Anne Athena

Born in Denmark, Anne Athena’s beguiling ceramic sculptures are inspired by her deep fascination with human behaviour and the history of humanity. Heavily influenced by traditional ceramics, her hand-thrown vessels are decorated with intricate hand-paintings and mark-making, employing figurative and surreal symbolism to reveal the depths of human nature.

Athena developed her aesthetic at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art and the Royal College of Art in London, where she learned to merge illustration and ceramics to create a three-dimensional canvas. Drawing on influences such as Frida Kahlo, Dali, Gustav Klimt and William Blake, she transforms conventional patterns and forms by infusing them with her unique, holistic worldview.

Anne describes her work as a constant stream of creative energy from within.

“My mind works in images, symbols and colours. This is my language, this is how I understand the world and process life.”

For this show Anne has made a very sculptural body of ceramics, whilst additionally creating works which see her return to her original medium, painting. The artist notes, “It is deeply satisfying to rediscover painting, and develop a new path to my practice”. This path allows Anne to paint without the limitations of the kiln, thus, in turn, providing a different flow and way of working. The works are spectacular in their depth of detail.

Anne Athena lives and works in London. Her work is held in collections across the world.