Biography

Born 1971, Ipswich, UK
Lives and works in Birmingham, UK

Selected Exhibitions and Projects

• 2023

  • ‘Horror in the Modernist Block’, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (group show with catalogue). Curated by Melanie Pocock.

  • 'Sonic Signals', Abbas Zahedi and Chandos Primary School, Eastside Projects (artist curator)

• 2022

  • ‘once solid now dissolved’, Quench, Margate (solo show, text by Kelly Large)

  • ‘Courtship of Giants by Emii Alrai’, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (exhibition co-curator)

• 2018

  • ‘ISelf Collection – Bumped Bodies’, Whitechapel Gallery, London (group show)

• 2017

  • ‘Life of Clay: Experimental Practice at Grymsdyke Farm’, RIBA, London (group show)

• 2016

  • ‘Some are Nights Others Stars’, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne (group show)
    

  • ‘Nomadic Vitrine’, Recent Activity, Birmingham (site-specific artwork)

  • ‘In Intimacy New Solitudes’, New Art Gallery, Walsall (residency and window box installation)

  • ‘Production Show 2016–18’, Eastside Projects (exhibition co-curator)

• 2015

  • ‘Studio Capri’, Syson Gallery, Nottingham (group show)
    

• 2014

  • ‘Speaking Space – If buildings were sentient’, Collyer Bristow, London, (group show, curated by Day + Gluckman)

  • ‘Back to the Future’, Festival of Light, Longbridge, Birmingham (temporary public artwork, curated by General Public)

  • 'Birmingham Production Space Research (project lead on collaborative Arts Council funded project, leading to proposal which was partly realised through STEAMhouse)

  • ‘Rift/Riff’, Baltic39, Newcastle Upon Tyne (group show, curated by Matthew Hearn)

  • ‘The Postcard is a Public Work of Art’, X Marks the Bökship, London

  • ‘UK Visual Arts Residency’, Cove Park, Scotland

• 2013

  • ‘Specular Spectacular (Cheryl, Jo, Joanne, Elinor, Claire, Anna)’, Pippy Houldsworth, London (solo show)

  • ‘Birmingham Art Map’ (ongoing, co-founded with Cheryl Jones)

  • ‘Synthetic Worlds (Two Women)’, The Grundy Gallery, Blackpool, (permanently installed commission, supported by the Contemporary Art Society)

• 2012

  • 'Spectrum Flock', Royal London Hospital (permanent public artwork, commissioned by Anne Mullins for Vital Arts)

  • ‘The Unseen’, Guangzhou Triennial, Guangdong Museum of Contemporary Art, China (group show)

  • ‘Dawn Chorus’, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds (group show)

  • Arts Foundation Sculpture Fellowship

  • 'Caroline Achaintre, Sara Barker, Alice Channer' Eastside Projects, Birmingham (exhibition co-curator)

  • ‘The Artists’ Postcards Show’, Spike Island, Bristol (group show)

    'Ocular Spectacular (Seated Peasant)', Pippy Houldsworth, London (solo project)

    'Rotate' Contemporary Art Society, London (exhibition co-curator)

• 2011

  • ‘Synthetic Worlds’, SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (solo show, curated by Janet Dees)

  • 'House of Beasts', Attingham Park, Shropshire (temporary public artwork, commissioned by Meadow Arts)

  • ‘Undone’, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds (group show)

  • ‘Postcards’, Small Collections, Nottingham Contemporary (solo project)

    ‘Caprice’, Galleria Paoula Curti, Milan, Italy (group show)
    ‘Versions and Diversions’, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (group show)
    ‘Ruinenelust’, Perrots Folly, Birmingham (group show)

• 2010

  • ‘And my Eyes Danced’, Weston-super-mare, (public artwork, co-commissioned by Situations and Field Art Projects for the Wonders of Weston project)

  • ‘Remake-Remodel’, National Glass Centre, Sunderland (group show)
    ‘Contemporary Eye: Crossovers’, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (group show)
    ‘Daybreakers’, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton (group show)
    ‘The Figurine Dialogue’, Crystal Palace, Stockholm, Sweden (group show curated by Päivi Ernkvist)

• 2009

  • ‘Lands End’, Spike Island, Bristol (solo show)

  • ‘Lands End’, Grundy Gallery, Blackpool (solo show)

  • ‘Known Unknowns’, Alternative Space Loop, Seoul, South Korea (group show, curated by Jonathan Watkins)

  • 'Fantopia', Mother's Tankstation, Dublin (group show)

  • ‘Lands End’, Faye Fleming and Partner, Geneva, Switzerland (solo show)

