I am a big fan of
Barnaby Barford. I love the contrast between the tradition figurines and the complex and very modern social and political messages his work conveys.
My favourites include the series 'The Good, The Bad, and The Belle', 2009. As his website states: 'This focused series of pieces explores ideas of lost youth in today's society. The work looks at eating habits, violence, education, gang culture and perceptions of childhood. The original figurines used are chocolate box images of childhood where even a street urchin is depicted as a romantic notion. The process of updating these figures plays as much of an important role in the work as the completed pieces'
Genius.
I recently came across the artist Remed after seeing his work in Tristan Manco's 'Street Sketchbooks', a brilliant book which shows the working sketchbooks of grafitti and street artists from across the globe. I love Remed's quirky characters and use of typography, as well as the subtle references to other artists (glimpes of Matisse here and there). I will be using him as inspiration for a Street Art animation project.
Here is another one of my favourite ceramicists! Vivienne Foley creates the most gorgeous, evocative forms. I love the way her peices interact with each other, they often look like snapshots, and often seem to exude real human emotion. She creates her work using traditional throwing and turning methods, which is always a challenge when working in porcelain, and he refined shapes and forms she achieves are testiment to her skill.
I am a big fan of Barnaby Barford. I love the contrast between the tradition figurines and the complex and very modern social and political messages his work conveys.
