Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith

'Nobody Cares How Good You Used To Be'
Our First Exhibition & Collaborative Collection at No.9 Albemarle Street, London
12 May - 2 July 2023
Sir Paul Smith & Henry Holland
Our debut ceramics exhibition not only explores the joy of colour, stripes and handcraft but also celebrates the mutual respect, admiration and long-standing friendship between Sir Paul and Henry.
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Taking over No.9 Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London, the curated exhibition is built around a new collection of one-off designs which showcase Henry's evolution as a ceramicist. Given creative 'carte blanche' by Paul, the exhibition has been an opportunity for Henry to experiment with scale and form, evolving and testing the potential of his signature take on the nerikomi technique – a Japanese tradition that involves the slow method of stacking, folding and rolling differently brightly coloured clays into slabs which are then cut and hand-moulded into different forms rather than ‘thrown’ at a wheel.
Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith - Vase Collection

“There’s been a real sense of freedom with this project which I have really embraced. Paul has allowed us to just really go with it, pushing ourselves in different ways throughout the creative process by creating different iterations of our signature lamps as well as experimenting with different forms of furniture and sculptural pieces. What I’m trying to do with the sculptural work is to test myself with each piece, trialling different techniques and executions, different ways of putting designs together with the final result still being reflective of my handwriting.” - Henry

For this project, Henry is working with an impressive seven individual colours – inspired by the palette of Paul Smith’s iconic Signature Stripe – and it is the first time he is hand-dyeing the clay. The result is a selection of limited edition pieces that are truly unique, with each edition featuring one-off variations.

Henry Holland x Paul Smith - Making

Alongside tableware and objets, the exclusive selection will also include lighting and sculptural pieces that Henry has been developing for the last six months at his Hackney studio. The centrepiece of the collection is an oversized Memphis-style floor lamp – standing at three metres tall – constructed of handmade stacked ceramic spheres.

Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith Lamps

To underline the importance of traditional crafts and the sculptural nature of the ceramics, the pieces are displayed in the context of a selection of antique and vintage furniture sourced from the London-based dealer H. Blairman & Sons as well as a well-loved workman’s bench from Paul’s personal collection. Take a closer look at the exhibition here.

Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith at No.9 Albemarle Street

You can view & buy the full Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith collection here via paulsmith.com

 'Nobody Cares How Good You Used To Be'

The Exhibition by Henry Holland Studio x Paul Smith

12 May - 2 July 2023

Paul Smith, No.9 Albermarle Street, London W1S 4BL

Click here for all the details and opening times

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Take a look at our launch party night and more photos from the 'Nobody Cares How Good You Used To Be' exhibition here