    ‘Artisterium’, 2nd Tblisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition, Georgia (group show, supported by the British Council)
    ‘Trade City’, Exocet and Contemporary Art Manchester, Manchester (group show)
    ‘Back of the Head’, Cooper Gallery, Dundee (group show)

    'Scottish Sculpture Workshop', Lumsden, Scotland (residency)

• 2008

  • 'Lands End', ikon Gallery, Birmingham (solo show)

  • ‘Lands End’, Oriel Davies, Newtown, Wales (solo show)

  • ‘Postcards’, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland (solo show)

  • ‘Interventions’, The Barber Institute, Birmingham (solo project)

    ‘The Art of Birmingham 1939–2008’, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (group show)
    ‘No End in Sight’, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France (group show)
    ‘The Golden Record’, The Collective, Edinburgh and The Collection Lincoln (group show, collaboration with Stuart Whipps)
    ‘Art Futures’, Bloomberg Space, London (group show)

• 2007

  • ‘Legerdemains’, Cabinet Magazine, New York (publication project)

  • ‘Decadence’, Decay and the Demimonde', Home House, London (group show)
    ‘The Islanders’, Nettie Horn, London (group show)
    ‘Self Effaced’, fa Projects, London (group show)
    ‘Paulette Phillips, Marie-France & Patricia Martin, Ruth Claxton’, Danielle Arnaud, London (group show)
    ‘Extreme Crafts’, CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania (group show)
    ‘Flock’, Arquebuse, Geneva, Switzerland (solo show)
    ‘Citadel’, David Risley, London (group show)
    ‘What is Comprehension?’, Strategic Questions, 52nd Venice Biennale, Italy (publication project, curated by Gavin Wade)
    ‘Art Futures’, Bloomberg Space, London (group show)
    ‘Things we lost in the Fire’, Leicester City Art Gallery (group show)

    'SW Arts Residency', Spike Island, Bristol

    'Recycling and Sculpture', Damascus, Syria (workshop leader, British Council project)

• 2006

  • ‘Ruth Claxton and Amy Marletta’, The Collective, Edinburgh, Scotland, (two person show)

  • 'Drawing Links’, The Drawing Room, London, International3, Manchester, Outpost, Norwich (group show, selected by Helen Legg, catalogue)

  • ‘Things we lost in the fire’, Transition, London (group show, curated by Gordon Dalton)

  • ‘A Place of Rainbows’, Arquebuse, Geneva, Switzerland (solo show)

    ‘Personne ne veut mourir’, Arquebuse, Geneva, Switzerland (group show)
    ‘Jaggy Edge’, Travelling Gallery, Edinburgh and touring (group show)
    ‘London Elsewhere’, Gallerie Bernhard Knaus, Mannheim, Germany (group show)
    ‘The new Birmingham school of business school’, Island House, Birmingham (group show, curated by Colony)
    ‘Brownfields’, Lounge, London, MAC, Birmingham (group show)

    'Pub Conversations', Birmingham (collaborative artist-led project 2006–2008, funded by Arts Council England)

    'Alexsandra Mir and Robert Orchardson', International Project Space, Birmingham (exhibition co-curator with Gavin Wade)

• 2005

  • ‘Globalocal’, New Art Birmingham (group show, curated by Kenny Schachter)
    ‘All at once and all together at the same time’, Colony, Birmingham
    ‘Discomfort’, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham (catalogue)
    ‘Orphan’, Vane, Newcastle upon Tyne
    ‘The Doppler Effect — The Questions Archive’, Ocular Lab, Melbourne, Australia (collaboration with Kelly Large)
    ‘The Rudiments of Ornamental Composition’, LOT, Bristol (group show, co-curated by Sally Shaw and James Ireland)

    'Albrecht Shafer and Michael Stumpf' International Project Space, Birmingham (exhibition co-curator with Gavin Wade)

• 2004

  • ‘I thought I was the audience and then I looked at you’, University of Essex Gallery, Colchester (solo show, with catalogue text by Helen Legg)

    ‘Commonground’, Artsway, Hampshire (group show)
    ‘Crystal Peaks’, S1 Projects, Sheffield (group show, curated by Michelle Cotton)
    ‘Pilot 1’, Limehouse Town Hall, London
    ‘XS’, fa Projects, London

• 2003

  • ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, CCA Department, RCA, London (solo project curated by Catherine Hemelryk)
    ‘Cultivate’, Oak House, West Bromwich (temporary public artwork)
    ‘East International’, selected by Toby Webster and Eva Rothschild, Norwich Gallery, Norwich (group show, catalogue with text by Linda Morris)
    ‘Wunderkammer’, Custard Factory, Birmingham (group show)
    ‘Mostyn 13’, Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno (group show, catalogue)
    ‘We are Relentless’, Custard Factory, Birmingham

