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Lawrence Calver

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 Fondation CAB (2023), Cape Town Art Residency (2022), Banditto Residency (2022), Simchowitz (2021), PADA (2019) and The Muse Gallery (2017). Recent exhibitions were held at Carvalho Park, New York (2023); Simchowitz, Los Angeles (2022); Cob Gallery, London (2022) and De Brock, Knokke (2022).

Lawrence Calver, White Tiles, 2020, stitched linens, 300 x 225 x 3 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.

Lawrence Calver

Biography

Education

  • 2011 - 2014

    London College of Fashion, London, UK

  • 2010 - 2011

    Suffolk New College, Ipswich, UK

Residencies

  • 2023

    Fondation CAB, Saint Paul de Vence, France

  • 2022

    Cape Town Art Residency, Cape Town, South Africa

    Banditto Residency, Montefollonico, Italy

  • 2021

    Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA

  • 2019

    PADA, Lisbon, Portugal

  • 2017

    The Muse Gallery, London, UK

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2024

    Ship Building, De Brock, Knokke, Belgium

  • 2023

    Terra Firma, Carvalho Park, New York, NY, USA

  • 2022

    Assiduity, De Brock, Knokke, Belgium

    Under the Sun, Cob Gallery, London, UK

    Sink or Swim, Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA

  • 2021

    On the Off Chance, Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA, USA

  • 2019

    Out of the Blue, Raci, Jakarta, Indonesia

    Flagship Collection, Paul Smith – Art and Interiors, Mayfair, London, UK

  • 2018

    A Level Playing Field, The Muse Gallery, London, UK

Group Exhibitions

  • 2021

    What Remains, Encounter Contemporary, London, UK

  • 2018

    The Biscuit Factory, Bermondsey, London, UK

    Let Me Know Before You Arrive, Warbling Collective, Bethnal Green, London, UK

  • 2017

    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

  • 2016

    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

Public Collections

  • France

    Fondation CAB, Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Selected images

Exhibitions