Robbie Williams has partnered with hometown ceramics firm 1882 Ltd. to create technicolour artworks of Jesus and The Pope, which went on show at Frieze in London earlier this year.
The two pieces have been brought to life by the masterful hands of 1882 Ltd.’s craftsmen based in Stoke-on-Trent: not only the historical epicentre of British pottery, but also Williams’ childhood hometown, which will be celebrating 100 years of its city status in 2025.
“I'm from Stoke and we are the Potteries and it's what we are famous for,” says Williams. “And it's what has given us relevance on the map, in the UK and around the world. It is ingrained in me - we are of clay.”
Collaborating with 1882 Ltd. has provided the singer with a natural connection to the art he is now making, as well as to the place where he grew up, and where many of his family have worked in the industry.
He described creating the works with 1882 Ltd. as a "blessing" and said it "feels good" to be creating art with a firm from Stoke-on-Trent. “
Drawing with either POSCA pens or an iPad, Williams creates what he calls ‘inklings’ - personal reflections or observations of others, resonating with a vivid pop art sensibility. These inklings are often vulnerable or self-deprecating, sometimes naughty (even a little lewd), other times empowering or poking fun at celebrity and wellness culture, but always imbued with William’s wry wit.
They are, in some part, inspired by the work of British painter David Hockney, American multimedia artist Alex Izrael, and Picasso’s abstracts. The sight of John Lennon's book A Spaniard in the Works thirty years ago still resonates with Williams today.
“His very simple, childlike drawings really appealed to me, they weren't of the art world, and I suppose that planted the seed that maybe art was something I could also do,” he explains.
Transforming these flat, freehand drawings into generously scaled, robust 3D works proved no small feat. It took one of 1882 Ltd.’s master potters weeks to build the pieces through the technique of clay coiling, five weeks for each one to dry, then even more weeks to go through a series of firings and painting. Perfecting the brilliance of the colour palette, which traverses across shades of cobalt blue and lime green to fire engine red, neon yellow and bubblegum pink, also took much trial-and-error owing to the clay’s propensity to absorb the pigments, dulling the end result.
The task of framing these mighty pieces of art went to another Potteries-based business, Art Studio Gallery, which is one of several galleries in and around the city now which specialises in exhibiting local art and artists, and which also runs an annual programme of events and exhibitions.
Creative Director, Co Founder and Owner of 1882 Ltd, Emily Johnson is a fifth generation of the famous Stoke-on-Trent Johnson Brothers family. And at the core of her company is progressive design and industrial craftsmanship.
“We produce a combination of essential objects and special pieces that highlight the centuries of industrial heritage craft skills and knowledge that reside in the heart of the British ceramics industry, Stoke-on-Trent,” she says.
In the thirteen years since forming the company, 1882 Ltd. has worked ceaselessly to be true to its manifesto, collaborating with pioneering artists and designers such as Barnaby Barford, Max Lamb, Faye Toogood and John Pawson, producing works of art as well as tableware.
Her most recent collaboration has been with Robbie Williams.
His art is described as autodidactic: his intention neither political nor disrespectful. Rather, it reflects the singer’s ongoing internal questioning about the ideas of belonging and community, his constant need for attention and approval, and the aim to encourage a dialogue with those viewing them, whether they be friend or foe.
He also realises his work is not for everyone: “I’m in a pop star box, and if the pop star starts acting differently from the way a pop star should, then it causes confusion”. But creating art for his own pleasure has given Williams the freedom to be audacious, to consider himself an ‘image maker’: “I've never had the lofty belief that I am an artist.”
His hard work has paid-off. This year, alone, his work has been on show in two solo exhibitions, Pride & Self-Prejudiceat Moco Museum Amsterdam and Confessions of a Crowded Mind at Moco Barcelona.
Creating these works with 1882 Ltd., he says, also feels like a blessing.
“I don’t say that in a namaste way, I say that in a very genuine way. It just feels good in my heart. I'd love to be able to intellectualize it but it's very simple: I'm from Stoke and I'm doing art and so is Emily.”
The latest news from 1882 Ltd. is “music to the ears” of everyone involved in generating a party atmosphere in The Potteries in 2025, to mark the fact that Stoke-on-Trent gained city status exactly 100 years ago, in 1925.
As a world capital of ceramics, Stoke-on-Trent’s cultural and artistic heritage not only runs deep, but also reaches back over the centuries. Affectionately known worldwide simply as “The Potteries”, the city has been encouraged by the response so far to its call to celebrate the centenary, and is now creating a year-long programme of events and activities to build upon its Celebration Weekend of 7 and 8 June.
At present there is no visitor experience at the 1882 Ltd, works, but for anyone looking to take a fresh look at The Potteries in its anniversary year, the range of attractions nearby include World of Wedgwood, which incorporates the V&A Museum Collection; Gladstone Pottery Museum; Emma Bridgewater; many factory shops and tours; and The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, which houses The Spitfire Gallery and Staffordshire Hoard collection.
The internationally renowned British Ceramics Biennial is also set to return to the city in the autumn of 2025.
1882 Ltd. founder Emily Johnson puts it all into perspective: “It is inspiring to see someone of Robbie’s calibre exploring an artistic venture and supporting his Stoke heritage by choosing to work with 1882 Ltd and our team of master potters. Robbie is an audacious visionary and it has been a joy to work with him and bring his artwork to life - a true meeting of the minds of Stokies.
“And this is just the beginning…”