Felicity Aylieff: Expressions in Blue

5 April – 14 September 2025
Yorkshire Sculpture Park - The Weston Gallery and Outdoors

Expressions in Blue is a solo exhibition of monumental sculptural works in porcelain, painted in tones of rich cobalt blue oxide using expressive brushstrokes full of movement. These hand[1]thrown ceramic vessels and stacked monoliths stand up to an impressive five-metres high and have a powerful sculptural presence.

Shown together in The Weston Gallery and outdoors, the organic energy of their surfaces and their forest-like presentation will resonate with the forms and rhythms of the 18th-century landscape beyond.

Felicity Aylieff says: “Exhibiting my monumental porcelain vessels at Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an incredible opportunity. I am excited to see them come alive against the rich backdrop of rolling countryside in one of the best places to show sculpture in Britain.” Alongside seven vast porcelain works and a range of smaller pieces in the gallery, and two towering obelisks outdoors, visitors will see photographs and a film that reveal the remarkable making process and its physicality. Also on display will be a selection from Aylieff’s extensive range of fascinating mark-making tools, including giant horsehair brushes used to whip around the vessels and create energetic flicks and splashes.

Sarah Coulson, YSP senior curator, says: “Being surrounded by Aylieff’s imposing ceramic vessels is an invigorating and moving experience. Their scale and technical ingenuity are breathtaking, and you get lost in the richness and vitality of their surfaces. The artist’s mark[1]making echoes the energy of the natural world, and her practice expands our understanding of the sculptural potential of ceramics, making the work feel perfectly placed at YSP.”

Painting the vessels is a spontaneous, performative act that engages the artist’s whole body and brings energy to their surfaces, which she sees as canvasses for her artistic expression. In monochromatic shades of grey when applied, the cobalt oxides transform in the kiln into deep and vibrant blues. Aylieff was drawn to cobalt not only for its luminosity but for its significance in the history of Chinese ceramics. Using the classic blue and white of Chinese porcelain, she synthesises old and new, a reinterpretation that she describes as ‘new Ming’. Works such as Blue: Triple Form (2023) are painted with large brushes in bold and fluid swathes, built up layer on layer to give depth, with bold gestural marks bringing movement across the form.

Others, including Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, Undulating Form I (2024), have smaller, more frenetic surface marks created using improvised brushes made from bunches of bale twine. Brought together across different forms and vessels, these contrasting strokes evoke changing tempos through the exhibition. Aylieff’s journey towards working at this unprecedented scale began with a visit to China in 2005 when she became captivated by the city of Jingdezhen, known for centuries for its high-quality porcelain production. Over the subsequent two decades, she has spent long periods living and working there each year, developing close working relationships with specialist craftspeople who have accumulated knowledge over generations.

Through an enduring process of creative collaboration with them, Aylieff has forged an ambitious and experimental path combining tradition with innovation across cultures. This has enabled her to push the limits of her work in a notoriously challenging material. Before their physical making, the monumental pieces on display in Expressions in Blue started life as detailed digital drawings. This is a necessarily precise process and a way to counteract some of the risk and uncertainty involved in the production of large-scale ceramics. Then, using a giant potter’s wheel, a highly skilled team of three or more throwers work together to centre and open up the clay. They brace each other’s arms and bodies, using combined physical strength and harmony of movement to raise the wall of the clay upwards to create Aylieff’s characteristic forms.

These range from more conventional vase or jar-like shapes to contemporary organic and undulating stacks. Aylieff has produced a ceramic beaker featuring her distinctive cobalt surface decoration in a limited edition of 100 especially for YSP. Each cup is individually hand thrown in porcelain, glazed and painted by the artist in tones of cobalt blue oxide. Created in Jingdezhen, China, 2025. Priced at £75 it represents a wonderful opportunity to own the artist’s work.

YSP is a registered charity and accredited museum, all proceeds from sales help to share incredible art and continue to create meaningful experiences for everyone in a unique environment. Expressions in Blue has been made possible through support and collaboration with Adrian Sassoon, London, who represent the artist internationally. The exhibition was first shown in expanded form at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.