Ceramic art showcased at Brighton’s Artists Open Houses Festival 2017 6th May to 28th May

There will be a focus on ceramics and ceramic art at the 2017 The Artists Open Houses festival, which sees artists, makers and designers across Brighton opening their doors and studios to sell their work direct to the public. The festival will take place in Brighton, Hove and beyond over four weekends of May, from Saturday 6th May to 28th May.

One of the highlights of the 2017 festival will be The Ceramic House’s Made in Korea – an exhibition at of work from Korean ceramicists curated by ceramist Kay Aplin (The Ceramic House www.theceramichouse.co.uk), part of the UK-Korea Cultural Season 2017-18, supported by the British Council. Accompanying it will be an investigation into collaborative sound art and ceramic practice with sound artist Joseph Young (www.artofnoises.com).

Following an Arts Council funded research trip to Korea in 2016, Aplin has selected work from Korean ceramicists, to be exhibited initially at The Ceramic House in May, as part of Artists Open Houses during the Brighton Festival period, and then transferring to leading Mayfair gallery, Sladmore Contemporary in July. Two invited Korean ceramists will undertake a residency at The Ceramic House and the work will be exhibited at British Ceramics Biennial (BCB), Stoke-on-Trent, opening in September.
Three Korean and three UK sound artists will engage in a sonic dialogue curated by sound artist Joseph Young. The sound works will reference ceramic manufacturing processes in the UK and Korea and feature on a specially designed, geo-locative audio app, with the sounds discoverable via GPS at iconic locations in Stoke-on-Trent and Seoul.
Featured artists include Kay Aplin Over 22 years of practice, Aplin has undertaken numerous commissions creating site-specific work for the public realm and exhibiting her large-scale ceramic installations nationally and internationally. Solo exhibitions include European Ceramic Context, Denmark and In A Shetland Landscape, Shetland Museum and Archives.
Myung Nam An (BA Ceramics, Camberwell), London-based is gaining global recognition for her wall-based sculpture. Solo shows in Hong Kong.
Jin Eui Kim (PhD Ceramics, Cardiff), Cardiff-based. Illusory thrown work won numerous awards. Work in permanent collections including National Museum of Wales.

Made in Korea can be explored at Kay’s home The Ceramic House, a continually evolving personal project transformed into a work of art and showcase of her ceramic creations. A favourite of the Artists Open Houses Festival, The Ceramic House, can be found at 75 Stanmer Villas, Brighton, BN1 7HN

Internationally acclaimed ceramist and printmaker Carolyn Genders will open her working studio to the Artists Open Houses Festival for the first time this year, to showcase her beautiful sculptural ceramic vessels. The essence of Carolyn’s ceramic work is the relationship of form, brushstroke and colour, creating movement and depth. Drawing, both on sculptural forms and on paper, allows the investigation of line, plan and colour, which is the foundation of Carolyn’s practise. Carolyn was awarded a Selected Maker Award by Craft and Design Magazine in 2016 and has exhibited all over the world, including the International Ceramics Biennial (2015). Carolyn’s workshop, Arthouse37, can be found at 37 Chailey Avenue Rottingdean BN2 7GH.

Along with other festival favourites Atelier and Aymer Arts, this year many new artists houses and studios will be taking part, giving everyone a chance to discover something new.

The largest event of its kind in the UK, around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city open their doors to exhibit the work of over 1,500 artists and makers. Last year over 200,000 people visited the festival.

Artists Open Houses offers the chance to buy a hugely diverse range of artworks directly from the artists and makers themselves. The houses are grouped into one of 14 trails around different areas of the city, each with its own unique character and atmosphere – from the fishermen’s houses of Hanover to the urban warehouse spaces of the North Laine and cottages of the South Downs village of Ditchling.

Entry to the Artists Open Houses festival is free to the public.

Ceramics highlights for 2017 include:

⦁ Kay Aplin – The Ceramic House (Fiveways Trail)
A festival favourite, The Ceramic House is a must-see for ceramic lovers. It is the extraordinary home and living artwork of ceramic artist Kay Aplin. Made in Korea is this year’s theme and Kay’s most ambitious exhibition to date. Following a research trip to Korea in 2016, Kay has selected a group of leading Korean ceramists to contribute to this project which evolves throughout 2017 in Brighton, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Seoul.
75 Stanmer Villas, Brighton, BN1 7HN

⦁ Arthouse37
Internationally acclaimed ceramist and printmaker Carolyn Genders is opening her working studio to view sculptural ceramic vessels and vinyl prints. Genders uses traditional coiling methods to create dynamic ceramic forms of luminous colour. Inspirational related vinyl prints will be displayed.
37 Chailey Avenue Rottingdean BN2 7GH

⦁ Aymer Arts
Aymer Arts returns this year with a wonderfully diverse range of artists and makers, showcasing some fantastic new work at affordable prices. Contemporary ceramics from Ken Eardley, vintage ceramics from Mike Moran, hand-thrown ceramics from Simon Mathews, Holly Bell and Rarebit Design. The garden will also be open, housing a new cabin room and fantastic metal, mosaic and glasswork.
1 Aymer Road Hove BN3 4GB

⦁ The Ceramic Gardener & Friends
This year the popular Ceramic Gardener welcomes two new artists to compliment this inspiring house. Alan Williams will be showing his amazing recycled metal sculptured animals and Alice Steward will be revealing her very first collection. Also exhibiting is Francis Dougherty’s colourful ceramic sculpture which takes inspiration from flowers and plants in gardens, fields and even cracks in the pavement. Plus, acrylic paintings from Jane Denman, silver jewellery from Charlie High.
31 Havelock Road Brighton BN1 6GL

⦁ South Heighton Pottery
With its beautiful Spring garden, delicious food and pots, paintings and sculpture of the highest quality, South Heighton Pottery makes a great festival destination. Artists include; Chris Lewis Ceramics, sculpture and painting, Gabrielle Moore small abstract oil paintings, Jane Robbins paper collage prints and Rachael Akester hobby horses.
Heighton Road, South Heighton, Newhaven. BN9 0HL

⦁ Atelier51
Atelier 51 welcomes visitors to its studios and gallery in a newly renovated Victorian warehouse behind London Road (opposite the entrance to St Bartholomew’s Church). Ceramicist Elaine Bolt, an Associate member of the Craft Potters Association is currently working on the Arts Council funded collaborative project Making Ground, and her work includes hand-built framed objects and thrown vessels in porcelain, terracotta, local clays and mixed-media. Silvia K Ceramics, an award-winning business with commissions for interior designers in the UK and worldwide, produces contemporary interpretations of old artefacts. Working with a terracotta clay and palettes of complementary colours, Silvia’s work shows an aesthetic sensibility and reflects her interests. Kim Bagley and Jessica Thorn can all be found at this studio, alongside a host of other artists.
ATELIER 51, 51 Providence Place, Brighton BN1 4GE

Full listings can be found at www.aoh.org.uk
For media information or images please contact:
Pandora George, Andrea Freeman or Sam Leimanis at Bullet PR
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

01273 775520 (office)

-Notes to Editor-

About Artist Open Houses
Brighton and Hove Artist Open Houses, the originator of the Open House movement, date back to 1981 when an artist from the Fiveways area of Brighton, Ned Hoskins opened his house to the public to view his work, and that of a group of friends. Other artists in the area followed suit to form the Fiveways Artist Group. In a city full of creatives, the idea proved popular and soon Artist Open Houses sprung up all over the city.

The Artist Open House festival is now the largest event of its kind in the UK. Around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city will be opening their doors to exhibit the work of over 1,500 artists and makers.