5 must-visit exhibits at the Design Centre Artefact Fair this June

Katie Jones gallery will be showcasing a selection of top Japanese applied artists, including the ceramic work of Takayuki Sakiyama. The latest series of functional yet beautiful vessels by the Shimoda city local is named "Chōtō—Listening to the Waves" and is inspired by the sensuous shapes of beach sand and the movement of water currents. The stoneware sculptures are intricately carved and finished with a unique sand glaze.

Work by London-based artist Frances Pinnockwill also be on display at the Artefact fair as part of the “Meet the Maker” program, which allows visitors to understand the processes used by scholars of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. Pinnock creates minimalist pieces using English oak bark tanned leather from the last remaining traditional oak bark tanner in the UK., J & F J Bakers, handstitched with threads of hemp and beeswax. She will be demonstrating how her artworks are made in the North Dome and within the showrooms of the Design Centre, offering visitors a unique insight into her skills and practices.

On display at the Ruup & Form gallery, this delicate floral sculpture by Annette Townsend is called “Wood Anemone” and is crafted from beeswax paraffin. Isolated within its own bubble, the sculpture is part of her “Life Support” series inspired by the daily walks she took around her local city of Cardiff during the UK’s 2020 lockdown. Townsend is both a naturalist and an artist, and her work combines artistry with science as she studies each plant in forensic detail to magnify its details, patterns and textures.

Big Reddish Line is a glassware sculpture by Copenhagen-based artist Karin Mørch, on display at the fair as part of the Vessel Gallery. Made from cast glass, her abstract works are inspired by human expressions of music, dance and words and in particular the shapes of calligraphies, graphic line and graffiti. Her sculptures emphasise the fluidity of her chosen material and create optical illusions and distortions by reflecting light in unqiue ways.

Stoneware and ceramic vessels by Mitch Pilkington, an artist from North Devon, will be on show as part of the “Form Made From” capsule show at Artefact. This exhibition is dedicated to the work of the Crafts Council Hothouse Programme, and features pieces by graduates from the 2019 program created using sustainable and repurposed materials and shapes. Pilkington’s artworks are inspired by coastal nature and forms such as old conch shells found on beaches.

Artefact: The Contemporary Art Fair will be taking place from June 22 to 29, 2021 at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. To register your attendance, head to www.dcch.co.uk/design-avenue/artefact.