Hol

Directions

Hol Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Hol, Art, Manchester.

159 PORCELAIN TIDEInspired by Ai Weiwei’s porcelain Wave, I was drawn to the contrast between the delicacy of porcelain ...
25/08/2026

159 PORCELAIN TIDE

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s porcelain Wave, I was drawn to the contrast between the delicacy of porcelain and the immense force of a crashing wave.

The piece transforms a fragile, traditional material into something powerful — reflecting Ai’s wider interest in Chinese history, craftsmanship and the way objects can carry stories across generations.

25/08/2026

158 FORBIDDEN DRAGON

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Dragon Vase and the history of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.

The dragon has always carried far more meaning than simply being a decorative motif. During the Ming Dynasty, the five-clawed dragon was closely associated with the emperor and imperial authority, making its use highly restricted.

What fascinated me was the contrast between that history and the simplicity of my material.

One blue biro.

I wanted to recreate the feeling of blue-and-white porcelain through nothing but line, repetition and thousands of tiny marks, letting the drawing slowly build like the intricate surface of a ceramic vessel.

BiroDrawing PenDrawing LineDrawing DrawingProcess ArtHistory 365DrawingChallenge

158 FORBIDDEN DRAGON Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Dragon Vase, a near-exact recreation of a Ming-period blue and white porcel...
25/08/2026

158 FORBIDDEN DRAGON

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Dragon Vase, a near-exact recreation of a Ming-period blue and white porcelain vase.

I recreated it in blue biro, focusing on the intricate detail of the original. The symbolism behind the dragon stood out to me most. During the Ming Dynasty, the five-clawed dragon was reserved for the emperor, and improper use of the imperial dragon could be punishable by death. Ai reinterprets this history by subtly adding a sixth claw, challenging the authority and symbolism held within the original.

24/08/2026

157 UMANAS GHOST

I almost missed the most interesting part.

While everyone was looking up at Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana, I found myself looking down.

The light passing through the black glass created these eerie, distorted shadows across the floor fragments of bones, bodies and forms becoming almost unrecognisable.

It felt like the sculpture had created a second version of itself.

So instead of drawing the chandelier, I drew what it left behind.

The shadow.

157 UMANAS GHOST Inspired by the shadows cast by Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana at Button Up.The skeletons become almost ...
24/08/2026

157 UMANAS GHOST

Inspired by the shadows cast by Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana at Button Up.

The skeletons become almost ghost-like across the floor. A reminder that even when the physical body is gone, its presence and memory can remain. I wanted to capture that feeling of death lingering through something as simple as light and shadow.

24/08/2026

157 UMANA

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana, The Human Comedy.

The sculpture initially drew me in because of its beauty a huge, almost luxurious black glass chandelier.

But the closer you look, the darker it becomes.

Thousands of hand-blown glass pieces form skulls, skeletons, organs, bones, animals and surveillance cameras. What would normally be a symbol of decoration and grandeur becomes a meditation on mortality, humanity and the things we try not to confront.

I wanted my drawing to keep that same sense of beauty and unease delicate lines creating something deeply unsettling.

156 UMANA Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana (The Human Comedy) A black Murano glass chandelier made from thousan...
24/08/2026

156 UMANA

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s La Commedia Umana (The Human Comedy) A black Murano glass chandelier made from thousands of human and animal bones, skulls and organs.

I was drawn to the way Ai turns something traditionally associated with beauty and luxury into a monument to death, mortality and the fragility of life. The piece confronts the reality of death rather than allowing us to look away.

24/08/2026

155 FLAGS

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Eight-Nation Alliance Flags.

At first glance, they’re visually striking, huge flags made from thousands of tiny buttons. But behind them is a much darker history.

What stayed with me was the idea of accumulation. One tiny, ordinary button means very little on its own, but millions of them become something monumental.

I wanted to explore that same idea through line work building my own interpretation one tiny mark at a time.

155 FLAGS Inspired by the Button Up installation of alliance flags made entirely from four million reclaimed buttons, ea...
23/08/2026

155 FLAGS

Inspired by the Button Up installation of alliance flags made entirely from four million reclaimed buttons, each representing a different nation.

I loved the idea of turning such a familiar symbol of identity and nationality into something tactile and unexpected. Recreating it through line work let me focus on the repetition, texture and intricate details within each flag.

22/08/2026

154 BOMBSINTHEVILLE

Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s LEGO bomb sculptures.

I was fascinated by the contradiction, taking something so closely associated with childhood, creativity and play, and using it to represent something so destructive.

The closer I looked, the more I noticed the intricate detail and the tension between the material and the subject.

I wanted to explore that same contrast through my own line work, turning the familiar into something much more unsettling.

Address

Manchester

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hol posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category