Viewing Electric Kiln at Rajan Bijlani

Rajan Bijlani is a collector and dealer of 20th century art and design, who last year opened his home and collection to the public for the first time, with an exhibition of artists and designers of South Asian heritage. In time for Frieze week, Bijlani is extending this invitation once again with a new exhibition at his London base, originally designed as a studio for the ceramic artist Emmanuel Cooper.

Electric Kiln pays homage to this history of the space, exploring into the ceramic works of Cooper and Lucie Rie, juxtaposed with charcoal drawings by Frank Auerbach, presented on Chandigarh tables and desks, and amidst a collection of modernist furniture pieces by Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier. It is a stunning, three-floor show with a synergy of tones, textures and materials between these approaches, made immersive in this intimate setting overlooking Primrose Hill.

And at the centre is the electric kiln – both a tool and a metaphor, a machine for firing clay but also the site of transformation. This spirit is what guides the exhibition – as the title suggests – positing the idea of London itself as a kiln, a place where the creative practices of Cooper, Rie and Auerbach, who all arrived in the city early in their careers, flourished and forged new ideas. It’s a poignant, timely love letter to London and to the pursuit of beauty that happens here.