Felicity Aylieff – Expressions in Blue

FELICITY AYLIEFF EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE Th e We s t o n G a l l e r y, Yo r k s h i re S c u l p t u re Pa r k 5 April – 14 September 2025

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FELICITY AYLIEFF EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE Th e We s t o n G a l l e r y, Yo r k s h i re S c u l p t u re Pa r k , H u d d e r s f i e l d Ro a d , H a i g h , S 7 5 4 B X 5 April – 14 September 2025

Expressions in Blue presents monumental sculptural works made in porcelain by Felicity Aylieff. The ceramic vessels are hand-thrown and painted in tones of rich cobalt blue. Bold brushstrokes bring movement and dynamism to their surfaces. This energy connects the works to the life force and patterns of the natural world.

Making ceramic works on this scale is rare. Aylieff’s journey began when she visited Jingdezhen in China, a city famous for its high-quality porcelain production. For the past twenty years, she has spent time living and working there, developing close working bonds with craftspeople whose knowledge and skills have passed down through generations.

This ongoing collaboration has allowed Aylieff to realise her ambitions and push the limits of her practice in the material.

Painting the vessels is a spontaneous act, almost like a performance, that engages Aylieff’s whole body. When applied the cobalt oxides appear grey, but when fired in the kiln they transform into deep, vibrant blues. The artist uses cobalt not only for the intense colour, but also for its significance in the history of Chinese ceramics. Using the classic blue and white of Chinese porcelain, she combines old and new, a reinterpretation she describes as ‘new Ming’. The forms she makes also range from traditional vase or jar-like shapes to contemporary organic and undulating stacks.

Alongside the works of art in the gallery and outdoors, you can see photographs and a film that show the process of their making. Also on display are Aylieff’s mark-making tools, including giant horsehair brushes used to create flicks and splashes.

Teaching has played an important role throughout Aylieff’s career, and she is currently a Professor at the Royal College of Art, where she has taught since 2001.

The exhibition was first shown in expanded form at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All works of art are for sale through Adrian Sassoon, London contact the gallery for further information at email@adriansassoon.com

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PAINTING Aylieff likens the surface of her vessels to expansive canvases for her artistic expression.

The large blue and white vessels are painted in a single spontaneous, almost performative event. The finished work is an innate response to the form in front of her and the creative charge she wishes to express. Aylieff works at pace and with purpose. A misstep could derail the whole artistic outcome.

Whilst in China, Aylieff has made, collected and acquired an expansive range of brushes which she uses to create her repertoire of marks, as unique to her as handwriting. She uses giant brushes with lengths of horsehair over 30cm long, to whip around the vessel, creating energetic flicks and splashes. Broad brushes, with short bristles leave graceful, wide, arched markings, while her self-made bundles of twine create fine, corkscrew lines, which lend a shimmering, frenetic energy to the vase when applied densely across its surface.

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Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 151cm (59 1/2”) Diameter 91cm (35 7/8”) £ 40,000 12

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Blue: Continuum, Undulating Form, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 292cm (115”) Diameter 112cm (44 1/8”) £ 80,000 14

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Blue: Oil Jar, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 106cm (41 3/4”) Diameter 97cm (38 1/4”) £ 35,000 16

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Blue: Triple Form, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 252cm (99 1/4”) Diameter 101cm (39 3/4”) £ 80,000

Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, Undulating Form I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 308.5cm (121 1/2”) Diameter 112cm (44 1/8”) £ 90,000 20

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Blue: Lantern I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 197cm (77 1/2”) Diameter 95cm (37 3/8”) £ 50,000 23

Blue and White Vase, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 43.5cm (17 1/8”) Diameter 43.5cm (17 1/8”) £ 9,000 24

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LEFT Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 39cm (15 3/8”) Diameter 32cm (12 5/8”) £ 9,000

RIGHT Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 43.5cm (17 1/8”) Diameter 38cm (15”) £ 9,000 26

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Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide

Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide

Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide

Height 47.5cm (18 3/4”)

Height 48cm (18 7/8”)

Height 51cm (20 1/8”)

Diameter 35.5cm (14”)

Diameter 37cm (

Diameter 23cm (9”)

£ 9,000

£ 9,000

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14 5

/8”)

£ 9,000

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Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 39.5cm (15 1/2”) Diameter 46cm (18 1/8”) £ 9,000 30

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Blue and White Monumental Lidded Scribble Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 137cm (53 7/8”) Diameter 40cm (15 3/4”) £ 30,000 34

Blue and White Monumental Lidded Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 155cm (61”)Diameter 52.5cm (20 5/8”) £ 32,000

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Pair of Blue and White Scribble Vases, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 91cm (35 7/8”) Diameter 29cm (11 3/8”) £ 25,000 36

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Blue: Lantern II, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 198cm (78”) Diameter 96cm (37 3/4”) £ 50,000 38

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Blue: Sentinel Obelisk II, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 549.5cm (216 3/8”) Diameter 137.5cm (54 1/8”) £ 120,000 40

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Blue: Sentinel Obelisk I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 538.5cm (212”) Diameter 139cm (54 3/4”) £ 120,000 42

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RECOGNITION FROM CHINA Aylieff is one of very few contemporary artists making porcelain vessels on a monumental scale. It is the use and development of traditional techniques, both the physical production and decorative aspect, which distinguishes her work. Such innovation has led Jingdezhen Municipal Government to recognise and thank Aylieff’s studio for its strong support and contribution to Chinese heritage. Aylieff’s studio space, RedHouse, was asked to host an International Seminar on Archaeological Protection and the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage application for Jingdezhen City.

China has not only exposed Aylieff to the wonders of porcelain making; the fine clay, gigantic kilns, bespoke machinery, tools and luminous cobalt glazes, but has also triggered a shift in her thinking as an artist. Witnessing the collaborative efforts of a highly skilled workforce (all specialists in different aspects of producing a work of art), encouraged Aylieff to question notions of ownership and broaden her approach to making.

The works of art in this exhibition are the result of centuries of porcelain production, in a city built on specialist skills, as well as the tenacity and creative vision of a British artist, innovating across cultures.

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FELICITY AYLIEFF EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE

Th e We s t o n G a l l e r y Yo r k s h i re S c u l p t u re Pa r k H u d d e r s f i e l d Ro a d Haigh Barnsley S75 4BX

5 April – 14 September 2025

Acknowledgements Felicity Aylieff acknowledges the essential skills and experience of the talented range of Chinese artisans she has worked with, without whom this exhibition would not be possible.

RedHouse Ceramics Design Studio: XIONG Baixu, Takeshi Yasuda, Ms JIANG Haijiao, Ms DAI Lingling, Ms TANG Yu, Mr CHEN Hao Xin Liang Big Pot Factory: YU Liang and YU Xu Zhen Shang Ceramics Company: Mr WU Jiang Zhong Duan Long Ceramic Corporation Ltd: Mr FENG Qi Ming UCN (Understanding China): Mr GAO Yan, Mr YAO Fei, Mr ZHU Jinsong Image Credits Sylvain Deleu: pp. 17, 19 India Hobson, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park pp. Front cover, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10-11, 13, 15, 21, 22-23, 25, 26-27, 29, 31, 32-33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 44-45, 50-51, 52-53,54 UCN Documentary Studio: pp. 6-7, 46, 48-49 Andrew Wicks pp. 9

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8 HEADFORT PLACE LONDON SW1X 7DH (by appointment) +44 (0)20 7581 9888 email@adriansassoon.com www.adriansassoon.com