Halima Cassell MBE FRSS

My intuitive understanding of the physical nature of the materials I use is key to my multi-faceted sculpture practice. Clay is my first love and my work has naturally evolved to include many other materials: marble, bronze, glass, concrete and wood, each offering different challenges in technique and scale.  

Every piece which I sculpt challenges my thought processes; how to integrate pattern with form, deciding on the scale of both – these practical decisions are inspired by my love of geometry, architecture and nature. I strive for my carved sculptures to speak volumes of fluency – with their playful manipulation of tapering planes, hollows and voids. Through these rhythmic contours the viewer is drawn into each piece to discover the frame and depth of each horizon. I aim for my work to be a visual feast of symmetry and natural beauty, inviting the audience to look carefully and to engage with the pieces. Every pattern is original and I love to allow the geometry and rhythm to flow through the pieces.

I want people to feel what I feel and have a connection with my art, as it's important to me how people respond and interact to the individual pieces. That sharing is what really completes the journey for me, to see how people view and interact with my art and which is what makes me want to continue sculpting all the time.

My work is held in public and private collections worldwide, as well as being acquired by many leading national and international institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Hepworth Wakefield and Birmingham Art Gallery. I have won numerous awards, including the Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2018, Hong Kong, with the bronze sculpture “Acapella” and most recently the Brookfield and Crafts Council award at Collect 2024, London, with "Mariposa Lis" in recognition of my significant contribution to the national story of contemporary Art & Craft. In 2022 I was awarded an MBE for outstanding achievement for services to the arts.

I have had various exciting and prestigious exhibitions - solo shows and taken part in many invited group shows, both nationally and internationally. A current list of exhibitions is available on my website.

New Publication:

I have recently published my book Halima Cassell 25 with the help of some Arts Council funding, which marks my twenty-five year period of carving into materials and documents my journey and development as an artist, and this can be purchased via my website.

‘Virtues of Unity’ - A ceramic installation of clay from around the world, by Halima Cassell 

This installation is about togetherness and acceptance of each other, looking at the virtues that unite us all, regardless of our cultural or religious backgrounds or the superficial differences in our appearances. It seems appropriate to me to be using the clay vessels as a metaphor for the human race as we all come from the earth and it’s this same earth that we shall all return to. The clays for this piece have been gathered from across the globe and present an exciting diversity of textures and colours reflecting the geology and climate of their places of origin. I have hand carved each piece in a soft, curvilinear style with holes which allow light to form a penetrative link from one carving through to the next. By giving these works a common stylistic thread it symbolises the fact that there is more common ground that unites us as human beings than that which divides and separates us. Each piece is titled to suggest a different virtue that associates us all with our aspirational values. 

“Virtues of Unity” began in 2009 and the installation continues to grow every year as I seek out different clays, from every accessible country in the world, enjoying the exploration of each one’s distinctive character and identity. I rely on the help of individuals - would you like to represent a country and source clay to be used in this touring Installation? If you felt able to help me acquire clay from different parts of the world. I would be most appreciative of your support. Here you will find a list of the countries included so far and the ones remaining to be claimed.

Once the project is completed, I will produce a hardback publication as well as digital usage and accessibility, which will include a section about each clay and the individual contributors and organisations who provided them. If you are able to contribute clay, this would include you. More details on the project can be found here.

Contact:

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