10 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this May
London Craft Week
The capital gets crafty with the return of London Craft Week, which brings together more than 750 makers, designers, brands and galleries from across the globe.
Not quite sure where to start? We’ve put together a list of must-see exhibitions – some of which feature stars from the new Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Crafts magazine, including Cecilia Charlton and Dahye Jeong.
8 – 14 May at various venues in London
Drawings on Indigo
This exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre sees textile artist Jeanette Orrell explore the grief, recovery and personal regrowth that came following her father’s death. Orrell chiefly practices indigo dyeing, and uses an array of techniques – from hand-stitching, to resist-dyeing – to create botanical forms in her contemplative works.
Until 2 July at the Ruthin Craft Centre, Denbighshire
TL;DR
Glitching browser windows, webcam selfies and pop-up error messages appear throughout the tapestries and tufted artworks presented in TL;DR at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London – the first European solo exhibition by US textile artist Qualeasha Wood. Here she examines the vulnerability of Black women on and offline, and how they can be both erased and fetishised simultaneously.
Duo and Trio 2 vessels by Aneta Regel. Photo: courtesy of Sarah Myerscough Gallery Duet by Aneta Regel. Photo: courtesy Sarah Myerscough Gallery
Artefact
Artefact is back at Chelsea Harbour’s Design Centre, showcasing covetable pieces from both established and emerging craftspeople. In between seeing what the myriad of exhibitors have to offer, check out the fair’s talks programme – curated by former Crafts editor Grant Gibson – and the Green Grads platforms, which spotlights the latest crop of eco-conscious makers.
9 – 13 May at the Design Centre, London
Simplicity and Complexity
Exploring his fascination with optical illusions, ceramicist Jin Eui Kim has created a series of perception-warping sculptures for this exhibition at Torfaen’s Llantarnam Grange centre. While you’re there, make sure to also catch embroiderer Vivienne Beaumont’s show Huff and Puff, which features fairytale-inspired textiles that draw on her recent research into mycelium.
6 May – 9 July at Llantarnam Grange, Torfaen
Hats Made Me
Hats off to this millinery exhibition at The Culture Trust Luton, which celebrates the symbolic power of headwear. Over 200 hats will be on display, from designs such as communion veils and durags, to whimsical examples seen in hit television shows like Bridgerton and Doctor Who.
Until 10 December at The Culture Trust Luton, Bedfordshire
Memory Landscape
For her first solo exhibition in the UK, ceramic artist Aneta Regel fantastically reimagines the natural world in Memory Landscape at Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London. Crafted from clay mixed with rock fragments, works resemble contorted tree trunks or craggy, stoney outcrops that appear to have been worn by the passage of time.
Clerkenwell Design Week
Clerkenwell Design Week squeezes the best of the design world into the streets of London’s EC1 postcode, presenting projects, installations, workshops, talks and a host of other activities. What’s more, CDW has now merged with the annual festival Design London, meaning the array of events on offer will now be even bigger.
23 – 25 May at various locations in London
The Offbeat Sari
This major exhibition – curated by The Design Museum’s Priya Khanchandani – unravels the multilayered meaning of the Indian sari. Dozens of the swathed garments will be on show, charting how the sari has changed over time to reflect cultural trends. It also highlights the versatility of the sari, which spans everything from occasionwear to a symbol of protest.
19 May – 17 September at the Design Museum, London
Eye of the Collector
Now in its third edition, Eye of the Collector gives the craft-curious a chance to peruse and purchase design pieces from a variety of time periods. Once again the event will be held at the historic Two Temple Place building on the banks of the Thames, with its grandiose neo-Gothic rooms styled to appear like the home of an arts aficionado.
