Profile

Alison Aye was born in County Durham. Daughter and granddaughter of seamstresses and pitmen, her working class upbringing is at the root of everything she makes. A world of trade union banners, ‘nameless’ crafters and self-less women, in which most things were made and repaired rather than bought. She makes contemporary collage, whilst respecting traditional craft techniques.

Working primarily with hand-stitch, she is a social commentator, motivated by injustice, popular culture, politics and consumerism. Her work is often satirical and darkly humorous. Using discarded materials, like newspapers and old clothes, she records what she sees, producing a visual diary reflecting local, global and highly personal events.

Her practice is slow, not just the tiny hand-stitching, but the meticulous recording of materials, which form an integral part of her process. Some pieces take decades to complete.

A finalist in the Evening Standard Art Prize (2018), the Brixton Art Prize (2022) and featured on Joe Lycett: Public Exhibitionist (BBC, 2022), she studied at Goldsmiths’ College in London, where she now lives and works.

She longs for a world where a working class accent isn’t synonymous with low intellect, and education is open to all. She is a proud supporter of Arts Emergency, a London based charity helping young people get a fair start in the Arts.