Matthew Raw

Works in Clay

About

Matthew Raw working in his studio

“Raw’s sculptures, reflect our relationship with the built environment, and remind us of the role we each play in shaping our cities and accommodating others within them.”

Alun Graves, Senior Curator of Sculpture and Ceramics at the 
V&A Museum, London


My work uses clay to explore community, language and social history. With a particular focus on ceramic tiles, I often involve social making, and attempt to strike a balance between the historical and future. I’ve shown and installed work across the UK, in the USA and throughout Europe. My practice exists between galleries, museums, the public realm, interior design, residencies and education establishments.

A founding member of ‘Studio Manifold’ (est. 2010) in East London, my time is split between there and ‘Atelier Ernest’ – my workshop in Paris. I am an associate lecturer at The Royal College of Art, and a visiting lecturer at Central St Martins. Projects in 2024 will include new site-specific artworks in Bristol, Leeds and Kent, and developing new tiled furniture for a number of clients.

Projects, exhibitions and workshops

  • 2024

    • Bristol site-specific project

      Working with Ginkgo Projects, Studio Hive and AHMM Architects to develop a 450m long artwork for a public canalside walkway in central Bristol.

    • A row of large, colourful tiles stacked against a wall

      Large-scale mural in Leeds

      'In Favour of Colour on Buildings' is made and ready to hang this year. Made celebrate the local and diverse community around 'East Street Arts' in Leeds, UK.

    • Victorian toilet project, Kent

      Working with the team at 'The Exchange' in Erith, Kent to creatively repair sections of their amazing Victorian tiled toilets.

  • 2023

    • Mural on 'The Generator' building, Loughborough

      ‘Art School Types’ is a typographical exterior tiled artwork for Loughborough. Funded by Arts Council England and LU Arts.

      View project

    • 'Ruche' drinks cabinet

      A new piece of furniture made in collaboration with Travis Dinsmore. Shown with 'Meillart', Paris. Please get in touch for more details.

    • New packaging for Austin Austin

      A glazed texture of mine turned into a gift box to house the soap dish and candle pot I made a few years back. Thanks to Ray O'Meara and Austin Austin.

    • Welcome Sidetables

      The two new side tables are an extension of the 'Welcome' range for The New Craftsmen. Launched at The Design Centre, London in pink and olive.

      View project

    • Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show

      A display of tiles at the iconic RA Summer Show from the 'Clay Station' project made in collaboration with Assemble for Art on the Underground.

    • The Welcome Drinks Cabinet

      Launched at London Design Festival 2023 with The New Craftsmen, this is the biggest piece in the collection and was a real labour of love!

      View project

  • 2022

    • Two women stand in front of an artwork of large, colourful tiles

      Large-scale mural for The University of Warwick

      ‘Faith in the Miraculous’ is a 5 x 15m architectural mural exploring the sharing of ideas and knowledge on the new Arts & Humanities building.

      View project

    • Salt glazed ceramic pot with text

      ‘Heart & Soul’ pot

      A joyous collaboration with St Ives potter Matthew Foster. Salt glazed pot made in response to a mudlarking project on the Thames foreshore.

    • Wall hung light with three elements

      ‘Thames Light’

      Wall light inspired by the colour, form and texture of historical ceramic sherds found on the foreshore of the River Thames.

    • ‘The Welcome Table’

      Ceramic clad columns support a beautiful English oak surface to create the dining table. An extension of my Welcome range with The New Craftsmen.

      View project

    • Two artworks sit on top of a cabinet

      ‘Hjem’ (Private commission)

      Four new textured pieces made bespoke to sit on classic Danish furniture for a home in London.

  • 2021

    • Blue ceramic candle pot and candle

      Austin Austin candle pot and soap dish

      Products designed and developed for the organic company. Available through their website.

    • A cafe counter with the base covered in yellow hand-made tiles

      Chloé pop-up café

      A hand-made tiled café bar in the heart of Paris for the pop-up from Chloé with Alain Ducasse.

    • A sideboard clad in handmade blue tiles

      ‘Welcome Sideboard’

      New ‘petrol blue’ colour developed for this larger tiled piece made for The New Craftsmen.

      View project

    • A ceramic artwork in four pieces hanging on a painted brick wall above an old fireplace. The artwork includes the text ‘He knew that was London. England was in London somewhere. But he did not know just where’

      ‘Panel Discussion’

      At ‘London Making Now’ – an exhibition of contemporary making in London, at the Museum of London.

      View project

    • A still from a thermal imaging camera showing a group of people in front of a very hot car

      ‘Kuragama-a’ for Biennale de Saint-Etienne

      Exploring the work and ethos of the Accolay Pottery with the 47-2 Collective.

      View project

  • 2020

    • Brown glazed tiles laid in a herringbone pattern. Most of the tiles are smooth but a few have a fluid pattern cut out of them

      ‘The Rustication Collection’

      Range of commercial tiles developed with Froyle Tiles for The New Craftsmen.

    • A green tiled cupboard in front of a blue tiled wall and next to a table and chair

      ‘Welcome Cabinet’

      Clad in hand-made tiles inside an out. Launched with The New Craftsmen at London Design Festival.

