Guest Artists


Guest Artist Programme 2024

Throughout the year we invite guest artists to exhibit in the gallery. We are delighted to welcome them to our unexpected fold of exceptional artists.

 

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Talking Heads

Tales of the Unexpected

10 October - 31st December 2024
 
 

Internationally renowned sculptor, Christy Keeney, launches at Utopia with a dynamic solo show Talking Heads.
We are delighted to announce that from 2025 he is one of our
very select artists-in-residence.
Christy studied ceramics at the Royal College of Art in London.
His sculptures have a strong narrative quality that invites you to contemplate the story behind the work. He sculpt and draws into slabs of wet clay creating heads an disjointed figures that investigate the human condition.

 

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Guest Artist Programme 2024

Archive

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Menagerie

The Magical Animal Kingdom of Elaine Peto

1 - 30 October 2024


Elaine Peto has spent a lifetime being inspired by the natural world. From her studio in Hampshire she studies animal behaviour, their forms and characteristics. Elaine's portfolio includes ceramic sculptures of farm and wild animals and even sea creatures. She specialises in creating one-off pieces using textured stoneware
and porcelain clay.
We are delighted to announce that Elaine will become one of our
very select artists-in-residence.
 
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Woodland Tales

The Enchanting Sculptures of David Mayne

1 - 29 August 2024

        

David Mayne has a lifelong passion for nature and landscape, evoked in his stunning sculptures made of steel and wood. He enjoys creating both large scale architectural pieces for the public realm and small scale sculptures for private collectors.

 

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ArchiTEXTURE

Artist's Reflections of Architectural Details

2 - 28 September 2024

Colin Kitchener
        

Suffolk's Colin Kitchener has always had a passionate interest in the beautiful medieval properties of East Anglia.  This fascination has transposed into sourcing reclaimed terracotta peg tiles from reclamation yards, to form the ground for his unique paintings.

We are delighted to announce that after the exhibition Colin agreed to be one of our
very select artists-in-residence.
Bill Sargent

Bill Sargent is among the highest regarded pargetters in the country. His work can be seen all over East Anglia. This master craftsman can still be seen restoring ancient buildings, but for us he has created some special wall panels in traditional designs, that can be hung in your home.

Sarah Jane Brown
        

Sarah Jane Brown specialises in creating quirky sculptures where she cleverly manipulates scale. Her miniature pieces explore narratives centred around houses. Her employment of old newsprint married with wood, rusty metal and tin delivers sensitive creations with great attention to detail. 

We are delighted to announce that after the exhibition Sarah Jane agreed to be one of our very select artists-in-residence.

  

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Floribunda

Floral Celebrations from Unexpected Viewpoints

1 - 30 July 2024
 
Geoffrey Preston
        

Geoffrey Preston is one of the UK’s leading architectural sculptors, specialising in decorative plasterwork and in particular the art of stucco. After studying sculpture at Hornsey College of Art he trained as a stonemason and a carver. 

Sally Anne Fitter
        

Sally Anne Fitter is an established international artist. Initially running a Textile Design Studio in London, she now lives in Norfolk and paints professionally. She has exhibited widely in London at: the Affordable Art Fair, the London Art Fair, Islington and Marie Josie Gallery, Kensington. Recent solo shows include The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle.

Sally's acrylic collages are vibrant, joyful expressions of her life in Norfolk.

Sarah Luxford
        

Artist Sarah Luxford draws in the air with a single, unbroken line of wire to create beautiful, elegant sculptures that resonate her passion for the natural world.  Her intricate compositions illustrate not only her dexterity, but also her insightful eye and attention to the detail of flowers.  

Kelly Jenner-Swani
        

Kelly Swani's exquisite pieces capture the fleeting beauty found in the intricacy of nature. She combines found and natural materials, with wires and crepe paper, to create delicate expressions of lasting floral forms. Kelly invites us to delight in the intricate details of flowers, which for her started as a form of art therapy when she developed Functional Neurological Disorder. Originally a jewellery designer, Kelly now works from her home in Jersey.

 

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Fish & Ships

Celebrating Norfolk's Coastline

3 - 29 June 2024
 
Dreya Bennett
        

Dreya is an artist of the sea. Captivated by the ocean at an early age she went on to kite surf in the world championships and achieve a world record between Cornwall and Ireland. Now retired from competitions, she embraces her passion for the waves through working with fused glass. 

We are delighted to announce that after the exhibition Dreya agreed to be one of our very select artists-in-residence.
Paul Campbell

Norfolk's Paul Campbell's Bath Tap Boats arose from Paul's enjoyment of salvaging wood and other reclaimed materials. His magpie eye has led to a varied collection of items, from copper pipes and old brass hinges to Victorian taps, which he now gives a new lease of life incorporating them into his handcrafted boats. Each Bath Tap Boat is unique. 

Frances Noon
        

Frances Noon is fascinated by the manipulation of scale. She creates small playful vignettes of country or seaside scenes, crafted from wood, brass and copper. In her workshop in the foothills of the Southern Pennines, she carefully makes quirky miniature animals and birds from metal to adorn her sculptures of hand-painted structures. Noon's world is one of delight and she invites us to play

 

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Animal Crackers

5 May - 1 June
The Playful Sculpture of Mick Kirkby-Geddes 
Mick Kirkby-Geddes's metal sculpture is incredible. From his workshop in the Yorkshire Pennines he transforms the old into something new with a fresh engaging dynamic. Curiosity and a healthy dose of 1970’s kids tv and comics informs his often humorous pieces and brings them to life.

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Fur & Feathers

25 March - 30 April 2024
The Extraordinary Ceramics of David Cooke


Prize winning, nationally renowned wildlife sculptor, David Cooke, has been studying animals all his life. He draws from his childhood in East Anglia and his current home in Yorkshire, to create sculptures that are as individual as the subjects he studies. Whilst always experimenting with new materials and techniques, Cooke particularly enjoys the challenge of ceramics and bronze.
We are delighted to announce that after the exhibition David agreed to be one of our very select artists-in-residence.


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