Education
2011 - 2014
London College of Fashion, London, UK
2010 - 2011
Suffolk New College, Ipswich, UK
Lawrence Calver centers the experience of searching at the heart of his practice. Whether he is taking a leisurely walk down Portobello Road or intentionally hunting for material, he remains open to the possibility that inspiration may strike in any form. With his educational background in fashion direction, Calver views himself as “directing” the composition of his artwork and allowing the material to inform his work with accidental gestures. Often using recycled linen, wool and cotton, Calver is careful to allow his fabric’s previous life to show through with its textural nuances and history. Using processes including embroidery, stitching and sewing, as well as bleaching, dying and staining, he draws out striking, sensitive conjunctions of texture and tactility.
Lawrence Calver (b. 1992, Suffolk, UK) lives and works in London. He studied creative direction of fashion at London College of Fashion and has completed residencies at Cape Town Art Residency (2022), Banditto Residency (2022), Simchowitz (2021), PADA (2019) and The Muse Gallery (2017). Recent exhibitions were held at Simchowitz, Los Angeles (2022); Cob Gallery, London (2022) and De Brock Gallery, Knokke (2022).
Lawrence Calver, Assiduity, 2021, stitched cottons, 225 x 200 cm
Building on the materials’ ancestral traits, my role is to arrange, to add, and to take away, allowing the balance of intention and serendipity guide the visual performance of each outcome.
London College of Fashion, London, UK
Suffolk New College, Ipswich, UK
Fondation CAB, Saint Paul de Vence, France
Cape Town Art Residency, Cape Town, South Africa
Banditto Residency, Montefollonico, Italy
Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA
PADA, Lisbon, Portugal
The Muse Gallery, London, UK
Assiduity, De Brock Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Under the Sun, Cob Gallery, London, UK
Sink or Swim, Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA
On the Off Chance, Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Out of the Blue, Raci, Jakarta, Indonesia
Flagship Collection, Paul Smith – Art and Interiors, Mayfair, London, UK
A Level Playing Field, The Muse Gallery, London, UK
What Remains, Encounter Contemporary, London, UK
The Biscuit Factory, Bermondsey, London, UK
Let Me Know Before You Arrive, Warbling Collective, Bethnal Green, London, UK
Art in the City of Tomorrow, Unfold-Space, London, UK
Artists in Residence – Final Show, The Muse Gallery, London, UK
Artists in Residence – Opening Show, The Muse Gallery, London, UK
Royal Academy Summer Show, London, UK
National Open Art, London, UK
Artists in Residence – Opening Show, The Muse Gallery, London, UK
KUNST 2016, Lite-Haus Galerie, Berlin, Germany
From the Studio Floor, Cambridge, UK
Hein Bonger's Shop, Saxmundham, Suffolk, UK
Lawrence Calver, No. 98, 2021, grain sack and fabric bunting on stitched linens, 120 x 145 cm
Lawrence Calver, Jumping Hurdles, 2021, stitched raffia palm fibres on dyed cotton, 112 x 148 cm
Lawrence Calver, Scorpion, 2021, silk panel on dyed/stitched cotton, 225 x 180 cm
Lawrence Calver, Black Tapestry, 2020, dyed and stitched cotton and wool, 225 x 195 cm
Lawrence Calver, Jester, 2021, stitched cottons, 200 x 200 cm
Lawrence Calver, Floating Man, 2021, stitched hemp and cotton, 200 x 240 cm
Lawrence Calver, Shipwreck, 2021, mixed stitched fabrics on mud dyed cotton, 180 x 225 cm
Lawrence Calver, Vichy, 2020, stitched linen, 245 x 276 x 4 cm
Lawrence Calver, Dog Tooth, 2020, stitched cotton, hemp and linen, 254 x 212 x 4 cm
Lawrence Calver, White Tiles, 2020, stitched linens, 300 x 225 x 3 cm
Lawrence Calver, Scouts, 2020, stitched linen, 262 x 212 x 4 cm
Lawrence Calver, Gold Blend, 2020, stitched linen, 300 x 200 x 3 cm
Lawrence Calver