Co-ordinated by the Crafts Council, the fair (until 1 March) has been at the forefront of the artisan movement for over 20 years, becoming a highlight of the design calendar. This year’s edition promises to look a little different as its newly-appointed director, TF Chan, takes the helm. More than 400 artists and designers, working across ceramics, furniture, glass, jewellery, metalwork, textiles, wood and sculpture, are taking part, with 11 individuals and collectives selected to produce new work especially for Collect Open, somersethouse.org.uk
‘Salty Fairy Rings’ by Jihyun Kim
On show as part of Collect Open, Jihyun Kim’s ceramics are inspired by the salt jars that her grandmother used to place outside her house to ward off evil spirits. In the artist’s native home of South Korea, salt jars are ritually placed near the entrance of the home as a form of protection. Kim’s interpretation of the jars transform them from simple containers into eye-catching vessels cast in bright colours and otherworldly forms.
Called ‘Salty Fairy Rings’, the series was made specifically for Collect. Kim has arranged more than a dozen of her vessels on grassy plinths centred around a circle. She hopes visitors will enter the ring and immersive themselves in the designs, transporting them to a whimsical planet. jihyunkimceramic.com
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‘Metamorphosis – Craft from Poland’
Creative Industries Institute (CII) Poland, a cultural institution, has curated an exhibition that brings together nine artists from the country, marking the first time the institution has shown at Collect. Pieces have been selected for their exploration of materiality and feature unusual combinations such as paper and metal.
Marcin Rusak for example, is showing ‘Flora Lamp II’ (pictured above), a handmade table light crafted from a tinted, translucent resin and reclaimed flowers. The matte surface of the resin gives the light a soft glow while illuminating the organic irregularity of its botanical insides. expo.gov.pl
Max Radford Gallery
Over at Max Radford Gallery’s room, its roster of emerging artists and designers come together in a celebration of UK-based practices, with a strong focus on material experimentation. Featured names include Lewis Kemmenoe, Georgia Merritt, Freddy Tuppen, EJR Barnes, Tessa Silva, Samuel Collins, Barnaby Lewis, Eddie Olin, Tom Bull, Flora Lechner and Carsten in der Elst.
A highlight is work by EJR Barnes that offer a glimpse into an entirely new body of work by the London based, self-taught maker. Frosted UV-bonded glass, sandcast aluminium and pear wood are paired with lacquer and silk-wool in a three-piece collection comprising an armchair, a large table and an occasional table, demonstrating Barnes’ nuanced approach to texture and tactility. maxradfordgallery.com
Gallery Fumi
Gallery Fumi has taken over a room on the ground floor of the West Wing with a solo presentation by Ghanaian artist Kobina Adusah. His large-scale pieces – some of which are positioned like totems on the floor while others are on pedestals – are all sculpted from terracotta-coloured clay, a material the artist sees as layered with narratives.
Each work, including ‘The Thermopotes’ (pictured) is inscribed with patterns Adusah has made by hand, giving them a decorative, almost sacred finish. This process, combined with Adusah’s complex understanding of the material, result in deeply personal works rich in history. galleryfumi.com
Collector’s Lounge by Tola Ojuolape
Alongside the gallery stands, there is Collectors’ Lounge, sponsored by SketchUp, which has been reimagined by Tola Ojuolape in colour-of-the-moment celadon as a restful place to gather around the central banquette and peruse the constellation of artworks.
‘Part work area, part experiential installation, it will be an inviting, flexible space where craft, materiality and curiosity sit side by side. I wanted it to feel like a place people naturally gravitate towards: tactile, storied and quietly expressive,’ explains Ojuolape. ‘We thought of it as a living archive or lab, where artworks, craft objects and material samples coexist. It reflects the idea of a collection: a combination of different elements brought together through intention and care. tolaojuolape.com
