Transference

Alexander deVol presents sculptures and wall works inspired by the fluency of fractal patterns in nature, informed by the tacit motions of his everyday studio practice.

DeVol’s works are simultaneously organic and human made, challenging material perception whilst creating ambiguity as to how an object or wall work has been constructed. His process encompasses a mix of considered and deliberate methods together with spontaneous action. DeVol’s vessels represent an ongoing investigation into the material properties of wood, as well as their transferal into other mediums. His delicate, green-wood forms are turned and carved by hand, warping as the wood dries until each piece finds its own equilibrium. The process of change that the wood goes through is an essential part of deVol’s practice, he comments that ‘the final outcome is an object sculpted by both maker and material.’ DeVol’s hand thrown ceramics are alive with organic patinas, developed slowly through the oxidation process, resembling the reactions of aged metal or lichen on stone.

For his first solo exhibition with Make, deVol has created new paper sculptures and painted canvases, using earth pigments, clays, stone, gypsum, metals, resin, and waste product from his daily practice. Playful and experimental, his studio practice has evolved into new territories during long months of lockdown, finding alternative directions and material interpretations. His painterly compositions are made by simulating and adapting techniques used to create sculptural vessels, or are informed by everyday studio processes, such as reclaiming clay and mixing mortar.

About the maker

Alexander deVol lives and works in Lancashire, North West England. He graduated in 2017 with an MA (Distinction) in Design from the University of Central Lancashire, UK. Previous exhibitions include: ‘Hand & Land’, Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Somerset, UK (2020); ‘Opening Narratives’, Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Somerset, UK (2018); ‘Dunhill’s The Home of Craftmanship’, London, UK (2017); ‘Making It Now’, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales, UK (2017); ‘Burberry Makers House’, London, UK (2017).