rebecca appleby
Rebecca Appleby is a British ceramic artist and sculptor based in Yorkshire, UK. Working from her studio at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, she creates contemporary sculptural works that explore the relationship between geology, architecture and the passage of time. Her practice investigates how materials hold memory, drawing parallels between weathered stone, constructed environments and the traces of human presence.
Working almost exclusively in clay, Appleby challenges traditional perceptions of the material, creating sculptures that possess the visual weight and permanence of carved stone. Through processes of building, carving, layering and erosion, each work develops a rich, painterly surface that speaks of excavation, transformation and endurance.
Her current body of work centres around three interconnected series—Quarry, Lithic and Block—which together explore the journey of material from extraction to construction. These sculptural forms balance raw geological presence with refined architectural language, occupying a space between landscape and monument, object and memory. Influenced by the geology and industrial heritage of Yorkshire, her work reflects on the quiet beauty found in weathering, imperfection and the slow passage of time.
Rebecca has exhibited nationally and internationally, with work shown in the UK, Japan, Taiwan and Mexico. She has received recognition through awards including the British Ceramic Biennial AWARD, an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) award, and selection as a Professional Member of the Contemporary Applied Arts and the Royal Society of Sculptors.
Alongside her studio practice, Rebecca co-founded Clay Yorkshire, where she teaches specialist ceramic courses with fellow sculptor James Oughtibridge, welcoming artists from across the UK and around the world to their studios at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Rebecca Appleby
British Ceramic Artist & Sculptor
Based at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Yorkshire, UK
Website: www.rebeccaappleby.com
Email: rebeccaappleby23@gmail.com
Education
1999–2001
BA (Hons) Ceramics, Edinburgh College of Art
1998–1999
Pre-BA Foundation, Batley School of Art
Professional Experience
2023–Present
Co-Founder, Clay Yorkshire, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
2012–Present
International workshops, masterclasses and private tuition
2001–2013
Lecturer in Ceramics, Kirklees College
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025
Edgelands, Haptic/Tacit, County Hall Pottery, London
2023
Matter, Burton Gallery, Bideford
2021
Battleground, Redcar Palace, North Yorkshire
Infrastructure, &Gallery, Edinburgh
2019
Inner Order, Contemporary Ceramics, London
2018
A Fractured Harmony, &Gallery, Edinburgh
2016
Solo Exhibition, Linda Bird, London
Selected Group Exhibitions & Art Fairs
2026
Taiwan Biennial
Tokyo Exhibition, Japan
2025
Collect Art Fair, Somerset House, London (&Gallery)
London Art Fair (&Gallery)
David Parr House, Cambridge
Annual Winter Exhibition, &Gallery, Edinburgh
2024
Appleby & Oughtibridge, Clay Yorkshire, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Lemon Street Gallery, Cornwall
Private Tuition, Qatar
2023
British Ceramic Biennial – AWARD Exhibition
30::30, &Gallery, Edinburgh
Handbuilding, Clay College, Stoke
2022
Ceramic Art London
Thresholds, Marchmont House, Scotland
On Paper, &Gallery
2021
Leeds Summer Group Show
Tiny Yet Mighty, &Gallery
2020
Palm Beach Modern & Contemporary, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Florida, USA
Winter Exhibition, &Gallery
2019
Young Masters Exhibition, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London
Summer of Ceramics, Doddington Hall
When All Is Quiet, York Art Gallery
London Art Fair (&Gallery)
2018
Relic, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool
Artist Focus, Bevere Gallery
Morphology, Lotte Inch Gallery
Edinburgh Art Fair (&Gallery)
2017
Pangolin London
Himalayan Gardens Sculpture Exhibition
Ceramic Art London
Inception, &Gallery
Public Commissions
2017–2019
Latent Power
Commissioned by Leeds City Council in partnership with East Street Arts, Kirkstall, Leeds.
Awards & Professional Recognition
Award Artist, British Ceramic Biennial (2023)
Arts Council England – Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) Award
Emmanuel Cooper Prize, Ceramic Art London
Selected Professional Member, Contemporary Applied Arts (formerly Craft Potters Association)
Selected Professional Member, Royal Society of Sculptors
Shortlisted, Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize
Best Newcomer Award, Ceramic Art London
Jan & David Roberts Sponsorship Prize
Shortlisted, Henry Rothschild Memorial Bursary
Public Collections
Crafts Council Collection
Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA), York
Marchmont House Collection
Lotherton Hall Collection
Private collections throughout the UK and internationally
Publications & Features
Ceramic Review – Meet the Maker
Ceramics Now
British Ceramic Biennial
Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA)
The State of the Arts
Ashley Thorpe, Contemporary British Ceramics: Beneath the Surface
Artist Statement
Rebecca Appleby is a British ceramic artist whose sculptural practice explores the relationship between geology, architecture and material memory. Working from her studio at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, she creates contemporary ceramic sculpture that examines erosion, construction and the passage of time. Her current trilogy of work—Quarry, Lithic and Block—investigates the transformation of material from extraction to architecture, drawing upon the landscapes and industrial heritage of Yorkshire. Through carving, layering and painterly surface treatments, her sculptures challenge perceptions of clay, creating works that possess the visual weight and permanence of stone while retaining evidence of the hand.
Join Axis
We support artists
Funding, visibility, connection and practical help.
Membership includes £15 million of Public Liability Insurance!