The first UK public exhibition of the work of acclaimed illustrator and ceramicist Laura Carlin will explore the narrative possibilities of ceramics, with Carlin detailing the journey from her first drawing to realising an idea in clay.
It consists of five large-scale installations exploring the illustrative possibilities of archetypal ceramic forms such as the vessel, the tile, the object, the plate and will include a floor to ceiling 760-tile mural exploring the history of London, combining a sequential, comics-like format, typically associated with ephemeral zines and newspapers, with the more permanent solid form of the ceramic tile. There will be an installation of 20 illustrated plates, leading to a ceramic Noah’s ark complete with animals, a theatrical installation with ceramic figurines and a large vessel.
Ceramics have been used as storytelling vehicles for generations, notably by the ancient Greeks, who developed a distinctive artistic style to show military, religious and sporting themes, as well as mythical stories. Laura’s work will explore the ideas of ephemerality and intransience, and will demonstrate the possibilities of this medium as an illustrative tool today, inviting people to engage with and challenge their own views of what constitutes illustration.
Voted one of the 50 most influential creatives under 30 by the Art Director’s Club of America, Laura Carlin has illustrated many children’s books and a weekly column in the Financial Times as well as being a regular contributor to Condé Nast Traveller, The New York Times, The Guardian and The New Statesman. In 2010 she won a V&A Award for her illustrations of The Iron Man by Ted Hughes.
Date: 13 Oct 2016 to 11 Jan 2017, 10:00am – 6:00pm
Venue: The House of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross London N1C 4BH
Information and full details are on The House of Illustration website: www.houseofillustration.org.uk
