Weird and wonderful

Consuelo Radclyffe’s fantastical figures are taking over the Neighbourhood gallery space for our second member show of the year, opening with a launch party on Saturday, 21 June.

Consuelo Radclyffe’s fantastical figures have been stopping people in their tracks on the Queens Road ever since they first appeared in the window of Neighbourhood pottery studio last year. They’re just too irresistiblystrange to walk past. Masked revellers with pointed ears and long noses. Children conspiring in whispers. Mermaids and invisible friends. They’ve multiplied over the past few months and now a crowd of them are poised to take over the Neighbourhood gallery space for our second member show of the year. It should be quite a spectacle.

“My figures are often described as dark, joyful and weird,” says Consuelo. “Childhood memories are my main inspiration. The sculptures are made from clay, wire and clothes designed uniquely for them. Many of my ideas come from objects found in scrap yards, such as gratings, birdcages, metal boxes or any material that may trigger my memories or recall stories in the memory of others.” It’s this story-telling aspect that makes the figures so intriguing. They cast a kind of spell; like they have truths or secrets to share.

Titled Caretas: Fantasy and Folklore, the new show is Consuelo’s first in Hastings, but she’s previously exhibited the length and breadth of the country, and in her native Brazil. She has lived in the UK for 40 years now, but she hails from Salvador de Bahia, “a very pretty city, by the coast, with miles of beaches.” It’s in Brazil’s northeast, a region particularly rich in folklore with its own carnival tradition, darker and more homespun than the more famous festivities down south in Rio.

Bahia is the home of the caretas, those eerie masked figures that are Consuelo’s trademark. Their history is murky, but they are said to be based on a notorious drunk, who when banned from the carnival returned wearing a scowling mask – and carrying a whip. “I remember everyone used to make their own masks and gowns,” says Consuelo. “They were very colourful and funny, but also quite scary, especially for children.”

Consuelo’s passion for clay began as a child. But it really took off in mid-life, when she left her job and took a BA in ceramics and mixed media at Westminster University in Harrow. She finished her degree in 2008 and soon started racking up exhibitions – often with fabulous titles: Fantastic Beasts, Once Upon a Time, Fables and Figments – including a stint at the prestigious Ceramic Art London.

She moved to Hastings from London last year – and loves it. “It’s so nice here. It has such a friendly atmosphere. It’s a very artistic place, with lots of creative people.” She soon joined Neighbourhood, becoming one of its first members. “I’m so glad I found them. I have a studio at home, but I think you need to be with other people, sharing your ideas. Neighbourhood is fantastic for that. It’s a real community. It is my favorite place to go every week.”

Consuelo making at Neighbourhood

Watching her making is fascinating. She often uses moulds to create the faces of her figures, but that’s just the beginning. As she tweaks and embellishes, they take on a life of their own. “I think this one is flying a kite,” she says of one. And that’s how it turns out.

The show will feature work of all shapes and sizes, some old favourites, like the caretas, some new, including the weird and wonderful poster piece, a girl pushing a wagon full of imaginary friends. “I just want to share what I make,” she says. “I want people to smile.” Looking at Consuelo’s work, it would be hard not to.

The launch party for Caretas: Fantasy & Folklore is 4pm-7pm on Saturday, 21 June at Neighbourhood pottery studio, 73/74 Queens Road. All are welcome. The show can also be seen on Saturday, 5 July and Saturday, 19 July, 11am-4pm, or by appointment.