About
John Rainey (b. 1985) is a Northern Irish sculptor based in Belfast, working primarily in parian porcelain and stone. His practice combines traditional casting techniques with digital processes, exploring the shifting relationship between material, image and identity. Drawing on classical sculpture, mythology and decorative histories, Rainey deconstructs and reconfigures familiar forms into hybrid, often unsettling compositions. Fragments of bodies, ornamental motifs and historical references are recomposed into works that blur distinctions between human, object and illusion.
Central to his practice is the idea of the “error” or “glitch” — not as a failure, but as a generative space for transformation. His sculptures challenge fixed ideas of beauty, authorship and authenticity, reflecting the fluidity of identity in both physical and digital worlds. Materials are pushed to behave unexpectedly, with porcelain mimicking softer substances and recognisable forms shifting into ambiguous, unstable states.
Rainey holds an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art, London, and has undertaken residencies at the British School at Rome, Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, and the Digital Stone Project Residency in Italy. His work is held in major public collections including the UK Government Art Collection, the Ulster Museum and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
