Contained Boxes by Andrea Walsh

A series that explores materiality and the vessel form.

Edinburgh-based artist Andrea Walsh explores the box and vessel form in her work along with materiality. Her sculptural objects also showcase the beauty of noble materials. This becomes especially clear in the series Contained Boxes. Tactile and refined, the vessels are carefully crafted by hand from materials such as ceramics, glass, metal. These materials reference ancient crafts and have historical associations, but here they also become tools to explore ideas of value and containment. The objects celebrate the elegance of the materials through simple, box-like shapes and a size that implies a personal use. Similarly to bespoke artifacts found buried on archaeological sites – a jewelry box, a jar for storing wine, or a ceramic urn used in burial rituals – these vessels are precious and mysterious at the same time.

For the Contained Boxes series, Andrea Walsh used materials that celebrate the shared qualities of different materials; from translucency and opacity to tactility and purity. Frosted glass, copper, and gold come together in delicate yet robust objects that invite the viewer to interact with them. The LOEWE Foundation has acquired this series and has shortlisted it for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2019. Museums that have included the artist’s work in their permanent collections include the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh. See more of the artist’s fascinating work on her official website. Photographs © Shannon Tofts, Andrea Walsh.