John Rainey works primarily in sculpture, combining traditional casting processes in materials like porcelain with digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printing.
ARTIST BIO
John Rainey is a sculptor based in Belfast. He completed an MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art (London, 2012) and has been awarded residencies at Konstfack University for Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (2013) and the British School at Rome (2018). Solo exhibitions include STATE SHIFT, BERG Gallery, Stockholm (2022); SLIP TANK, Naughton Gallery, Belfast (2021); Playground, BERG Gallery, Stockholm (2019) and On Visibility, Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast (2016). His work is held in public collections including the UK Government Art Collection and the Arts Council NI Collection.
Proposals for Queer Bodies in Public Space (Flag), 2025, John Rainey, 100 x 70 cm, Recycled RPET Material 110gsm.
Above left: Drag Eagle, John Rainey, 2024, Parian Porcelain, solo exhibition at The Golden Thread Gallery. Image: Philip Sayer
Installation image of STATE SHIFT, John Rainey, 2022, solo exhibition at Berg Gallery, Stockholm. Image: Julija Ruart.
His recent work focuses on sculptural copies, glitches and alternatives, using re-imaginings of sculptural histories to consider current ideas and ideals.
Installation image of SLIP TANK, 2021, John Rainey, solo exhibition at the Naughton Gallery, Queens University Belfast
Installation image of SLIP TANK, 2021, John Rainey, solo exhibition at the Naughton Gallery, Queens University Belfast
His sculptures emerge from periods working back and forth between these digital and physical worlds, often featuring material illusions and disprution of familiar forms.
Erroneous Restoration Study #1, 2022. John Rainey, 24 x 9.5 x 6.8 cm, Jesmonite and 3D Print
Oculus Venus, John Rainey, 2023, Venato Orto di Donna, Grigio Vagli and Nero Marquina, Image: Silvia Martinelli
State Shift, John Rainey, 2024, Parian porcelain, solo exhibition at The Golden Thread Gallery. Image: Philip Sayer
