation |
Somerset House, London | Details |
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Cluster Crafts16/05/2024 — 19/05/2024 Contemporary craft showcase as part of London Craft week 2024 |
Silbury and East, London | Details |
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Group exhibition29/11/2023 — 17/12/2023 Group exhibition |
Hastings Arts Forum, Hastings | Details |
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Modern and Contemporary Art Collection18/11/2023 — ongoing Exhibition of work acquired for the third phase the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection at Chippenham Museum, including my sculpture, Absence series, antique gold and green |
Chippenham Museum, Chippenham | Details |
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MK Calling15/02/2021 — 01/11/2020 Five works exhibited in MK Calling, 'showcasing the most dynamic work being made today'. |
MK Gallery, Milton Keynes | Details |
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European Prize for Applied Arts 201820/10/2018 — 20/01/2019 Shortlisted for international competition. The exhibition also toured to Ireland |
BeCraft Gallery, Mons, Belgium | Details |
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Annex Collection Acquisition Award01/04/2017 — 01/05/2017 Shortlisted for acquisition award. Work featured on Annex Collection website |
N/A, N/A | Details |
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Inaugural Julia Carter Preston Prize09/07/2016 — 21/08/2016 Shortlisted for this new prize |
Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool | Details |
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Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize16/09/2014 — 15/12/2014 Shorlisted for this new prize for contemporary ceramics |
Lloyds Club, London | Details |
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58th Competition for Contemporary Ceramics, Faenza25/05/2013 — 22/09/2013 Awarded the Medal of the President of the Italian Senate for one of two works selected for this exhibition. Work also featured in international ceramics publication La Ceramica in Italia e nel Mondo . |
International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza, Italy | Details |