CLAIRE CURNEEN

Fel un o artistiaid serameg mwyaf blaenllaw’r DU, mae Claire Curneen yn ein tynnu i fyd o naratif, lle mae’r tensiwn rhwng y real a’r dychmygol yn cael ei chwarae o’n blaenau. Mae cerfluniau Curneen yn fyfyrdodau ar natur dynoliaeth a’n lle ansicr ynddo. Mae themâu cyffredinol colled, dioddefaint ac aberth yn sail i’w ffigurau porslen cymhleth, gyda’u rhinweddau tryloyw a bregus yn cynnig trosiadau pwerus i ystyried y cyflwr dynol drwyddynt. Mae’r ffigurau hyn yn dwyn naratifau beiddgar o brofiadau dynol ac yn archwilio themâu ynghylch marwolaeth, aileni a’r godidog, sydd ill dau yn gynnil ac yn ddramatig
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As one of the UK's foremost ceramic artists Claire Curneen draws us into a world of narrative, where the tension between the real and the imagined is played out before us. Curneen’s sculptures are poignant reflections on the nature of humanity and our precarious place within it. Universal themes of loss, suffering and sacrifice underlie her intricate, porcelain figures, their translucent and fragile qualities offering potent metaphors through which to consider the human condition. These figures bear bold narratives of human experiences and explore themes around death, rebirth and the sublime, which are both subtle and dramatic

Born1968, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland
1986-1990 Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Diploma in Art & Design 1990-1991 University of Ulster, Belfast, Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Arts 1991-1992 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, MA Ceramics Working in Cardiff
Claire Curneen’s sculptures are poignant reflections on the nature of humanity and our precarious place within it. Universal themes of loss, suffering and sacrifice underlie her intricate, porcelain figures, their translucent and fragile qualities offering potent metaphors through which to consider the human condition. Her ceramic figures have an imposing presence which tap into our desires, fears and mysteries. They are highly visceral, referencing Catholic imagery from the early Italian Renaissance. Porcelain, terracotta, and black stoneware create an exquisite textural finish to these works, with dribbles of glaze and flashes of gold to accentuate their rich qualities.
These figures bear bold narratives of human experiences and explore themes around death, rebirth and the sublime. “Curneen’s work offers us a precious liminal space of contemplation, like an altar or an icon but crucially, if there is devotion here, it is to humanity and creativity.” Teleri Lloyd Jones for the exhibition catalogue ‘to this I put my name’
Solo Exhibitions
2024 A Creature Made of Clay, James Freeman Gallery, London 2022 Through Living Roots, Anima Mundi, St. Ives, Cornwall 2015 To This I Put My Name, Kunstforum Solothurn, Switzerland 2014 To This I Put My Name, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales & tour 2013 Claire Curneen, La ferme de la Chapelle, Switzerland 2011 New Work, Claire Curneen, Beaux Arts, Bath 2008 Succour, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales & tour 2007 Secondary Relics, Black Swan Arts, Frome, Somerset 2004 Claire Curneen, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales & tour 1997 New Work, Claire Curneen, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales & tour
Public Collections
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales Cleveland Craft Centre, Middlesbrough Crafts Council, London Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough National Museum & Gallery of Wales, Cardiff National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh Oldham Art Gallery and Museum, Manchester Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead The Atkinson, Southport The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland Victoria and Albert Museum, London York City Art Gallery, York Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Eire Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick, Eire Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, USA Clay Studio, Philadelphia, USA Kennedy Museum of Art, Athens, Ohio, USA Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Icheon World Ceramic Centre, Gyeonggi-do, Korea Taipei Ceramics Museum, Taiwan
It's what we inhabit, they are our bodies, it's what we know so the body is key for me to make a point or express an idea. - Claire Curneen

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