Emmely Elgersma

(b 1990, United Kingdom. Lives and works in London)

"Surrounded by buckets of PVA glue and stacks of newspapers; Emmely Elgersma uses her studio like a surreal kitchen; concocting wonky sculptures and wobbly objects that look good enough to eat (but probably don't taste very good). Elgersma's work is rooted in her formal training as a ceramicist; with a few jokes thrown in. The result is an exploration of what vessels mean to us as human beings; like those old Roman pots they keep digging out of holes in Wiltshire; but bright pink or baby blue instead; and full of the heady power of everyday emotions; like the memory of winning the World Cup in 1966 or drinking afternoon tea with your nan. She is absolutely serious and utterly unserious at the same time. Currently; she's waiting to see if she's made it into the Guinness World Record books for making the biggest ever papier-mâché sculpture back in February 2019. It was very; very big. Too big; if anything. She's recentlycompleted her FA Level 1 coaching qualification so will happily tell you why 4-4-2 is more effective with a diamond and inverted wingers. The result is a joyous collision of colour; history; football and ceramics.