10 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this February

8 February 2022

Juicy Spoons by Chris Bird-Jones. Photo: © Dewi Tannatt-Lloyd

It may be cold and grey outside, but there's still plenty of reasons to wrap up warm and head out. Here, we bring you some of the best craft shows to see across the UK this month.

Collect

The leading international art fair for contemporary craft is back in the historic surrounds of Somerset House on London’s The Strand, following last year’s online-only fair. Explore the fair’s digital offerings on Artsy.net, and look out for a rich programme of panel discussions and talks, curated in partnership with Crafts, including two online events that are free for magazine subscribers.

25 – 27 February at Somerset House, London

Chris Bird-Jones: We are all fragile

The Swansea-based artist is filling Ruthin Craft Centre with her signature sculptural spoons made from blown glass. Each curvilinear piece references the human body, drawing attention to both its beauty and fragility.

Until 3 April at Ruthin Craft Centre, Denbighshire

Couple IV by Louise Bourgeois, 1997. Image: © The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2021. Photo: Christopher Burke

Louise Bourgeois: Woven Child

This sprawling exhibition at London’s Hayward Gallery is the first retrospective to focus on Louise Bourgeois' emotionally-charged textile sculptures from the final two decades of her career.

9 February – 15 May at the Hayward Gallery, London

A State of Matter: Modern and Contemporary Glass Sculpture

The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds is turning the spotlight on glass during the UN’s International Year of Glass, bringing together artworks spanning 1965 to the present day. Look out for work by artists including Emma Woffenden, Mona Hatoum, Luke Jerram and Hew Locke.

18 February – 5 June at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds

Tansa: Japanese Threads of Influence

Textile artists from the UK and Japan are exhibiting new work at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham, following a Japanese research visit by 18 practitioners from the University for the Creative Arts.

Until 26 March at the Crafts Study Centre, Farnham

Gávnnadeapmi I/The Encounter by Britta Marakatt-Labba, 2012

Britta Marakatt-Labba: Under the Vast Sky

Ikon gallery in Birmingham is hosting this first UK show by the Swedish Sámi artist (see Crafts no. 286) with embroidered artworks that explore the culture of her community, climate change and more.

23 February – 29 May at Ikon gallery, Birmingham

Paul Philp

The renowned potter – who has been creating sculptural vessels for over 60 years – is showing his latest pieces at London’s Flow Gallery. In the latest issue of Crafts, Philp tells us about his working process, love of antiquity, and how going off-grid helped him grow his natural palette.

Until 25 February at Flow Gallery, London

Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics & Contemporary Art

Eighty pieces by black female artists and potters are on show in the splendid surrounds of London’s Two Temple Place. Work by the iconic 20th-century Nigerian potter Ladi Kwali is paired with ceramics, drawings and films by contemporary artists including Phoebe Collings-James, Shawanda Corbett, Bisila Noha and Magdalene Odundo.

Until 24 April at Two Temple Place, London

Eternal myth and the poetry of the cosmos [fate, future, suture] (triptych), by Cecilia Charlton, 2021. Installation view of Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open at Jerwood Space. Photo: Anna Arca

Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open

The art prize is back – this year’s nominees are Cecilia Charlton, Anna Berry, Jahday Ford, Vicky Higginson and the collaborative duo Helena Russell and Francisca Onumah, who we spoke to for the latest issue of Crafts. Their work will be exhibited at Jerwood Space in London, before touring the UK throughout 2022-23.

Until 9 April at Jerwood Space, London

It’s All in the Technique

Glass artists working with a range of processes are going on show at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, in an exhibition curated by the Contemporary Glass Society.

Until 13 March at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland

10 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this February

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