      View project

    • A table covered in pink tiles in a home with patterned rugs and plants in front of a fire place

      Table for Henry Holland

      A unique piece for a unique client! Based on vintage carrying trunks, this piece works as a plinth and coffee table.

    • A circular ceramic artwork sits on a wooden plinth in front of a red brick wall

      ‘At The Pit Of One’s Stomach’

      Artwork made especially for ‘Beirut Re-Store’, a charitable initiative founded after the 2020 Beirut blast.

  • 2019

    • An art gallery with a large ceramic installation

      ‘Tactile Change’ solo exhibition

      A body of tiled work exploring societal progress. At Plymouth College of Art. Arts Council England funded.

      View project

    • Three women sit on one of two tiled lanterns in a garden and look at a toddler in front of them

      ‘The Denney Lanterns’

      Sculptures made for, using and in the gardens at Rainham Hall, Essex with community gardener Jesse Lock.

      View project

    • A variety of different ceramics on a pink table in front of a grey wall

      ‘Brutalist Textures’

      Three month long architectural ceramic workshop inspired by and made at the Barbican Centre, London.

    • An art gallery with ceramic artworks on the wall and floor

      ‘Verso Nuovi Canoni’ (‘Towards New Canons’)

      Group Exhibition showcasing British ceramics at the ICA, Milan curated by Tommaso Corvi Mora.

      View project

    • A colourful tiled mural with the words ‘listen here flower’ stands on two trestles

      ‘Listen Here Flower’

      Transient tiled mural designed and made in collaboration with John Booth at Amastan, Paris.

      View project

    • A green tiled artwork hangs on a brick wall. The text ‘History has remembered the kings and warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created. William Morris’ is debossed into the tiles

      ‘Created in the East’

      Commissioned by Get Living for a new building in Stratford, East London. Quote by William Morris.

  • 2018

    • ‘Clay Station’

      Hand-made tile collaboration with Assemble for commission by Art on the Underground at Seven Sisters Station, London.

      View project

    • A group of people in a room. Three of them are holding a wooden structure in a the shape of a simple building

      ‘Clad’ workshop

      Thinking through material exploration in responses to notions of cladding and covering at Konstfack University, Stockholm.

    • A large piece of clay shows impressions where plates and cutlery were placed

      ‘The Malleable Table’

      The marks of a dinner party captured on a soft, clay table top. Event at Selfridges, London with The New Craftsmen.

  • 2017

    • Three large, tiled artworks hang in an old building and curve up and over away from the wall

      ‘Come Away In’

      Made for the ‘Award’ Exhibition in the Spode Factory at the British Ceramic Biennial, Stoke-on-Trent.

    • Three rows of 5 tiles sit on individual plinths on a wall alongside other artworks

      ‘Individual Motives’

      Exhibited in the group show: 'Sculptural Ceramics & Stone’ at Pangolin Gallery, London.

    • A visitor photographs an artwork at Matthew Raw’s 2019 exhibition ‘CLAD’

      ‘Clad’ solo exhibition

      Body of work exploring my role in East London. Shown at The Ragged School Museum and funded by Arts Council England.

      View project

    • A rough ceramic tile with the words ‘London Bridge Quarter’ cut out

      ‘Generic, Meaningless Crap’

      Piece made from clay dug from London Bridge station. Shown with the ACWU at Southwark Cathedral, London.

    • an orange ceramic tile with the word ‘family’ embossed hangs on a red brick wall

      ‘Bute Mills Tiles’

      Site-specific commission by curator Kerry Campbell working alongside young people in Luton for the charity Youthscape

  • Earlier

    • A handmade ceramic artwork with colourful glazed patterns

      Mawuena Kattah pot collaboration

      Working with Intoart and Mawuena towards her show at Tenderbooks, London (2016).

    • An artwork leans against a wall. The words ‘heavy space utilisation of course cessation’ are displayed on the artwork

      ‘Heavy Space Utilisation’

      Collaboration with Thom Swann at the V&A Museum for London Design Festival (2015). Exploring the depleting number of material based courses in Higher Education.

    • Matthew Raw works on a large artwork covered in dark pink tiles

      ’Tower of Tiles’

      Participatory artwork as part of my residency at the V&A Museum, London (2015).

    • Three ceramic artworks against a white background

      Victoria & Albert Museum residency

      Six month residency in the studio in the Ceramics Collection (2014-15).

    • Two people stand in front of an artwork of a tiled facade of a pub. The text ‘The SHIFTING SPIRIT’ is visible on the artwork. More people are visible through a doorway into the next room of the art gallery

      ‘The Shifting Spirit’

      The Jerwood Makers Award. Touring show: Jerwood Space London, Newton Abbott and Gallery Oldham (all 2014).

    • Two people stand in front of the words ‘HIGHLAND PARK’ on a wall

      ‘The Disaster Tourist’

      Work made during my residency at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Detroit (2011).

    • A ceramic sculpture with extruded letters jumbled together

      Royal College of Art exhibition

      ‘A Confusing Welcome’ – part of my Masters body of work entitled ‘Displacement’ (2010).