Contemporary craft fair Collect was founded by the British Crafts Council in 2004 as a pioneering fair for collectible craft, presenting recent work by living craftsmen, artists and designers (with some pieces created especially for the fair). The latest edition, previewed digitally in collaboration with the global online art platform Artsy, offers a glimpse into the diversity and eclectic richness of today’s craft panorama.
‘Collect has introduced and represented the very best global galleries for contemporary craft to design buyers and collectors for 17 years. Creating opportunity in the disruption of this past year has been so important, ensuring we maintain visibility for this global moment for craft in the cultural calendar. This online version of the fair will provide rich content as well as helping collectors to discover, view and purchase exceptional work from highly talented international artists,’ said the fair director, Isobel Dennis.
Highlights from contemporary craft and design fair Collect
Represented by Cavaliero Finn Gallery, Irish silversmith Cecilia Moore combines the ancient silversmithing hammering technique of raising with patination to create playful metal sculptures. The vessels from the An Unstill Life series are reminiscent of Giorgio Morandi’s composition, while their surfaces reflect Moore’s techniques. The pieces’ curved bases create the dynamic arrangements referenced in the work’s title.
Textured glass totems by Edmond Byrne
Making its Collect debut, Edinburgh-based Gallery TEN introduces the work of glass artist Edmond Byrne. Byrne has been creating glass vessels in contrasting textures and colours, often combined into compositions that enhance his chromatic sensibility. ‘I’m interested in how our minds interpret emotions, a combination of culture and memory which converge from different areas of the mind’ he says. ‘Through mould blowing and colour carving I explore colour, texture and form to make glass vessels that induce an emotional response in each viewer. In a way the blown glass vessels are manifestations of emotions.’
Experimental sensory objects by Zoe Robertson
House on Mars Gallery presents Zoe Robertson’s experimental sensory objects. Originally a jewellery artist, Robertson has been experimenting with large-scale, performance-based jewellery pieces. Titled RE:Animate, the series presented at Collect is based on the repurposing of salvaged granulated polymer, which the artist refashioned into a new material to create with. A project based on ‘material alchemy and experimental play,’ RE:Animate is characterised by a distinctive palette combining colour and pattern.
Intensely chromatic ceramics by Pippin Drysdale
Australian ceramic artist and educator Pippin Drysdale has been developing her craft over 40 years of ceramic experimentation. Her work is presented by Joanna Bird Contemporary, a gallery that has been part of the fair since its inception. The colorful Breakaway series (pictured here) was inspired by the Australian landscape, and is ‘a visual response to the topography of chasms, gorges, gaps and cavities created over millions of years.’
Geometric wall sculptures by Juliano Cordano
Experimental furniture designer Juliano Cordano presents the Vilanova collection, a series of monochromatic wall sculptures defined by a play of volumes and geometries. The architecture-inspired wooden pieces are brought to the fair by House on Mars Gallery and their compositions are inspired by buildings’ façades in London and San Francisco as well as Brutalist architecture in Brazil.
Textured porcelain by Sisse Lee
Danish-born and Oslo-based artist Sisse Lee has a multidisciplinary approach to craft and ceramics. Brought to Collect by Oslo’s interdisciplinary RAM Galleri, Lee’s collection features a series of cylindrical vessels in colored porcelain, stoneware and earthenware, defined by textured surfaces and slim profiles and referencing functional objects with the addition of handles on the edges.
Layered glass pieces by Jinya Zhao
Chinese glass artist Jinya Zhao approached glass ‘as an ideal medium to explore the themes of environment, emotions and personal experiences.’ The project she presented at Collect features layered textured glass objects in sublime colours, whose composition aims to evoke the 'non-existent existence'.
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