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 ceramics have been shortlisted for a number of prizes.
My work is driven by my reflection that contemporary life, particularly as it is presented on social media, is so often a fiction: a curated, controlled and idealised version of ourselves and our doings rather than a reflection of the real , often chaotic and imperfect nature of existence. This concept is explored through the physical characteristics of my sculptures, with form, surface and colour acting as metaphors for control and disorder.
I aim for a sculptural tension between states of messiness and the uncontrolled with the tidy and ordered - the two states co-existing dynamically in each object to achieve a contrast which is exciting. The work is process-driven, performative and technically challenging. I work slowly and carefully with earthenware clay, hand-building, constructing or throwing some elements. I combine this with looser handling, such as smearing or combing sticky reclaimed clay onto a smooth surface, or quickly twisting and squeezing a thrown form to set it off-kilter.
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.
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
Projects and exhibitions
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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 |