• 2002

  • ‘Installation Art workshop and exhibition’ Museum of Art and Antiquities, Khartoum, Sudan (supported by the British Council)

Other activity

• 2011

  • Artist Maker, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (ongoing)

• 2016–2023

  • Artist Maker, STEAMhouse, Birmingham

• 2007

  • Company Director, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (ongoing)

• 2007–2008

  • Visiting Lecturer, BA Fine Art, Nottingham Trent University

• 2004–2011

  • Lecturer, BA Art & Design, Birmingham City University

• 2002–2004

  • Lecturer, Art and Design Foundation, Birmingham City University

• 1996–2004

  • Sculpture Technician, School of Art, Birmingham City University

• 1994–1995

  • Sculpture Technician, Fine Art Department, Nottingham Trent University

Texts, Reviews and Publications

• 2023

  • Review 'Horror in the Modernist Block', Tom Elmer, Art Monthly 464, March 2023

• 2012

  • ‘Artists Postcards, A Compendium’, Jeremy Cooper. Pub Reaktion Books

• 2011

  • Review, 'Synthetic Worlds', Katie Kitamura, Frieze July/August

    Review, 'House of Beasts', Charlotte Cripps, The Independent, 8th July

    Review, 'Versions and Diversions', Matt Packer, Source Magazine, Issue 68

• 2010

  • Review, 'Dawnbreakers', a-n magazine, September

    Feature, 'Wonders of Weston', Front Row. Radio 4, 06/08

• 2009

  • ‘Collective 1984–2009’. Pub. Revolver VVV and Collective Gallery, Edinburgh

    'Looking Back : Emerging Artists', nominated by Mike Stanley. Frieze, Jan/Feb

• 2008

  • ‘Ruth Claxton: Lands End’. Texts by Sally O’Reilly, Jonathon Watkins and Marie Anne Mcquay. Pub. IKON Gallery, Birmingham
    ‘Fragiles’. Pub. De Gestalten Verlag
    ‘Furnish’. Pub. De Gestalten Verlag
    Front cover and artists story. a-n magazine , October

    Review, 'Lands End, IKON Gallery', Barry Schwabsky, Art Forum, Sept

    Preview, 'Postcards', Ingleby Gallery, Robert Clarke, Guardian Guide 04/10

    Article, 'New Work : Ruth Claxton'. Art World Magazine, June

    Article, 'Mangle with Care', Eve Kahn, ID Magazine, New York

    Article, 'Two Artists, One Day', Natt Pitt, Art of England Magazine, April

    Preview, 'Lands End at IKON Gallery', Robert Clarke, Guardian Guide 29/03

    Article, 'Ceramics and Installation', Emma Shaw, Ceramics Review, Jan/Feb

• 2007

  • Article, 'Ruth Claxton', Anne Mulrooney, Total:Spec, Sept

    'Legerdemains', Artists Project, Magic Issue. Cabinet Magazine

• 2006

  • ‘Generator 1 and 2’. Text by Gavin Wade and Sally Shaw. Pub. Article Press
    ‘Uber die Sinne’. Pub. Oberosterreichiscghe Landesmuseum, Linz
    ‘Becks Futures’, text by Clare Doherty. Pub. ICA London
    ‘Drawing Links’, text by Helen Legg. Pub. The Drawing Room, London

    Review, 'A Place of Rainbows', Jane Neal, Flash Art, Nov.

    Article, 'Artists Profiles, Ruth Claxton', Garageland

• 2005

  • James, Sarah, 'The Rudiments of Ornamental Composition'. Art Monthly, May

    Review, 'The Rudiments of Ornamental Composition, David Trigg, a-n Magazine, May

    Article, 'Visual Art : Fabrication', Morgan Falconer, The Times 27/09

    Article, 'Breaking the Mould', Jane Withers, Wallpaper magazine, May

• 2004

  • ‘Ruth Claxton: I thought I was the Audience and then I looked at You’, text by Helen Legg. Pub. University of Essex

• 2003

  • ‘East International’, text by Lynda Morris, catalogue. Pub. Norwich Gallery
    ‘Mostyn 13’. Pub. Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno

    Review, 'East International', Sotiris Kyriacou, Contemporary, issue 56

    Review, 'East International', Dan Smith, Art Monthly, September

    Review, 'Wunderkammer', Simon Webb, Metro, 08/04