Dazzle Invites | Katherine James

Katherine James is an artist based in Leeds best known for her subversive ‘Chainmail-Lace’ technique which she applies across jewellery and sculpture. Her collections explore gendered materiality and the complexities of our identities.

Her process involves patiently placing individual silver links of varying sizes into the fabric of her work to slowly build highly intricate and symbolic patterns. By crafting a ‘masculine’ material of chainmail -associated with protection and aggression, into a ‘feminine’ aesthetic of lace -associated with delicacy and prettiness, Katherine’s pieces advocate for a nuanced understanding of our complex conditions.

Katherine graduated in 2020 with a degree in Art and Design from the University of Leeds where she was awarded the Berkofsky Art Prize. She went on to exhibit in the Crafts Council’s graduate showcase before then completing their prestigious ‘Crafting Business’ Programme funded by Crafting Europe. Pieces from her ‘Lace Armour’ collection featured in London Craft Week ‘21 with Ruup & Form Gallery and in the summer of 2022, she exhibited her full range of sculpture and jewellery at ‘One Year In’ for New Designers. Her conceptual masks and veils are also featuring in the ‘Fashion for Bank Robbers’ exhibition at the Maximilians Forum in Munich until October.

Katherine James is showing an exclusive range of jewellery as part of the third edition of our virtual Dazzle exhibition – Dazzle Invites.

Dazzle invites 30 contemporary jewellers, showing unique, one-off or limited edition designs, created specially for the exhibition. All pieces are available to purchase from 16 November 2022 – 8 January 2023.

See the full selection of Dazzle Invites designers here >