This May marks the opening of London Craft Week, the capital’s annual event championing all things handmade. One of the key supporters and hosts is Sotheby’s – the auction house may be famous for selling multimillion-pound art masterpieces, but with its Crafted showcase (May 11-17), it is opening its doors to material-led artistic exploration. ‘We have a passion for all things to do with craftsmanship, so partnering with London Craft Week seemed a natural fit,’ explains Julia Fischel, director at Sotheby’s London and a jury member of the inaugural House & Garden Craft Prize. ‘This is an exciting moment for creativity in the capital, and we are eager to have people in our galleries who might never have visited before. Crafted is a week-long celebration of all things craft that will take over nearly our entire building on New Bond Street.’
Accessibility and charitable causes are key to the variety of exhibitions taking place, which honour British artisanship across diverse media. Thus, FiredUp4, a charity which runs Clay Clubs ceramics classes for young people in underserved communities, is staging two exciting activations where visitors can acquire new works: Curated Ceramics features lots donated by 12 distinguished artists, among them Hitomi Hosono, Felicity Aylieff, and Kate Malone MBE – who, as the charity’s co-founder, is not only contributing one of her own works, but also a vintage Lucie Rie vase from her personal collection. Proceeds will go to the Clay Clubs, as they will for FiredUp4’s Secret Ceramics selling exhibition. This includes works donated anonymously by 100 artists - each will be sold at a fixed price of £650, with the name of the maker revealed only after purchase. It’s an invitation to buy with your heart.
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Peckham-based art and design studio Intoart, which champions learning-disabled and autistic talents, presents Tékhnē, Craft Skill Knowledge, whose title is derived from a Greek word that describes the mix of technical, creative and conceptual knowledge that underpins craft. Bringing together eight artists, the show features weaving, embroidery, ceramics and furniture.
Other highlights include an extensive programme of talks and workshops featuring leading voices in craft, culture, fashion and architecture, Asian Art/5000 Years, an exploration of the ancient Chinese ceramics that have influenced craft for millennia, and Crafted: The Fair, which showcases new work from leading galleries such as Cavaliero Finn and Vessel Gallery. And in the Story Café at Sotheby’s Mayfair HQ, art meets life in It Starts With a Cup: curated by the Crafts Council, the display invites diners to pause and contemplate the craft objects that shape our daily reality.
In a similar spirit of elevating time-honoured skills, Crafted will host the inaugural House & Garden Craft Prize. This celebrates the most exciting artists working in the UK today, and asserts the equal importance of craft alongside other creative disciplines such as painting, sculpture and couture. Chaired by House & Garden editor Talib Choudhry, the judging panel will reveal its winner on May 11.
For more information, visit www.sothebys.com/crafted
