Nicky Backlund
BA Ceramic Design - Central Saint Martins, 2024
After enjoying a full and long career in the entertainment industry, Nicky Backlund decided to follow her passion for the creative arts, saying goodbye to the corporate world in 2019 and enrolling in the Art & Design Foundation course at Working Men’s College in Camden, where she first fell in love with ceramics, before moving on to Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins.
Backlund enjoys the challenge of creating both functional and decorative pieces. Her ‘Essence’ collection was created in response to a brief to create tableware for the Coal Office restaurant and was awarded a prize by Tom Dixon himself, who praised the connection that ‘Essence’ captures between the history and textures of the building and the food served.
Backlund’s latest body of work and her first fully self-directed project, Unseen Realities of Motherhood, was exhibited at the Lethaby Gallery as part of an exhibition campaigning to address issues faced by parents in higher education. The theme of motherhood is frequently present in her work, perhaps unsurprisingly as she is herself a mother of three, and our inspiration is often a reflection of ourselves. She plans to continue exploring the overarching theme of motherhood as the driving force of her work.
Awards and residencies:
Shortlisted for Evening Standard Art Prize 2023 (Winner announced 6th September).
Instagram: @Nixbkb
