Jonathan Baldock United Kingdom, b. 1980

Engaging with a multidisciplinary practise, Baldock’s works are both humorous and uncanny. He regularly uses traditional craft methods in order to explore the relationship between material and the human body, which features eerily at times in his pieces. Baldock’s works are infused with many references, including a longstanding interest in myth and folklore, and an obsession with the materiality of fabric and ceramic in his art. Many textile or ceramic artworks are also filled with lavender, a reference to the belief that the plant purifies both body and mind, as well as its use in ancient Egyptian burial and mummification. References to historic performances and celebrations of the body (such as the practise of saintly relics) can often be seen in the imagery and titles of Baldock’s art.

The handicraft processes Baldock uses (such as weaving or appliqué) are also used in reference to the often-forgotten contributions of working-class people and craftsmen throughout art history. Baldock assembles his sculptures in a performative manner, constructing and exhibiting them in such a way as to initiate a theatrical or ritualistic atmosphere between the work and the viewer. Sculptures and wall hangings are used in Baldock’s shows like a stage set, with the hands and movement of the artist himself often reflected in the material he manipulates. This is accentuated by the artist often casting his own body parts to include in his sculptures.