What not to miss at London Craft Week 2023
Discover our edit of must-see exhibitions for LCW, which takes place from 8 to 14 May across the capital
Mind, Hand and Time: Dahye Jeong
Kick London Craft Week off to a galloping start by attending Dahye Jeong’s exhibition, Mind, Hand and Time, which showcases her delicate horsehair vessels. Jeong (who we chat with in the latest issue of Crafts) is deeply inspired by millinery traditions established during Korea’s Joseon dynasty, and has adapted these methods into her own meticulously-made basketry.
9–14 May at Gallery 5, Cromwell Place, SW7 2 JE
Code/Craft/Chaos: Beautility in the Digital Age
Merging the usually disparate worlds of craft and technology, this exhibition held by creative studio Here Design questions if coding can be used to create meaningful objects. On display will be an array of tapestries, screen prints and ceramics covered in digitally-generated patterns.
Zena Hollaway will be exhibiting her wheatgrass-root vessels with with De Le Cuona
Rooted
Highlighted in the ‘Spotlight: Growing’ section of our Spring/Sumer 2023 issue, material innovator Zena Holloway is known for working wonders with wheatgrass, using the plant to fashion everything from hanging sculptures to couture-like gowns. For London Craft Week she’s partnered with De Le Cuona, utilising the natural textile brand’s colour palette to create a series of ethereal accessories for the home.
8, 10, 11 and 13 May at De Le Cuona, SW1W 8LP
Hearts & Hands: Crafts of Hong Kong
Crafts on Peel Foundation is an arts charity based on Peel Street – hence the name – in Hong Kong. For Heart & Hands, the organisation is celebrating their home city’s craft heritage through 12 works made of everything from bamboo to neon, all created through collaborations between pairs of craftspeople. Find them at the historic Royal Society of Sculptors in South Kensington.
8–14 May, Royal Society of Sculptors, SW7 3RA
Cecilia Charlton: Memory Garden
The relationship between horticulture and textiles comes into full bloom in this exhibition by Cecilia Charlton, which sees her present a series of expansive, site-specific weavings in the Garden Museum. Each piece includes striking imagery of hydrangeas, peonies, lavender and other flowers special to Charlton, whose work we explore in the latest issue of Crafts magazine.
Mussel Shell by Chloé Rosetta Bell, whose ceramics feature in the Material Beings exhibition at Cromwell Place. Photo: Maria Bell
Material Beings
Curated by craft duo Forest + Found, this exhibition explores artists compelled towards tactility; whether through interaction with different mediums, or a hands-on making process. The show features work by the likes of Chloé Rosetta Bell and Marlène Huissoud (another maker that can be found in the Spotlight: Growing section of Crafts' Spring/Summer issue).
9, 10 and 14 May at Cromwell Place, SW7 2JE
Sarabande Foundation Presents WARPED
This exhibition puts three residents of the Sarabande studios, united by their use of weaving techniques, into the spotlight. There's no straightforward weaving here, however: Megan Brown is a jeweller, Anouska Samms combines ceramics with human hair, while Martina Spetlova is an experimental designer. Intrigued? Come try their eight metre-long interactive loom installation and find out what WARPED is all about.
12–14 May, Sarabande Foundation, N1 5SH
Crafts Spring/Summer '23 issue launch party
We couldn’t miss out on mentioning our own party! Come along to the Crafts Council Gallery in Angel to celebrate the release of our Spring/Summer 2023 issue and meet the team behind the magazine, as well as some of our contributors, featured makers and fellow readers – take up a Silver or Gold Crafts membership to receive your invite now.
