“She is one of the most hard-working artists I have ever worked with as a curator, and she works in one of my favourite mediums – ceramics,” says Joseph. “But most of all, I love her bravery as an artist, as a storyteller, as a feminist and as a woman. Lindsey’s artistic practice explores everything from the Gothic to Greek mythology and horror flicks to the autobiographical, mining her own brushes with depression, heartbreak, hirsutism and polycystic ovary syndrome, and making the personal political but with a humorous spin.”

Since receiving an MA in sculpture from the RCA, Mendick has subverted the historic connotations of clay as a medium associated with decoration and the domestic to create elaborate installations that celebrate the contemporary female experience.

Mendick told us: “Much of my work takes its inspiration from the anxieties of everyday life.

“I feel that my autobiographical work offers a form of catharsis, encouraging the viewer to explore their own personal history through the revisionist lens of the artist. I want the work to challenge the male gaze, promoting instead an unapologetic, humorous and, at times, grotesque femininity.”

It’s put her on the radar of not only Joseph but curators around the world and the judging panels of the Henry Moore Foundation artist award, which she won in 2020, and the Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award, which she won in 2018. In addition to being selected for the $100,000 2021 Future Generation Art Prize, Mendick has also been included in solo and duo exhibitions across the world at London’s Cooke Latham Gallery and Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, VITRINE Gallery in Basel and Visual Arts Center in Texas among many others.

Joseph says: “Lindsey works in such a generous and collaborative way with other artists, having collaborated with fellow friend and artist Paloma Proudfoot as the artistic duo PROUDICK for several years now. I curated their first solo exhibition at Hannah Barry Gallery, London in 2019 and included their work in another group show I curated in 2020 in Rome at the Sara Zanin Gallery. Lindsey has now set up a project space with her partner Guy Oliver in Margate called Quench Gallery where she and Guy champion other artists by giving them the space to experiment in exhibitions hosted in their studio space, which also includes a purpose-built exhibition space.”

Generous with her time and talent, Mendick will next be working on the Future Generation Art Prize in Kiev and Venice before showing in New York for the first time with Jeffrey Deitch. She will also be creating artworks inspired by Beano for an exhibition at Somerset House curated by Andy Holden and another duo show with Paloma Proudfoot at Hannah Barry Gallery.