Louise Frances Smith MRSS lives and works in Ramsgate, Kent (UK). Louise’s practice spans sculpture, installation and works on paper. Working with an array of materials including clay, seaweed and bioplastic, Louise creates highly textured surfaces to bring attention to the patterns and textures created by nature, magnifying micro details alongside man-made interventions. By collecting materials from her local coastline to use as materials in her work, Louise’s works are conceptually and physically linked to her local landscape where she takes her inspiration.

Louise graduated from CityLit with a Ceramics Diploma (2019) and from Kingston University with a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree (2009). In 2021 Louise received ‘DYCP’ Arts Council England Funding to research the use of local materials in her work. Last year Louise was selected as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Recent exhibitions include ‘Entangled’ by Liminal Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, London; ‘Living Materials’, Aspex Portsmouth; ‘It gathered here’, Liminal Gallery, Margate; ‘Meant to Fade’, Laneway Gallery, Ireland; ‘2023 Ingram Prize’, Pavilion Gallery, London & ‘Collect Open 2023’, Somerset House, London.

studio@louisefrancessmith.co.uk
+44 (0) 7814 877 498
@lou_frances

Solo Exhibitions

2026 The Oyster, Angela’s, Margate (UK) for Off Season.
2025 Living Materials, Aspex Portsmouth (UK).
2024 It gathered here, The Cupboard, Liminal Gallery, Margate (UK).
2023 Sargassum Tide, The Margate School, Margate (UK).
2022 HOLDFAST, Experiments with seaweed, chalk & clay, Joseph Wales Gallery, Margate (UK).

Group Shows

2026 ASSEMBLY, Abject Gallery, Sunderland (UK).
2026 Micromania, Kalkman Gallery, Maastricht (Netherlands), collaboration with Liminal Gallery.
2026 Human Remains, Salon, Margate (UK) presented by Thanet Experimental for Off Season.
2025 Liminal Salon III, Liminal Gallery, Margate (UK).
2025 Works Cited, The Margate Bookshop, Margate (UK) for Margate Pride Art Trail.
2025 Anchor Points, Das Schaufenster, Seattle (USA).
2025 Entangled, Saatchi Gallery, London (UK), presented by Liminal Gallery.

2024 Open Studio and Sargassum Tide film screening, Ramsgate (UK).
2024 Liminal Salon II, Liminal Gallery, Margate (UK).
2024 Trial and Error, Work Show Grow exhibition, ASC Courthouse Projects, London (UK).
2024 Nature the Artist, The Great Reimagining exhibition (part of House of Hackney’s Garden of Tomorrow Festival), St Michael + All Angels Church, London (UK).

2023 The 2023 Ingram Prize Exhibition, Pavilion Gallery, Cromwell Place, London (UK).
2023 East Kent Open House with Substance, Margate (UK).
2023 Meant to Fade, Laneway Gallery, Cork (Ireland).
2023 The Power of Play, Work Show Grow exhibition, ASC Courthouse Projects, London (UK).
2023 Collect Open, Collect 2023, Crafts Council, Somerset House, London (UK).

2022 Winter Exhibition 2022, Thrown Contemporary, (online, selected for ‘Ripples’ Curated Collection).
2022 East Kent Open House with Clayspace Studios, Margate (UK).
2022 The Wild Collective, collaborative exhibition between Thrown Contemporary & Metafleur at Omved Gardens, London (UK).
2022 Despatch, WorkShowGrow Mail Art Collaboration, New Forest Heritage Centre (UK).

2021 Winter Exhibition 2021, Thrown Contemporary (online exhibition, selected for ‘What a Wonderful World’ Curated Collection)
2021 ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London (UK), work selected by Adelaide Damoah.
2021 East Kent Open House, Margate (UK).
2021 Online Ceramics Fair, The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield (UK).

2020 Online Ceramics Fair, The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield (UK).
2019 TROVE, Joseph Wales Gallery, Margate (UK).
2019 Art in Clay, Hatfield House, Hatfield (UK).
2019 Sixteen30, Menier Gallery, London (UK).
2019 New Designers, Business Design Centre, London (UK).
2018 Group Exhibition, Safehouse 2, Peckham (UK).

2014 Open Exhibition, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich (UK).
2009 Graduation Show, Kingston University.

Grants & Awards

2023 Ingram Prize 2023 finalist.
2023 New Wave Scholarship, A-B Projects Studio Session, July 2023, ‘Wandering as Making’ with Rosemary Hall.
2022 Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant – awarded November 2022 for 5 Month project (Dec 2022 – April 2023) – project title ‘Sargassum Tide’.
2021 Developing Your Creative Practice – Arts Council England funding – awarded April 2021 for a one year project (June 2021 – June 2022) – project title ‘Local Materials, Seaweed and Clay’.
2020 South East Creatives Top Up Grant – awarded October 2020.
2020 Time Space Money – Bursary from a-n The Artists Information Company and Arts Council England, awarded June 2020.

Residencies

2024 Mawddach Residency, Wales (UK).
2023 Joya AiR, Almeria (Spain).
2022 ReWilding Creative Residency, Glastonbury (UK).
2022 WorkShowGrow Residency, Colehaynes (UK).