While craft is often associated with dexterity, skill and practicality, modern artists are also using traditional methods such as ceramics, woodwork and textiles to raise awareness of social issues in an almost therapeutic expression of emotion and reaction to life events. At this year’s Collect craft fair in London, 40 galleries from 30 different countries are exhibiting work from over 400 artists, and some of the standout works were inspired by these personal stories and historic social events. Fibre artist Manya Goldman’s work is informed by her experience as a refugee from the apartheid regime in South Africa. Artist SaeRi Seo’s is inspired by Korean moon jars and the way that women weren’t traditionally allowed to create these culturally significant vessels. On a more personal level, wood artist Darren Appiagyei is exhibiting intricate carved pieces which address his mother’s chronic problems with fibroids, and ceramicist Jemma Gowland uses her work to look at the restrictions that society typically places on women. This year’s Brookfield Properties Craft Award Prize has been won by Ebony Russell, an Australian ceramicist whose ‘piped’ porcelain pieces reference cake decorating techniques and which, she says, represent “a commitment to celebrating feminized and matrilineal craft traditions”.
Collect 2025 runs from 28 February-2 March at Somerset House in London
