Abid Javed

Abid Javed is a research scientist and ceramic artist who lives and works in Hackney, east London.

He combines his two passions of science and ceramics to create impressive sculptural forms inspired by molecular biology.

Predominantly he draws visual influence from his chosen field of study, often reimagining internal cells and molecules as tactile clay objects.

These structures are then combined with ornate Arabic symbolism and script stemming from the artist’s culturally-rich heritage, resulting in an unlikely yet beautiful pairing.

As a research scientist by day, Javed predominantly draws influence for his ceramic pieces from the shapes and patterns he uncovers in the intricate world of molecular biology.

“In the current collection, I have this repeating shape based on something called a nucleosome,” he explains. “It's a series of proteins onto which a thread of DNA is wrapped around.”

Through his ceramic practice, Javed is able to translate his findings from under the microscope into a tangible visual language to share these ideas with others.

“My ceramic work is somehow interconnected in such a way that the more my scientific understanding develops, I think that also informs the development of my work in ceramics as well, which is really interesting.”

All objects are hand-built and are unique, each carefully crafted around a story-line.