Primarily known for his textile works, Lawrence Calver’s work incorporates a variety of fabrics, from cotton silk and linen to suede and wool. Working within the idiom of modernist painting, he takes the material support – the canvas or the plane – and sews, bleaches, stretches or stains the fabric to create works that aim to unify abstraction and representation.
Calver is at his best working within a limited range of colour; preferring instead to exploit surface, texture and tonality. The grain of the textiles, and the variations in textures have their own beauty through which he conveys an atmosphere and delineation of form. He recognises opportunities in the material before he creates the work. The materials he chooses have a history; each piece has an independent identity, and Lawrence simply assists in that realisation. The artist regards his work as an organic process of experimentation and discovery, led by his materials on a journey of improvisation. He still regards his role in the work as a director, letting serendipity guide the final piece or perhaps, visual performance of his evanescent cast.
Calver studied at BA level in creative direction of fashion at London College of Fashion. Since then he has used his experiences as a director to assemble work, in a similar way to a production or choreography. He currently lives and works in London.
EDUCATION
| 2011-2014 | London College of Fashion, London, UK. | |
| 2010-2011 | Suffolk New College, Ipswich, UK. |
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2024 | 'Ship Building', De Brock, Knokke, Belgium. | |
| 2023 | 'Terra Firma', Carvalho Park, New York, NY, USA. | |
| 2022 | 'Assiduity', De Brock, Knokke, Belgium. | |
| 'Under the Sun', Cob Gallery, London, UK. | ||
| 'Sink or Swim', Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA. | ||
| 2021 | 'On the Off Chance', Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA, USA. | |
| 2019 | 'Out of the Blue', Raci, Jakarta, Indonesia. | |
| 'Flagship Collection', Paul Smith – Art and Interiors, Mayfair, London, UK. | ||
| 2018 | 'A Level Playing Field', The Muse Gallery, London, UK. |
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
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2024 |
'Summer Exhibition' (Online), Cadogan Gallery London, UK. | |
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'What Abstract Art Means to Me', Alzueta, Barcelona, Spain. | |
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2023 |
'Through the Walls', Cadogan Gallery London, UK. | |
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2021 |
'What Remains', Encounter Contemporary, London, UK. | |
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2018 |
The Biscuit Factory, Bermondsey, London, UK. | |
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'Let Me Know Before You Arrive', Warbling Collective, Bethnal Green, London, UK. |
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| 2017 |
'Art in the City of Tomorrow', Unfold-Space, London, UK. |
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'Artists in Residence – Final Show', The Muse Gallery, London, UK. |
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'Artists in Residence – Opening Show', The Muse Gallery, London, UK. |
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| 2016 |
Royal Academy Summer Show, London, UK. |
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National Open Art, London, UK. |
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'Artists in Residence – Opening Show', The Muse Gallery, London, UK. |
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'KUNST 2016', Lite-Haus Galerie, Berlin, Germany. |
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From the Studio Floor, Cambridge, UK. |
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Hein Bonger's Shop, Saxmundham, Suffolk, UK. |
ART FAIRS
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2024 |
Brafa, with De Brock, Brussels, Belgium. | |
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Zona Maco, with Cadogan, Mexico City, Mexico. | |
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2023 |
Art Brussels, with De Brock, Brussels, Belgium. | |
| Brafa, with De Brock, Brussels, Belgium. | ||
| 2022 | Art Brussels, with De Brock, Brussels, Belgium. |
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
| 2023 | Fondation CAB, Saint Paul de Vence, France. | |
| 2022 |
Cape Town Art Residency, Cape Town, South Africa. |
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Banditto Residency, Montefollonico, Italy. |
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| 2021 |
Simchowitz, Los Angeles, CA , USA. |
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| 2019 |
PADA, Lisbon, Portugal. |
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| 2017 |
The Muse Gallery, London, UK. |
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Fondation CAB, Brussels.
Fondation CAB, Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
