13 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this February
Kaffe Fassett: The Power of Pattern
London’s Fashion and Textile Museum is inviting visitors into the bright and bold world of prolific designer Kaffe Fassett. Revered for his unabashedly maximalist prints, Fassett has produced quilts, mosaics, paintings, needlepoints and more over the course of his 50-year career. This exhibition delves deep into his multifaceted creative practice, seen alongside work by international makers who continue to be inspired by his aesthetic.
Until 12 March at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London
Adore
Bristol-born photographer Garry Fabian-Miller returns to home turf for his major exhibition at the city’s Arnolfini arts centre. Adore will not only present a myriad of Fabian-Miller’s camera-less abstract images made using light-sensitive paper, but will also spotlight works from the roster of creatives that have come to influence his practice – from the potter Julian Stair to weavers at Dovecot Studios.
18 February – 28 May at the Arnolfini, Bristol
Jonathan Baldock: we are flowers of one garden
Ceramic flowers with strange faces sprout up throughout this solo exhibition by Jonathan Baldock, which explores the profound bond the artist has with his mother and her garden. Florals appear alongside varied horticultural motifs in the sculptures and wall hangings Baldock has created for the show, encouraging the viewer to ruminate on wider themes of loss, grief and the cycle of life.
A piece by Stephen Chadwick, one of the 16 makers showing at this year's Making It exhibition
Making it
See the best of southwest England at Making It, an exhibition which seeks to spotlight the region’s leading new artists, makers and designers. There will be 16 exhibitors in total who, in within the last five years, have graduated or taken the leap to launch a creative business – a true showcase of fresh talent.
Until 18 March at MAKE Southwest’s Jubilee Gallery, Devon
Albion Waves
Oliver Beer has long been interested in natural acoustic phenomena and the idea that every object 'quietly resonates at its own musical note'. For his latest installation, Albion Waves, the artist has placed a microphone inside 28 ancient vessels and suspended them from the ceiling of Bloomberg SPACE – as visitors wander underneath, they’ll be able to hear each vessel’s inner 'voice'.
9 February – July 2023 at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, London
Martin Smith: The Poetics of Geometry
For this new exhibition, celebrated British ceramic artist Martin Smith has created more of his signature geometric sculptures – but this time they’re designed to be mounted on the wall. In using a display method typically reserved for paintings, Smith calls viewers to question definitions of space, and in turn explore their own sense of certainty and doubt.
15 February – 17 March at Messums London, London
The New Bend
Travelling over from Hauser & Wirth’s balmy LA outpost, this exhibition unites 13 contemporary textile artists. The New Bend examines how their work both honours and responds to the oeuvre of the Gee’s Bend quilters – a group of African-American women who, for decades, have been creating quilts in the secluded hamlet of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Visitors can expect a fascinating insight into how textiles, race, class and gender can all be connected.
28 January – 8 May at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Bruton
Kumihimo: Japanese Silk Braiding by Domyo
The tradition of silk braiding, or kumihimo, has been practised in Japan from as early as the sixth century. For this exhibition at Japan House, the company Yusoku Kumihimo Dōmyō (Domyo) – which has been making silk braids since 1652 – delves into the history of the craft, the intricate processes behind it, and its future potential.
Giorgio Morandi: Masterpieces from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation
Not pots, but paintings of pots: the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is holding a major exhibition dedicated to Giorgio Morandi, featuring the revered artist's signature paintings of ceramics. These are accompanied by a rich array of drawings, etchings and watercolours that have all been drawn from the personal collection of Luigi Magnani – a close friend and patron of the artist.
Until 30 April at the Estorick Collection, London
Either / Or
A fleet of model boats crafted from wood found along the British coastline sits at the centre of this solo exhibition by artist Peter Liversidge. Reflecting Liversidge’s multidisciplinary practice, the show will also feature his photography, air-dried clay sculptures, and neon light works.
Until 18 February at Kate MacGarry gallery, London
Dancing in the Womb
After a successful launch at the Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire, textile artist Rezia Wahid's deeply personal solo show moves on to the Crafts Study Centre. The exhibition features a series of gauze-like woven panels by the mother of four: abstract interpretations of her memories of early parenthood.
Pretty Lady by Anna Perach can be seen the Antigone: Women in Fibre Art exhibition at Richard Saltoun Gallery. Photo: courtesy of the artist
Hew Locke: The Procession
Having successfully launched at Tate Britain late last year, Hew Locke’s The Procession will now march on to the BALTIC Centre in Gateshead. The installation comprises 150 handmade, life-sized figures who are draped in patchwork textiles. They depict scenes of violent colonialism and global financial turmoil, alongside memories from Locke’s own childhood spent in Guyana; visitors are invited to stand amongst the 'crowd', and reflect on the cyclical nature of history.
18 February – 11 June at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Antigone: Women in Fibre Art
Hone your knowledge of European textile art with this all-women group exhibition at London’s Richard Saltoun Gallery. The show is largely be orientated around artists Barbara Levittoux-Świderska and Jagoda Buić, but also includes pieces by Ewa Pachucka, Magdalena Abakanowicz – already stirring up excitement with her solo show at Tate Modern – and fresh work from the new-generation fibre artists Anna Perach and Egle Jauncems.
