Alloy - Contemporary Craft Exhibition Showcases Innovative Works at Alsolike Gallery London Journal

Alsolike Gallery is proud to announce the opening of the Alloy – Contemporary Craft Exhibition, a unique showcase of innovative works in metal, jewellery, and textiles by emerging artists from two world-renowned institutions: the Royal College of Art (RCA) and the Glasgow School of Art (GSA).

Alloy is an exhibition showcasing innovative works within the discipline of contemporary metal, jewellery and textiles by emerging artists who graduated from two world-leading institutions, the RCA and GSA. It explores the interplay of dialogue through material and proposes alternative approaches in contemporary craft-making.

Alloy showcases the individual and collective works of emerging artists who are reimagining, challenging, and expanding the notion of craft-making through innovative approaches. These contemporary craft-makers explore hybrid concepts and cross-cultural intersections using various means of expression. This thoughtfully curated collection amplifies the relevance of symbiotic relationships between the poetic and the linguistic, realism and surrealism, fluidity and statics, trauma and intimacy, and the cross-fertilisation of cultures through objects, jewellery, and textiles. Collaborations between artists bridge the gap between disciplines, sharing skills and techniques to create cohesive artworks. Alloy is evidence of the interplay of dialogue through material and proposes alternative approaches in contemporary craft-making.

“The RCA’s Jewellery and Metal Programme encourages students to push beyond the histories, traditions and conventions of our discipline towards meaningful outcomes that resonate within today’s challenging and complex world. The broad mix of cultures, experiences and outlooks represented by the JaM community is an essential element, contributing to the acquisition of knowledge during MA study and the forming of lifelong bonds, a phenomenon well captured in the exhibition’s title, ‘Alloy’. We are delighted with the opportunity offered to this group of JaM graduates to share their practice developments in the context of Alsolike’s professional gallery setting.”

— Rebecca de Quin, Tutor, MA Jewellery and Metal at the Royal College of Art

“The Glasgow School of Art’s silversmithing and jewellery department celebrates its community of shared practice. This spans undergraduate study through to PHD as well as the artists in residence.

Each year we invite around 6 practicing makers to join the GSA community as artists in residence, to share and contribute to this community.

The exhibition titled “Alloy” explores the artist in residence’s shared approach to thinking and making. It showcases how their combined practice generates new and exciting work both collectively but also as individuals.”

— Anna Gordon, Head of Department and Programme Leader, BA (hons) Silversmithing and Jewellery Design at the Glasgow School of Art

Thus, Alloy will present a dialogue space created by the artist groups from two of the UK’s top art institutions. Alloy not only refers to the dynamic relationships presented through the interaction of mixed materials and experimental expressions in the artworks but also symbolises the deep exploration of cross-cultural intersections and integration concepts. This exhibition aims to showcase the diversity of methods and innovative developments in craft media from an international perspective, exploring the multifaceted differences and harmonious resonances of craft culture in a contemporary context.

Artists：

Alice Biolo, Amy Findlay, Anita Sarkezi, Caius Bearder, Chongshan Feng, Danning Xie, Dianrui Fu, Dixin Zheng, Huimin Zhang, Kexin (Kristy) Wen, Lucy Johnson, Machi de Waard, Meishuo Liu, Morvarid Alavifard, Niamh Wright, Qianyu Liu, Ruiyi (Rachel) Wang, Shum Lin Yin, Xiaoqing Rong, Xiaoyu Li (Sho-Woo Lee), Xiaoxiao Zheng, Xuan Xu, Yating Xie, Yike Duan, Yirui Deng, Yitong Zhang, Yizhuo Xue, Yujia Zhang, Yuqian Ma, Youyang Zhao, Yutong Liu.