DATE: 23 August 2022

York Art Gallery is celebrating the acquisition of a spectacular ceramic work from Phoebe Collings-James’s through help from the Contemporary Art Society and support from the Art Fund, the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Fund, and Sarah Nichols.

‘How many times can I surrender to you? (your living has taught me how not to die)’, made in 2021, is currently featured in our exhibition Body Vessel Clay. Curated and conceived by Dr Jareh Das in partnership with Two Temple Place, Body Vessel Clay brings together artworks by three generations of Black women artists working with clay.

Collings-James refers to the work as a ‘clay painting,’ a medium that emerged from her desire to push clay into new forms and exploring its structural qualities. The artist interacts with clay as a living material, thinking about its texture, physical qualities, and connections to her own living self.

For the artist, the work represents a figure stretching itself in ‘polar directions,’ pulling itself apart. It is a richly textured and dynamic celebration of clay and embodied selfhood. The title of this work comes from a poem written by the artist, with the parenthetical coming from the song ‘Nothing Beautiful’ by Beverly Glenn Copeland.

Phoebe Collings-James, said; “I am honoured to have my clay painting be part of the York Art Gallery collection, alongside ceramic works that I feel in tender, inspired and critical dialogue with. The desire I have for my work is to create a multifaceted, choral approach to the subject of bodies, whether they be human or psychic bodies, a body of water or the clay

earth that is formed on its banks. I am thinking about clay as a fire body, an alert surface with which to explore vital emotional fields of experience.”

Helen Walsh, Curator of Ceramics at York Art Gallery, said; “This acquisition is an exciting addition to the York Art Gallery’s rich collection of work by leading British ceramicists from the nineteenth century through the present day. We are committed to collecting work that is at the vanguard of artistic practices in clay. Collings-James’s radical practices are informed by Black feminist writing, historical narratives of ceramics, community-building, and the physical and material properties of clay. We are thrilled to add her work to our collection.”

Caroline Douglas, Director of Contemporary Art Society said; “We are proud to have been supporters of York Art Gallery since 1913. In that time we have donated 130 works to the gallery and it is exciting to see this major new work by Phoebe Collings-James join what is one of the most important collections of ceramics in the UK.”

‘How many times can I surrender to you? (your living has taught me how not to die)’ can be seen in Body Vessel Clay at York Art Gallery until 18 September 2022.