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