As Tile Addicts, it’s not uncommon to spy noteworthy tiles wherever we go. Exciting street art, a colourful facade, an intriguing cafe floor or even restaurant bathroom can spark joy and tickle tile-addicted tastebuds, but today’s find is a little more out-of-the-box and perfect for our week of artists.
Wandering aimlessly along the streets of Margate led us to a small shop window with some intensely curious artwork. Two pieces of brutalist sculpture stood out, irregular blocks of reinforced ‘concrete’ decorated in a delighftully familiar style.
Distracting from the protruding steel rods were two beautiful blue and white motifs by Britain’s answer to Add Fuel – Grimski. Seeking inspiration amongst architecture and the industrial power of Brutalism, Grimski’s paintings and sculpture carry an intensity with their rugged edges and interrupted decors. Imitating the intimidating presence of heavyweight building materials, Grimski utilises thick blocks of polystyrene, disguised, practical, and virtually indistinguishable from cumbersome concrete.
The pieces that caught our eye – Delft 1 and 2 – are the only ceramic-inspired pieces amongst colourful graffiti and abstract sculptures. Sitting as shining examples of Grimski’s inclination towards mixing materials, finishes, and creating friction between components, these pieces bring Brutalist intensity alongside quaint, detailed artistry with, in Grimski’s own words, “the hand-painted delicate pottery fronting an austere broken concrete slab with it’s severed reinforcing exposed.”
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, February 2023.