“Kay Aplin is rapidly establishing herself as one of the most energetic and active ceramic artists in the UK. She is becoming more and more known for her innovative Ceramic House, and her current work is expanding into areas of curation and initiation of new ceramic events and exhibitions in the wider visual arts world. This is feeding into her own work which has always been dynamic, totally original, full of colour, ambitious and delightfully idiosyncratic.” Sandy Brown, Ceramic Artist
“Kay is an accomplished artist, specializing in the field of architectural ceramics, an area with proud traditions and also scope for development, which Kay has shown in her many interior and exterior projects, like the stunning Botanical Structures II, at the Regency Town House, Brighton.
My knowledge of Kay as an exhibition organizer puts her in a very special league, where she simultaneously has both an overview and an eye for detail. I was impressed with her high professional level of planning and organizing the ”Fantastic Tales” so succesfully with 16 Danish artists and at the same time doing her own show at another venue. On top of that the ”Fantastic Tales” was in Kay’s own house and she had many of us staying and we felt very welcome.
Kay has a very special gift of communication and is a master networker. She is active on most web platforms and communicates passionately about her professional life and work to a very high standard.” Karen Harsbo, Visual Artist, Associate Professor Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art
Just a small selection of what visitors had to say about The Ceramic House …
‘What an extraordinary house, garden & ceramics, stunning and beautiful.’
“Fabulous work. Every room has a wow factor.”
“The best house I have ever stepped inside. More than just tiles and ceramics, a brilliant coherent gallery. Absolutely love it!”
“A fabulous display that spills out of the house and takes over every crevice. Plus a lovely warm welcome. What more can you ask for?”
‘Never seen a house like this before -probably never will see one like this again.’
‘Defies words!’
‘Mind blowing!! feast for the eyes’
‘Fantastic combination of art/gallery & home’
‘l’intera casa è un’opera d’arte! Non ci sono parole per descrivere tale belezza’
Reviews of The Ceramic House 2012 exhibition opening with site-specific performances devised by Malwina Chabocka
“I thought the house looked wonderful and there was a real sense of occasion – I love the fact that you brought installations and performance into the concept of an open house and think this both added to the experience as well as complimented the work. When an open house works well you get a sense of the flow of the artist, their creative life and their domestic life and your house is abundant in this. The Ceramic House also successfully weaves in domestic scale works into the architectural and is a stunning showcase for some diverse, stunning ceramic works. “ Dr. Cara Courage, arts consultant, writer, curator
“Kay Aplin’s Private View was a terrific occasion – a real party, put together with the same imaginative flair that typifies all Kay’s projects and ceramic commissions. The house was packed with enthusiasts from Brighton, London and beyond. Many of her guest ceramicists were on hand to talk about their work, which was an added bonus, and the performance art enhanced both Kay’s permanent installations and the artistic atmosphere of the house. Alongside her work as a ceramic artist – which is already widely recognised – Kay runs and promotes her business with admirable efficiency. And it all comes naturally! She deserves to go from strength to strength.” Lianne Jarrett, LJA Associates
“I must say I was incredibly impressed with the event you organised, it was a tremendous amount of work and you did the most amazing job. The house, which is already a very unique-looking place, looked incredible and it provided a great environment for viewing the ceramic work. In terms of our performance, I really enjoyed having my performers allocated to certain spaces which all had very different dynamics and potential. The bedroom performance worked best – the space has its very significant aura and charm and I believe Niki, the performer, managed to embrace it and emphasise the delicacy and quirkiness of the space and the ceramic sculptures. It was a wonderful experience for us and I would like to thank you again for providing an opportunity for us to create such performance, and for trusting me. “ Malwina Chabocka
Review of The Ceramic House 2013 exhibition opening
Robert Dawson, Ceramic Artist
The Ceramic House is an intriguing place and I enjoyed my visit there. When we arrived, we went first into the front living room as I could see through the doorway that drinks were being served in there. This room had a retro feel with low lighting, a lit-up bar, and colourful works of ceramic art on the walls, shelves, everywhere. A 33 and a third record was turning on a deck playing cool jazz and the whole room tended to conjure up some distant memory of being somewhere in Latin America many years ago. A friendly crowd of quite elegantly dressed people were milling about and chatting with one another.
Third drink in hand, we proceeded to explore the rest of the house. There were many rooms, on about three floors. In a lot of these, and along the corridors and narrow stairways, ceramic art was exhibited all over the place, one of the most evocative pieces being a set of four old-fashioned-looking porcelain corsets and one single porcelain waistcoat lying, as though cast off, on a double bed in an attic room. These creamy white unglazed porcelain corsets and waistcoat managed to somehow be erotic and uncanny at the same time. They provoked lively conversation amongst the small group of us and other guests who had climbed to this room at the top of the house.
Proceeding back downstairs, we went to wander in the garden. The garden is unusual as it is on a very steep slope with three levels: two terraces over-looking the lowest ground level. Wood fires were burning on the two terraces. There was more colourful ceramic art in the garden, and, in a small building at the back of the garden, yet more ceramics. At the very lowest level of the garden, there was an entrance to a dark and spooky low-ceilinged cellar. Some of the guests recoiled and wouldn’t go in, perhaps afraid of spiders or ghosts, but it was their loss. For those of us who dared to venture in, we found pod-like ceramic lanterns hanging from the ceiling and walls. Light was coming from little glass portholes in the pods which aroused curiosity so that one was compelled to peer inside. Inside were surreal landscapes in which tiny people appeared to be going about their tormented lives. Words can’t describe this splendour in the basement. You gotta see it.