"Henrietta MacPhee’s ceramics play wittily between 2D and 3D, and between real and imaginary logics."
Paul Carey Kent, art critic
Henrietta MacPhee (b.1985, London) is an artist whose practise is centred in clay. Blending the visual and tangible she creates entertaining illusions and a sense of complexity that traverses the border between 2D and 3D. Through a fresh child-like perspective of the world, she portrays scenes of poetic tenderness and humour, interweaving metaphors for embracing life’s diversity of peoples and their cultures.
Her work has been selected for a number of prestigious shows in the UK including ‘Artworks’ organised by the Barbican Arts Group and presenting her work at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth, Wales as one of four artists selected for the Emerging Makers Award in 2019.
CV
Education
2015 - 2017 Diploma in Ceramics, City Lit, London
2008 - 2009 Art Foundation, Camberwell College of Art, London
2004 - 2007 BA Classical Studies, Kings College London
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Indian Miniatures, Durning Library, London, June dates tbc
2023
Oasis, Barbican Library, London, 1 - 23 Dec
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
Black Swan Arts Open, Frome, 27 July - 15 Sept
Ferens Open, Hull Museum and Gallery, Hull, 28 June - 22 Sept
Seeing Red, Chapel Art Studios, Andover, Sat 18 May - 29 June
RBA Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London 29 Feb - 9 Mar
2023
AIR Open, AIR gallery, Altrincham, 17 Aug - 30 Sept
A Generous Space 3, Artist Support Pledge, Huddersfield Art Gallery, 15 July - 9 Sept
Bath Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition, Bath, 22 April - 24 June
The Morality of Attention, Karya Bistro, London, 19 April - 9 June
A slash of blue, Gerald Moore Gallery, London, 3 March - 8 April
Reverse Parking, DATGAT, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 4 - 10 Feb
Two by Two, curated by Brushes with Greatness, Morrell House, London, 2 - 15 Feb
2022
A Generous Space 2, Artist Support Pledge, The New Art Gallery, Walsall, 20 May - 25 Sept
Colours, curated by Matthew Macaulay, Stonespace, London, 21 July-7 Aug
Forms without Forms, Asylum Studios, Suffolk, 24 - 30 July
The Colour of Summer, Linden Hall Studio, Deal, 28 May - 25 June
Let Them Eat Fake, The Bomb Factory, London, 28 April - 1st May
Art on a Postcard, International Women's Day Auction, The Bomb Factory, London, PV 1 March
Habitat, Contemporary Six, Manchester 19 Feb - 5 March
Ferens Open 2022, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, 19 Feb - 2 May
2021
ArtWorks Open Project Space, Barbican Art Trust, London, 4 - 23 Dec
The Winter Group Show, Linden Hall Gallery, Deal, 1 Dec - 30 Jan 2022
A Generous Space, Hastings Contemporary, Hastings, 25 Nov - 22 April 2022
ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London, 11-21 Nov
Summer Exhibition, Grove Collective, London, 2 - 14 Sept
Bare Necessities, Haus Gallery, London, 28 May - 3 June
Domesticity and the Feminine online exhibition curated by Joséphine-May Bailey, 22 May - 22 June
2020
RA Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London, 6 Oct - 3 Jan
Town House Open East End, Town House, London, 12 Sep - 25 Oct
Hastings Open, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, 20 Aug -3 Jan
Choose Art-Give Light to Refugees online Charity Auction, NG Art Creative Residency, Provence
MK Calling, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes 15 Feb - Sept
2019
Form19, Whitestuff, Edinburgh 13 - 22 Dec
Objects of desire, Brixton Beneficiary, ASC Studios, London 5-19 Nov
International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales, 5-7 July
Bath Society of Artists Open, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, 18 May - 29 June
Was I really here? Unitled Space, Shanghai, China 29 June
RBA Rising Stars, The Royal Over-Seas League, London 26 April – 16 June
2018
ArtWorks Open Project Space, Barbican Art Trust, London 24 Nov - 9 Dec
Tactile Minds, House Mill Gallery, London, 18 - 23 Sept
artsdepot Open 2018, Apthorp Gallery, London, 26 July - 1 Sept
The Open Contemporary Young Artist Award, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle, 18 May - 26 Aug
RBA Rising Stars, The Framers Gallery, London, 13 - 17 March
2017
City Lit Ceramics Diploma Show, Candid Arts, London, 5-8 July
New Designers, Business Design Centre, London, 28 June - 1 July
Awards
First Prize sponsored by Hauser & Wirth, Black Swan Arts, Frome, July 2024
London Regional Prize, ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, Nov 2023
Highly commended, Charlotte Fraser Ceramics & Glass Prize, Holt Festival 2022
London Potters Annual Makers Award 2021
Potclays New and Emerging Makers Award Finalist, International Ceramics Festival, July 2019
The Eaton Fund, 2018
Shortlisted for the Royal Society of British Artists Rome Scholarship, 2018
Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust Visual Arts Award, 2017
Residencies
Farm Studio Artist Residency, Rajasthan, India , Feb 2024
Joya, Vélez Blanco, Spain, Oct 2023
Cyprus College of Art Residency, Lempa, Cyprus, May 2023
L'AiR Arts Art Research Residency, Paris, France, Oct 2019
Untitled Space Artist in Residence, Shanghai, China March-April, 2018
Public Commissions
Maple tree canopy, 96 glazed ceramic tiles, Maplewood Court, Kent, 2022
31 Pears, 105 glazed ceramic tiles, mural for Perry Hill Pub, London, 2021
Talks & Workshops
Painting on clay, workshops, London, UK, 2022
École Jeannine Manuel, in collaboration with L'AiR Arts, Paris, France 2019
Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan 2019
Untitled Space, Shanghai, China, 2018
St Oswolds Art Studios, London, UK, 2018
Parade Mews Pottery, London, UK, 2018
Press
Living etc Magazine on the rise: new stars of ceramics March 2024
FAD Magazine, The Top 5 Museum Exhibitions to see over the Festive Season by Tabish Khan 2023
Instagram review by London Art Round Up 2023
Instagram review by Paul Carey Kent 2023
Made in bed Magazine, Open Call at Grove Collective by Olive Wilson 2021
L'AiR Arts Blog Conversations with Clare Patrick and Chris Lashbrook 2020
Agitation: Objects of Desire, review by Tom Carrao 2019
Instagram review by Paul Carey Kent 2019
Potclays Interview July 2019
Rethink Ceramic Art, CoCa Jan 2018
Selected writing
31 Pears, London Potters, Issue 204, Aug/Sept 2021
An artist talk at the ICF 2019, London Potters, Issue 193 Oct/Nov 2019
Made in China, London Potters, Issue 185 June/July 2018
Membership
ArtCan
Licentiate of the Society of Designer Craftsmen
London Potters
