Contemporary Applied Arts is delighted to present Forging Forms, an exhibition of contemporary metalwork and jewellery, on view in the gallery 1 - 29 August 2026.

Forging Forms explores the expressive possibilities of contemporary metalwork, celebrating makers who transform raw material through skill, precision, and imagination. Bringing together works in silver, steel, copper, bronze, aluminium, and mixed metals, the exhibition highlights the remarkable breadth of approaches within contemporary practice, from meticulously crafted vessels and sculptural forms to innovative jewellery and functional objects.

Jeweller Jane Adam sees metal as her 'natural language', but she is unconstrained by its traditional rules. She says: "I push my materials to their limits to explore their inherent qualities, such as how a metal tears or gains texture under stress, or the way a scratched line changes its physical character when it is stretched or compressed."

Kate Bajic uses the countryside around her Leicestershire home as inspiration for her beautiful contemporary jewellery, in particular the varied textures and forms found in lichen. Her latest series of caddy spoons use the sinuous forms of seaweed to bring a sense of movement to sterling silver.

Michael Carberry creates work that reflects the process of its construction, allowing the surface qualities produced to trace their own development. He is known for his distinctive style of jewellery, which owes a great deal to sculpture, with his hand forged rings, bracelets and neck pieces looking as if they have grown from the metal.

At the core of Gill Forsbrook's practice, whether the end result is jewellery or sculpture, is "the collaborative action between myself, material and process". In her new sculptures in copper, brass and stainless steel, overlapping geometric forms morph and shift as the gaze moves around them.

Kathryn Hinton's silverware and jewellery bring traditional hand skills and digital technology into dialogue with one another. Realised in precious metal using 3D printing with lost wax casting and computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling with press forming, her boxes and vessels explore emerging surfaces and faceted forms.

Trained as an architect, Mara Irsara creates unique, handmade jewellery in her London atelier, transforming geometric, primordial forms into bold sculptural pieces that illuminate the wearer. Each piece is conceived as a miniature sculpture that comes fully to life through being worn, inviting interaction, provoking thought, and reflecting Irsara's belief that making is an ever-evolving way of being.

Metalsmith Claire Malet finds her inspiration in natural forms and landscapes, and in the exploration of the relationship between the metals with which she works and the environment from which they are sourced. Through her on-going work with ‘found’ metal cans, she is exploring ideas of production, transformation, renewal through decay and reuse. She is also interested in perceived value; taking a throw-away, manmade, mass-produced food-can, Malet ‘transforms’ it into a ‘precious’ vessel.

Scrutinishing both form and surface, sculptor Jacky Oliver strives to bring the material to life, interrogating its qualities, celebrating the hands on manipulation of the material. She investigates how elements can be combined to create artefacts, which stimulate viewers to consider and reflect on the piece on a number of levels.

Marian Ripoll's pieces are meticulously handcrafted using precious metals and upcycled materials, resulting in an intriguing interplay of precision and symmetry with a sense of visual tension. She draws inspiration from the exploration of space, the movement of lines, and the play of light and shadow. This ongoing exploration infuses her work with a dynamic quality, resulting in sculptural pieces that are as captivating as they are functional.

Inspired by nature, folklore, and the creatures that inhabit both, Rie Taniguchi creates sculptural objects and wearable works that explore themes of survival, extinction, and transformation. Combining techniques including press forming, raising, construction, and carving in silver, she presents her work as poetic installations that invite viewers to interpret their own meanings.