Nicholas LEES

Nicholas Lees is a British artist. His ceramic sculptures challenge our usual perceptions of space and place. The citation of the jury, when he was selected this year to receive the Cersaie Prize at the 59th Biennial of Faenza describes the brilliance of his work with great clarity. “By the perfection of his technique, the artist communicates a feeling of dematerialized lightness that reminds us of the dynamic and shimmering effects of a trompe l’oeil tour de force. His forms, going beyond the archetype of the vase, confuse our perception with an intangible uncertainty. ” For the viewer, these are sculptures that deliberately blur boundaries, creating formal and spatial interactions that are both unexpected and unpredictable. Their strength also lies in their proud manifestation of a heritage shared between the domestic and the industrial, whether in terms of forms or processes, but despite these references they defy us to contemplate them with fresh eyes.