BCB 2021 Artist Talks: Connor Coulston
Originally recorded on 25 September 2021.
During BCB 2021, Creative Producer Rhiannon Ewing-James sat down with Connor Coulston, one of the many talented artists exhibiting in the biennial. Through these talks, artists shared in-depth and behind the scenes stories about how it was creating work during 2021, their careers as artists, their greatest inspirations and the artwork they created especially for BCB 2021.
About the Artist – Connor Coulston
AWARD exhibitor, British Ceramics Biennial 2021
Connor Coulston is a ceramicist whose practise is defined by the ongoing conversation between his self-deprecating sense of humour, wild imagination and the materiality of clay. The majority of Coulston’s work is a result of a fascination for the kitsch ceramic ornaments that you would usually find in a charity shop or that have adorned his grandmother’s fireplace. He subverts these often-mundane pieces through a rigorous questioning of the pieces legacy and hidden narrative. He also brings focus to personal issues such as depression, queer identity and his Grandmothers love for right-wing politicians.
Coulston uses his self-deprecating humour as a tool to create surreal and kitsch sculptures. This facade brings his audience into a false sense of security so his work can reveal its more sinister undertones. Connor graduated from his MA at the Royal College of Art in 2017. Recent achievements include his selection as 1 of 50 artists commissioned from Sky Arts. They explored what it means to be British, post-Brexit. He is on the shortlist for the John Ruskin and Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramic Prize. Also, winning the Ingram Prize for his work ‘Sometimes, Connor, it feels like I’m just waiting to die – Depressed Ewer’.
With thanks to BCB Festival Assistants James and Connor for their support with filming.