Halima Cassell

Bronzes:


Clay:



the artist Born in 1975 in Pakistan, brought up in Manchester and now living in Blackburn, Lancashire, Halima’s varied, multi-cultural background is tangibly present in her work. A natural creativity presented itself at an early age and was nurtured to fruition as Halima carved her way through an art-based education: an undergraduate degree in 1997 and an MA in 2002. The culmination of this process is Halima’s precociously mature work. Fusing her Asian cultural roots with a fascination for African pattern work and a passion for architectural geometry, Halima’s work is intense yet playful, structured yet creative; substantial yet dynamic and invariably compelling in its originality. the work Combining strong geometric elements with recurrent patterns and architectural principles, Halima’s work utilises definite lines and dramatic angles in an attempt to manifest the universal language of number and create an unsettling sense of movement. To achieve these effects she uses heavily grogged clay that allows her to work on a large scale and utilise relatively thick surfaces to carve to the desired depth. Halima concentrates on simple forms as the basis of her work in order to maximise the impact of the complex surface patterns in combination with heavily contrasting contours. This approach provides her with the tools to create the compelling drama and playful dynamism that characterises her work. the statement I create a mood and feeling of dynamic tension in my work by playfully manipulating the planes and facets of the patterns against each other. The stresses that this creates help me to achieve the maximum impact within the overall design and also to push the boundaries of the material to its limits. When creating a piece, the most exciting moment for me is when my flat designs become dramatically transformed when charted over a structure and then taken to another level by heavily carving into it. The hue of the clay body is crucial because I rarely use glazes, instead I rely on the clay body itself, either stoneware or earthenware, to provide colour in my work. I also rely on the piece itself to dramatise the tones and textures through the effects of light and shadow. In my early work I was exploring the boundaries of my new found ‘modus operandi,’ which was infused with Islamic influences drawn from heavily carved architecture. This led me to look to other examples of intricately carved and constructed buildings from all around the world. In addition, I was inspired by the repetitive motifs and patterns derived from African surface design. Delving deeper into these architectural influences I discovered that I was intrigued by the internal space and the construction, which were articulated together on the external surface envelope. Subsequently, my work was influenced by a new emphasis on the balance between masculine and feminine forms whilst working with the same elements of design and process. More recently I have become interested in cutting more aggressively in to the original form, sometimes to the point where the form begins to distort and becomes no longer recognisable as a geometric volume.
education 2003 PDQ – Technology for Designer Makers. Manchester City College 2002 MA – Design. University of Central Lancashire, 1997 BA (hons) – 3D Design. U.C.L recent exhibitions 2010 Jan - Feb Arram', Turnpike Gallery, Civic Centre, Leigh, Duo Show Mar - Apr Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, Solo Show Apr - July Earth : Atmosphere, Bilston Craft Gallery, Wolverhampton, Duo Show June - Aug Cartwright Hall, Bradford, Solo Show (DMM) Nov - Jan Beaux Arts, Bath, Solo Show Dec - Jan Tel Hai, Anual Ceramic Symposium, Israel 2009 Feb Craft Study Centre, Surrey, Solo Show March - April Puls Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Invited Guest April - May Ceramics from Great Britain, Bavarian Crafts Council, Munich, Selected Show June - July The Margaret Harvey Gallery The University of Hertfordshire, St Albans, Solo Show June Arram, Mid Penine Arts, Burnley July Arabic Arts Festival, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Invited Guest Sept - Oct Parcours Ceramique Carougeois 2009 Biennial, Genève, Switzerland Oct - Dec BCB Awards ONE OFF Category Short List, Stoke on Trent Dec - Dec Tel Hai, Annual Ceramics Symposium, Isreal 2008 Nov - Dec Beaux Arts Bath (solo) June Wakefield Art Gallery, Wakefield, New Acquisitions. June 20-21 Visual Arts Centre. Scunthorpe, Touring Solo show. June Beaux Arts, Bath, Summer Show March Platform Gallery, showcasing new ‘Marquette’ for 6 Sculpture in Nature Reserve. Feb – March Art Mill, Hebden Bridge, Solo show January ‘Collect’ V & A, London, Invited 2007 March – Aug Gallery Oldham, Oldham, Solo Show April World Contemporary Ceramics, 4th Biennale South Korea, Invited Guest Aug Yufuku Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, Invited Guest Sept – Nov Wakefield Art Gallery, Wakefield, Solo Show Nov – Dec Gallery Pangolin, Chalford, Stroud, Selected Show Nov Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London, Selected Show Nov - Jan Newport Museum & Art Gallery, ‘Out or the Ordinary, Newport, selected show previous exhibitions (selected) ‘ Sofa’, Chicago, USA, Selected Show Earth & Fire, Rufford, Nottingham. 2004, 5, 6 & 7 Invited Guest. Applied Art and Architecture, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, Invited Guest. Japan, Residency in Fuki followed by show in Japan Gallery Pangolin, Chalford, Stroud, Abstract Bronze by Female Artist, Selected Show Maths & Ceramic, St. Joseph Galerie, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, S Show. Art & Islam, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, selected show. Mid Pennine Gallery, Burnley, Solo show Open Studio, Allanbank Mill Steading, Berwickshire, Scotland, Invited Gues R H S, ‘Ribblesdale Stand’, Tatton Park Patterns of Identity, Bilston Craft Gallery, Wolverhamton Summer Exhibition 2006, Royal Academy of Art Warrington Art Gallery & museum, Solo show (T E). Platform Gallery, Cllitheroe, Solo show (T E) Ceramic Art London, The Royal College of Art, London. Collect, V&A, London, Selected Show Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, Selected Show The Hub. Lincolnshire, Solo show (T E). Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales. Biscuit Factory, Newcastle, Solo show, (T E). Beverley Art Gallery, Yorkshire, Solo show (T E). London Interiors with idFX, Earls Court, London, Selected Show. Bolton Museum and Gallery, Bolton, Solo show (Touring Exhibition). The Discerning Eye. Mall Galleries, London Formally invited by Peter Randall-Page. Maiden Bridge. Lancaster, Collaborative show with renowned artist Monica Young. Old Town Hall. Ornskoldsvik Art Museum, Sweden Selected Show. Blackburn Museum. Blackburn. Solo show. Placa de l’Angel. Barcelona, Selected Show. projects 2007 A I M, Art Project at Rampton Secure Hospital, Permanent Installation. Residency in Japan 11 weeks public collections: Bolton, Shipley, Harris,Oldham, Blackburn and Dundee Museum & Art Gallery Jerwood Trust x 4 pieces, Peter Scott Gallery Trust & Toe Gallery, Mumbai, India. Two pieces currently under construction which are being commissioned by Wakefield Museum & Art Gallery for the New ‘Hepworth Wakefield Museum’ reviews & features: Nukta (Pakistan) Magazine, Taiwan Contemporary Magazine, Encyclopaedia of Ceramic Artist, Clay in Art International, International Gallerie (A Journey of Ideas), Ceramic Review, idFX Magazine for Interiors (x3). Decibel publication, Big Issue, Regional press coverage, Asian Network Radio and BBC Radio Lancashire. public art/Instalations: Nottingham, Clitheroe, Liverpool and Blackburn.