10 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this June
From stuffed rabbits and terracotta idols to show-stopping kimonos, there’s a whole lot of craft to see around the country this month
Thread Count
This two-part exhibition gathers an array of contemporary textile artists to look at how the medium is being used for self-expression. Sophie Giller's reworked offcuts, Srinivas Surti's shell suit experiments, and Woo Jin Joo's folkloric creatures are among the highlights of this diverse display curated by artist Freddie Robins and Suffolk-based arts charity The Art Station.
8 June – 31 August at The Art Station, Saxmundham
Intimations: Eleanor Lakelin
Master woodworker Eleanor Lakelin is celebrated for creating large dramatic sculptures using saw, chisel and lathe. Based on classic vessel forms such as the moon jar, her works explore rugged textures, forms and patterns that are guided by timber's natural qualities. Working with horse chestnut burr and sequoia, she uses only trees grown in Britain and felled due to decay. See how her experimental practice is evolving in this dedicated solo exhibition.
21 June – 31 July at Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran: Idols of Mud and Water
The primal act of using water to mould clay, mud and earth is explored in this mystical assembly of 100 unglazed terracotta sculptures by Australian artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. The rudimentary figures, arranged on a shrine-like stage, reference the visual language of Hindu gods: human-animal hybrids, emblems of fertility, and those that represent protectors, jokers, and warriors.
Will Cruickshank, Spectrum, 2024. Wafrica kimono ensemble by Serge Mouangue, 2010.
Will Cruickshank: Way Station
Using repurposed cement mixers, potters’ wheels and other rotating machines, Devon-based artist Will Cruickshank’s spins colourful textile sculptures. His makeshift contraptions give these stark and unusual pieces a degree of dynamism and unpredictability, along with flaws which are celebrated in the final outcome. ‘It is a practice grounded in learning by doing, and thinking through making,’ he says.
Until 30 June at Bo Lee and Workman, Bruton
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk
From the 17th century to the street styles of today, the kimono is the iconic Japanese garment that never stops evolving. The V&A Dundee is taking stock of its impact on fashion and culture by gathering 300 examples of kimonos (including one owned by Freddie Mercury) and other accessories, giving the full picture of how this piece of decorative wear can be created, worn and interpreted.
Until 5 January 2025 at V&A Dundee, Dundee
Rabbit by Sarah-Joy Ford
Textile artist and researcher Sarah-Joy Ford has an exhibition all about the cute and fluffy companions of her childhood, along with other rabbits that have been made famous in collective memory. This show of her embroidered quilts and collaborations is described as an ‘active refusal to put away childish things’ and as ‘prioritising the politics of softness in harsh times’. A series of workshops on soft toys, repair and the emotional power of stitch accompanies.
James Gladwell, Garden With Owls, 2020. Courtesy the artist and Barrington Farm Cameron Morgan, The Laughing Camera, 2024. Courtesy the artist and Project Ability
Kaleidoscopic Realms
Intuitive mark-making is celebrated in this group exhibition of UK-based neurodivergent and learning-disabled visual artists. Going beyond pen and paint, the show features needlework and ceramics too. James Gladwell makes delicate embroidery based on his dreams and memories, while Cameron Morgan makes cheerful ceramics versions of everyday things.
8 June – 3 November at Nottingham Castle, Nottingham
Delaine Le Bas - Delainia: 17071965 Unfolding
Using textiles, costumes and performance, the work of Romani artist Delaine Le Bas is a social commentary on the outsider, taking in issues of gender, identity and discrimination. Nominated for the Turner Prize this year, Le Bas brings wider awareness to outdated perceptions of Romani, Gypsy and Traveller people in the UK and Europe, ‘reclaiming space for new rituals and imaginaries of resistance’.
Hilary Paynter. Mrs Aesop, 2018. Carol Ann Duffy Eight World's Wives.
Hilary Paynter: Moving Mountains
Hilary Paynter’s prints are made by collaging together hundreds of engraved wood fragments into scenes of incredible detail. In this show you can see illustrations of magical landscapes, natural scenes and fascinating characters which have been made in collaboration with poets and writers including Max Porter and Carol Ann Duffy. Don’t miss the wood engraving demonstrations happening on the final weekend.
4-9 June at Bankside Gallery, London
Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
Unsung heroes are the theme of this mid-career survey of New York-based artist Tavares Strachan, who uses ceramic, bronze and neon among other mediums to make his distinctive works. Writer Derek Walcott and activist Steven Biko are among the Black cultural and political figures referenced in a series of painted ceramic sculptures based on traditional ceremonial vessels and pots.
