Phoebe Collings-James: a rose, a bridge, a house

This Spring, the artist Phoebe Collings-James (b.1987) will bring new sculpture and ceramic work to Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, the first time these works will be shown in the UK.

Phoebe Collings-James: a rose, a bridge, a house will feature over 17 works, including clay paintings, armour and sculpture, mostly human-scale, that will fill the main galleries and Breakfast Room of renowned architect Sir John Soane’s former home.

The Jamaican British artist’s work includes shifts in tone and finish, featuring a rich array of markings and textures, and draws on notions of language, feelings and violence. They have been exhibited around the world, from Berlin to New York.

The works are influenced by cuneiform tablets and Ashanti folklore, as well as multi-disciplinary practices including the artist’s extensive work with sound design.

New sculptures from the ongoing series Infidels (2023) will be on display which use Caribbean coiling techniques. They feature elongated forms and open mouths suggesting a human or animal-like act of screaming, expressing joy, resistance or expulsion. The works continue Collings-James’s investigation of the concept of the infidel as representing the figure of the outsider.

Mouthpiece for Terry I and II (2025) include brass mouthpieces for wind instruments set in unfired red clay blocks, paying tribute to multidisciplinary American artist and musician Terry Adkins (1953–2014), who would frequently incorporate elements of music or musical instruments into his artworks.

Work from the series Clay Paintings (2025–) will also be displayed. Small square works that appear dream-like and fragmented show the artist’s exploration of clay as a living material in which form and texture can be manipulated and changed.

A work from the Armour series (The subtle rules the dense, 2023) — a chestplate — will be displayed in the Manor on a pedestal. Incorporating both fragility and strength, the chestplate is a mix of inspiration from West African body masks as well as Roman soldiers, a connection to Italy where Collings-James first discovered the power and beauty of ceramics during an artistic residency in 2014.

These works and many more will give visitors the opportunity to see the work of one of the most exciting young artists working with ceramics today. The interiors of Sir John Soane’s former home will once again be filled with ceramics, but unlike the vases and vessels that would have been found on display there during the 19th century, these new works showcase a new radical approach in the context of a space dedicated to innovation and design.