_________
Helena Lacy is a London-based ceramic artist whose practice is inspired by natural movements and the way they shape and distort materials, both gradually and suddenly. She works with the tension between structure and unpredictability, using experimental glazing and printing techniques to replicate natural patterns. Drawn to the contrast between flow and form, she embraces the kiln as an active collaborator, allowing chance, distortion, and transformation to shape the final outcome.
Storytelling is central to Lacy’s process. While her work often begins with found natural objects, she is increasingly interested in how all objects can carry memory, place, and meaning. By focusing on overlooked details and subtle marks of use or origin, she uncovers the quiet narratives embedded in material things. These narratives become the foundation for new ceramic forms, objects that speak to memory and place. Her series Object Narratives translates these discoveries into sculptural works, using innovative glaze printing techniques to apply map-like markings that reference each object's original location. In doing so, she embeds traces of memory and environment into the surface of each piece.
In her most recent series Re-print, Lacy reinterprets classical blue and white ceramic imagery, particularly scenes of landscapes and nature, through the lens of distortion. She experiments with layering different visuals and their associated stories, creating shifting narratives that explore the tension between preservation and change. By manipulating these familiar images, she questions how history is retold through material. The series marks the beginning of a wider research project into the origins of these images and the cultural narratives they carry.
Lacy’s Fingō Furniture range extends these ideas into functional sculptures. The name fingō, derived from the Latin meaning to form, shape, and touch, captures the essence of the work. Inspired by the comforting weight and shape of a beach stone found on the Jurassic Coast, each piece is designed to hold just one — one cup of tea, one book, inviting moments of stillness, reflection and reconnection with oneself. The series explores themes of re-grounding, domesticity, and the quiet rituals of everyday life, highlighting the personal relationships we form with the objects that shape our homes.
Lacy holds an MA in Ceramics from the Royal College of Art and a BA in Technical Arts and Special Effects from Wimbledon College of Art. Her academic background alongside international residencies has fostered a deep sensitivity to material, process, and place. Environmentally conscious, she prioritises reclaimed and locally sourced materials, small-scale production, and work that encourages slow, thoughtful engagement. Her practice invites viewers to reconnect with nature, memory, and materiality in a more mindful way. She is currently a resident artist at the Sarabande Foundation.
