8 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this April

Animals to Remember Uganda

Discarded materials are transformed into abstract assemblages and creature-like forms in Andrew Omoding’s solo exhibition at Camden Art Centre, which comes following his residency at the venue in 2019. Traditional folksongs from Omoding’s native Uganda (as well as a few modern African pop hits) will serve as a soundtrack to the show, infusing his works with memories of his childhood.

From 26 April – 23 June at Camden Art Centre, London

Bodil Manz

Colour and shape come together in Oxford Ceramics Gallery's new exhibition on Bodil Manz, the revered Danish ceramicist known for her wafer-thin porcelain pots that play with geometry. More than 30 new pieces will be on show, including Fence, which features a delicate grid motif, and Summer I, which is printed with brightly-hued rectangles and lines.

Until 27 April at Oxford Ceramics Gallery, Oxford

Anne Desmet: Kaleidoscope/London

Take a tour of the capital via Anne Desmet’s latest solo exhibition, which will feature an array of London-themed prints taken from the artist’s intricate wood engravings. Her cutting tools and wood blocks will also be on show, as well as her more recent digital collages which depict the world as if seen through a toy kaleidoscope.

12 April – 8 September at Guildhall Art Gallery, London

Kati Tuominen-Niittylä – A Solo Show

Finnish ceramicist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä reimagines the humble container in her solo show at London’s Flow Gallery, for which she has used wheel-throwing, casting and other techniques to create a series of minimalist bucket and basket-like vessels. Though simple in form, each piece boasts a textured surface that Tuominen-Niittylä has painstakingly hand carved – book your tickets to marvel up-close.

From 26 April – 29 June at Flow Gallery, London

Leilah Babirye: Obumu (Unity)

For this exhibition, Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye has created a series of characterful portrait-sculptures; five of them have been shaped from clay, while a further seven were carved from dead trees taken from the grounds of Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Adorned with bicycle chains, nails, and other bits of waste metal, together the faces are meant to reflect diverse identities within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Until 8 September at The Chapel, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton

Dan John Anderson at SCP

Dan John Anderson’s love of wood started during his time spent studying at the Oregon College of Art & Craft, surrounded by the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest – now he uses the material to create totemic sculptures and furnishings. This exhibition at design brand SCP’s showroom offers a chance to see some of the artist’s smaller-scale pieces, including his shapely side tables and stools.

From 11 April – 9 May at SCP Showroom, London

Leave Love Behind

After a trip to Svalbard – a remote archipelago located between Norway and the North Pole – American artist Rebecca Manson became fascinated with ‘ecological impermanence’ and the fragile life cycles that underpin the wilderness. Her solo show at Josh Lilley gallery is therefore filled with delicate nature-inspired works, including stained-glass leaves, ceramic cabbages, porcelain moth wings, and more.

Until 27 April at Josh Lilley, London

Suspended States

More than 20 years since his last major solo exhibition in London, artist Yinka Shonibare returns with Suspended States at the Serpentine South Gallery. Exploring themes surrounding national identity, global conflict and colonisation, the show will be orientated around two striking new installations: Sanctuary City, which depicts buildings of refuge at miniature scale, and The War Library, comprising 5,000 books bound in Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax print fabric.

Shonibare also appears in our forthcoming Spring/Summer 2024 issue – become a member now and receive a copy straight to your door.

From 12 April – 1 September at Serpentine South Gallery, London