Artist: Sam Hall
Sam Hall, CORNWALL, UK
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Yorkshire born, Cornwall based Sam Hall reveals a strong and innovative body of work. He creates pots without practical function and uses ceramic surfaces as canvas. Of course there’s nothing new about obscuring function for form in the world of ceramic art, yet Hall seems to reach further, attacking his surfaces in a painterly and intuitive way. In many senses it defies definition, fluidly approaching the boundaries between art and craft. By defying conventions Sam’s work definitely falls into the category of the truly contemporary object.
Throughout the last ten years, form has been the consistent in Hall’s work. The discipline of throwing his cylindrical shapes is integral to his process. Within his work exists the potting heritage – these are ceramic vessels after all, yet the surface decoration dominates, built up over weeks, with often- applied slips, oxides and glazes and multiple firings. Drawing on abstract expressionism, the vessels have glazes repeatedly splashed across their surfaces and are gouged, grooved and embellished with random marks using ceramic crayons; fragments of metal are melted into the surface. Drawing and form, in short, co-exists in Hall’s work to create the subtlest of tensions.
EDUCATION
1985 / 87 Harrogate College of Art and Design, BTEC National Diploma Ceramics
1987 / 90 Loughborough College of Art and Design, BA Honours Ceramics
EXHIBITIONS/ GALLERIES
1996 / 2006
Go West, Cork Street Gallery, London Selfridges, London
Olympia Art Fair/Milne & Moller
London Art fair/ Lemon Street Gallery
P&O Ferries / Elstone Hayes Associates
Cill Railiag Project, South West Ireland
Gallery The Yard, Netherlands
Frank Steyaert Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
Ceramic Art London 2006
2007 / 2012
Danish Connection, Jutland Denmark
British Potters, Kate Chertavian Fine Arts. U.S.A.
(It’s) What’s on the outside that matters? Newport Museum & Art Gallery, Wales
Lyne Strover Gallery, Cambridge
Milne and moller20/21 London
2014
Taos Clay New Mexico U.S.A.
ArthousE1 London
2015 Lyne Strover Gallery, Cambridge
2016 Lyne Strover Gallery, Cambridge
2017 The stars they are. Berg Gallery, Stockholm
PUBLICATIONS
2011 Ceramics Art & Perception. September
2009 Contemporary Ceramics. Emmanuel Cooper
2007 Galleries Magazine. December
2007 Galleries Magazine, December
2006 Keramisch Magazine, Klei. November
2005 Ceramic Review Issue no 213, May/June
1999 World of Interiors. November