Decorated: The Sculptural Ceramics of Ebony Russell

22 May – 25 September 2025

99 Bishopsgate and 30 Fenchurch St, London

Free

Acclaimed ceramic artist Ebony Russell presents a solo exhibition with Brookfield Properties, in partnership with Crafts Council

The Brookfield Properties 2025 Craft Award winner presents a selection of her gravity-defying ceramic sculptures in an exhibition at 99 Bishopsgate in the City of London. Meanwhile, Adorned: Celebrating Craft and Form – on view at nearby 30 Fenchurch Street – features works by the four other finalists alongside the winner, Russell. Both exhibitions are free to attend.

2025 Brookfield Properties Award winner Ebony Russell with her works. Photo: Jessica Maurer

Decorated: The Sculptural Ceramics of Ebony Russell

Represented by Cynthia Corbett gallery, Ebony Russell is known for her unique technique of piping porcelain in intricate layers to create gravity-defying sculptures. Her pieces directly reference the history of ceramics, while challenging gendered notions of decorative craft practices. Russell’s technique – layering soft cake icing like porcelain – redefines notions of labour and ornamentation, turning traditionally feminine-coded decorative practices into symbols of strength and resilience.

The first international artist to receive the Brookfield Properties Craft Award, Russell was selected for her radical reinterpretation of one of the leading names in UK crafts – Wedgwood. Her sculptures offer a reimagining of Wedgewood’s famous ceramics, challenging the relationship between aesthetics and form.

Ebony Russell, Suspiciously Beautiful: OXO Openwork, 2023, porcelain and stain. Photo: Simon Hewson, courtesy of Cynthia Corbett Gallery.
Ebony Russell, Indecorum – In Confidence Vase & Pedestal Set, 2022, porcelain and stain. Photo: Simon Hewson, courtesy of Cynthia Corbett Gallery

Adorned: Celebrating Craft and Form

This exhibition presents the four finalists of the Brookfield Properties Craft Award alongside the 2025 winner, Ebony Russell. Each of these exceptional makers brings a distinctive narrative and studio practice to the field, showcasing the excellence of contemporary UK craft. The finalists include wood artist Alan Meredith (Cavaliero Finn), glass artist Chris Day (Vessel Gallery), wood and paper artist Isobel Napier (Flow Gallery), and ceramic artist Valéria Nascimento (jaggedart).

Isobel Napier, Paper Piece I, laser cut paper. Photo courtesy of the artist
Valéria Nascimento, Black Coral Circle, 2019, coloured porcelain. Image courtesy of the artist

In its sixth year, the Brookfield Properties Craft Award celebrates the best of UK contemporary craft, giving a much-needed platform to living makers and their contribution to the practice. Shortlisted makers are selected from over 400 artists exhibiting at Collect art fair and are assessed on several criteria, including excellence in skills, making and material knowledge as well as a body of work that demonstrates ambition, scale, colour and form.

Alan Meredith, Dearcán Dubh, 2024, ebonised oak. Photo courtesy of the artist
Chris Day, Ancestral Gaze, 2025, blown and sculpted glass with mixed media. Photo courtesy of Vessel Gallery

Plan your visit

Locations
99 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3XD
30 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3 BD

Opening times
Thursday 22 May – Thursday 25 September
Open Monday – Saturday 9am - 5pm

Entry is free, no booking is required.
Both venues are fully accessible.

The closest tube station to 99 Bishopsgate is Farringdon station. Further information can be found on the 99 Bishopsgate website.