10 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this April
Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, Ai Weiwei, 2014. © Image courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio
Ai Weiwei: Making Sense
Ai Weiwei is back with a major show at London’s Design Museum, this time focusing – appropriately enough – on design, as the artist turns his gaze to Chinese artefacts. Displaying never-before-seen objects from his personal collection alongside his own works, Weiwei opens up debates about how we value craft skills and about histories that have been forgotten or wilfully erased.
7 April – 30 July at The Design Museum, London
Swords into Ploughshares: Knives into Jewels
In a bid to re-shape public discourse around Britain’s problem with knife crime, 35 international jewellery and metal artists have transformed knives handed over to UK police into pieces of wearable art; the results are surprising and striking in equal measure.
Until 13 May at MAKE Southwest, Devon
At Home in the Wild
Lichen-filled nests appear among other woven vessels in this solo exhibition by revered basketmaker Joe Hogan. Hogan’s practice is embedded in nature: since 1978, he’s lived in West Ireland’s bucolic Loch na Fooey, where he grows his own willow and harvests materials like bark, larch and bog myrtle twigs to weave his works.
Until 29 April at The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender
London's William Morris Gallery is hosting the first major survey of high-glamour fashion designer Ashish Gupta. Presenting more than 60 of his pieces, the exhibition explores how he established his joyful aesthetic, his engagement with political issues, and why handicraft is essential to making his sequin-adorned garments.
A Quiet Fire
Celebrated for her hand-stitched silk collages, Malawian artist – and Crafts cover star – Billie Zangewa is now having her first solo show in the UK. The exhibition at Brighton’s Centre for Contemporary Art features works Zangewa has created over the past decade, as well as a new panoramic piece, which intimately explore her experience as a Black woman in South Africa.
Until 13 May at Brighton CCA, Brighton
Kaffe Fassett: The Power of Pattern
After kicking off at London’s Fashion and Textiles Museum, this touring exhibition about prolific textile designer Kaffe Fassett has now landed at Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios. The exhibition delves deep into his multifaceted creative practice, and spotlights international makers inspired by his maximalist aesthetic.
Until 8 July at Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh
Making:50 by Textile Study Group
Originally established in 1973 to offer support to embroidery tutors, the Textile Study Group has evolved into a collective of the UK’s most esteemed artists and educators. Now, to celebrate half-a-century since its founding, the group is launching a touring exhibition of fabric works created by its core 25 members – fittingly, all the pieces will in some way incorporate the number 50.
Until 5 August at the Peebles Library, Museum and Gallery, Peeblesshire
A woven frame by Will Cruickshank. Photo: courtesy of Exeter Phoenix
Three Moons
Since 2015, artist Will Cruickshank has been experimenting with unorthodox production methods – creating sculptures on self-built machines powered by cement mixers, potters’ wheels and other salvaged items. The results of these trials can be seen in his textile-focused exhibition at Exeter Phoenix: a series of geometric works bound in rainbow-coloured yarn.
Until 16 April at Exeter Phoenix, Exeter
Where The Bodies Are Buried
A recurring anxiety dream was the main inspiration behind ceramicist Lindsey Mendick’s new installation at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Weston Gallery. Mendick has sculpted a dilapidated house in which clay limbs sprout up through the floor, suggestive of suppressed secrets. This is a personal yet darkly comic show that shouldn’t be missed.
6 April – 3 September at the Weston Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton
Belonging to Us
Women hailing from Pakistan, Venezuela, Kurdistan and beyond are members of Shelanu, a collective that – with the help of Craftspace – teaches artisanal skills to female migrants and refugees. For its 10th birthday, Shelanu has pulled together an exhibition celebrating the impressive work that has emerged from their programmes.
Until 28 April at the Vittoria Street Gallery, Birmingham City University
