Nothing says Tile Addict like the tag “The Revolution will be Ceramicised”, and one of Britain’s most notable Tile Addicts is none other than Carrie Reichardt. The outspoken, political, art-fuelled activist is a tremendous asset to the tiling community as we have previously demonstrated with our article on the meaningful mosaics of The Treatment Rooms – which was in fact Tile Addict’s first article ever.
It is her large-scale murals, as well as her anti-establishment ideals, which have made her somewhat of a celebrity in artistic circles. Reichardt’s activism is craft-centric, advocating for the use of art as a means of protest and a force for good. Not only this, she is a firm believer in art as personal therapy with her own art brand aptly named ‘Mad in England’.
Dada the Trojan Horse – a sculpture from the Fine Horse Parade in 2011 which details the atrocities horses have endured at men’s hands with ceramic tiles depicting this history. The work was created in collaboration with Nick Reynolds.
Mary Bamber – a sculpture at the museum of Liverpool commemorating one of the lesser known activists of the suffrage movement. The ceramic tiles covering the base of the work details the names and acts of her fellow suffragettes whilst her clothing is created from radical mosaic designs.
Not only are we able to enjoy Reichardt’s public works, but a large range of unique tiles with slogans and a vintage kitsch style are available on her website, created from reclaimed Italian tiles with overlaid hand-cut transfers. Trinkets, plates, teacups, and crockery are also given a new lease of life, re-fired with modern motifs featuring skulls, statements, and spirit.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, June 2020.
2 thoughts on “Reclaimed Radical Representation”