STATEMENT
My work explores the relationship between material, space and perception, and the formal connections that emerge through process. Working primarily as a sculptor, I create intimate-scale forms in white porcelain clay, alongside a developing body of acrylic paintings on heavy-weight Arches paper. Although materially distinct, both practices are connected by an interest in proportion, structure, surface and the relationship between form and void.
My sculptures draw on architectural language, using simple geometries and considered relationships between mass and openness. Clay’s ability to retain memory and record process both guides and limits my decisions. I am drawn to its understated uniformity, which provides a quiet counterpoint to the structural forms I employ. Working slowly and deliberately, I allow the material and process to influence the development of each piece.
The paintings extend these concerns into a two-dimensional space. Simple geometric divisions explore how proportion and placement can alter our perception of space. The textured surface of the Arches paper becomes an integral part of the work, while translucent layers of acrylic create a subtle physical relief. Each painting develops through masking, layering and removal, with paint applied using a palette knife. The resulting lines sit between drawing, surface and object, retaining a sense of their material construction while defining and enclosing space.
Across both practices, I work in series, using repetition and subtle variation to create continuity while allowing space for intuitive refinement. Through a restrained approach to material and colour, I seek to create a sense of quiet, where small shifts in surface, proportion and form become more apparent.
At the core of my practice is an interest in creating moments of stillness, encounters that invite the viewer to pause, observe and experience the work both spatially and visually.
BIOGRAPHY
Susan Phillips was born in Bedford, UK in 1978.
From 1996 to 1999 she studied Studio Ceramics at Falmouth College of Arts in Cornwall.
After leaving college she established a studio at her home in North Herefordshire, and has since exhibited throughout the UK and internationally.
In 2014 Susan was awarded the gold medal for Craft and Design at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and in 2015 had works exhibited at the Oriel Mostyn Gallery.
She received the International VIA Art Prize in 2017, and went on to exhibit Constructed Geometries, her solo exhibition at the Brazilian Embassy in 2018. Her work is represented in the collection of the Embassy of Brazil in London.
In 2021 she participated in the International Kogei Award at Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Japan.
Susan’s work has been included in several publications including Negative Space, published by ZKM Karlsruhe in 2021.
CV
EDUCATION
Falmouth College of Art, Cornwall, BA Studio Ceramics, 1996-99
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 Constructed Geometries, Embassy of Brazil, London
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 RWA 173 Annual Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2026 Holt Art Projects, Norfolk
2026 The Irving Open, Irving Gallery, Oxford
2024 Debut: Inaugural Open, & Gallery, Edinburgh
2023 Influence of Structures, Ten, Cardiff
2022 Bychan, Ten, Cardiff
2021 International Kogei Award, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Japan
2020 Summer Show, Ten, Cardiff
2019 The Light in the World is without a Significant Plan, Daniel Benjamin Gallery, London
2019 Korean International Ceramics Biennale, Korea
2018 Winter Show, Ten, Cardiff
2017 Winter Show, Maddox Arts, London
2017 VIA Arts Prize, Embassy of Brazil, London
2017 Summer Show, Ten, Cardiff
2016 International Print Biennale, Vane Gallery, Newcastle
2016 Neo Print Prize, Bolton
2016 Y Lle Celf, The National Eisteddfod of Wales, Abergavenny
2016 Summer Show, Ten, Cardiff
2015 NN Contemporary Open, Northampton
2015 Y Lle Celf, The National Eisteddfod of Wales, Meifod
2015 Mostyn Open 19, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno
2015 Spring Show, Beardsmore Gallery, London
2014 Y Lle Celf, The National Eisteddfod of Wales, Llanelli
2014 Soho Sculpture Prize, Short-listed Artists, London
2014 Oriel Davies Open, Newtown, Powys
2013 Ceramics, Beardsmore Gallery, London
PRIZES AND AWARDS
2026 Short-listed for the Charlotte Fraser Ceramics and Glass Award
2022 Long-listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize, Aesthetica Magazine
2021 Short-listed for the International Kogei Award, Toyama, Japan
2020 Honorable Mention, Korean International Ceramics Biennale
2019 Research Grant, Craft Potters Charitable Trust
2018 Long-listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize, Aesthetica Magazine
2017 Winner of the VIA Arts Prize, The Embassy of Brazil/ACALASP
2016 Long-listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize, Aesthetica Magazine
2016 Grant, David Canter Memorial Fund
2014 The Gold Medal for Craft and Design, The National Eisteddfod of Wales
2014 Short-listed for the Soho Sculpture Prize, Artiq
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
2017 Embassy of Brazil, London, UK
PUBLICATIONS
10.2023 British Sculptors - Susan Phillips, Yinjispace
08.2023 Summer Issue 15: Escaping the Frame: Conversations in Paint, Soanyway Magazine
06.2022 Future Now, Aesthetica Magazine
12.2021 Negative Space - Trajectories of Sculpture in the 20th and 21st Centuries, Peter Weibel
08.2021 A New Series of Ceramic Sculptures by Susan Phillips, Gessato
07.2021 The Minimalist Sculptures of Artist Susan Phillips, Le Journal du Design
05.2021 Susan Phillips Explores Spatial Composition with Minimalist Geometric Sculptures, Ignant
12.2020 Aesthetica Art Prize: 5 Sculptures, Aesthetica Magazine
09.2020 Susan Phillips, Ceramics Now
04.2018 Future Now, Aesthetica Magazine
06.2016 Art | Susan Phillips Long-listed for 9th Aesthetica Art Prize, Cfile Online
04.2016 Future Now, Aesthetica Magazine
09.2015 Artist Interview, Art Habens Review
07.2015 Sculptural Beauty, Homes and Gardens