Beneath the Surface: Material and Meaning

To celebrate 25 years of supporting British craft and design, Design-Nation, the leading membership portfolio for contemporary craft and design in the UK, presents 'Beneath the Surface: Material and Meaning', a new exhibition exploring memory, material, and meaning.

'Beneath the Surface' brings together selected works by 26 leading UK artists and makers selected from Design-Nation’s portfolio of members. Their diverse practices span ceramics, textiles, glass, wood, metal and more, offering a rich cross-section of contemporary craft.

Each artist explores personal and shared narratives of identity, memory, migration, transformation and resilience. The artworks encourage us to slow down and look closer, revealing vulnerability beneath their surface and uncovering deeper stories through material, technique and process. Rooted in lived experience and shaped by sustainable practice, these objects offer quiet yet profound reflections on the unseen forces that shape our lives.

Ceramic artists include: Adele Howitt, Belgin Bozsahin, Cosmin Ciofirdel, Debbie Barber, Elaine Lim Newton, Jemma Gowland, Julie Massie, Kim Colebrook, Mary Johnson, Rosa Wiland Holmes, Steinunn Bjarnadottir, Valerie Bernardini.

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