The Strange World of the Charity Shop Orphans

Artist, Emma Harding, began the Charity Shop Orphan project five years ago when she found that a childhood passion had re-surfaced and she couldn’t pass a lone china ornament in a second hand shop without buying it and taking it home, even though she didn’t like them much.

Once home these ubiquitous objects were transformed, re-painted and given a name, grouping them into families such as the Crail’s or the Parmigiani's. These beautifully surreal creatures now take on a personality all of their own that is both humorous and absurd, referencing childhood obsessions with toys such as the sylvanian families.

Here, Emma explains her reasoning:

“In my childhood I shared a room and a large elongated MFI dressing table with my sister. Through the centre of the table was a clear divide, my half and hers. My side always hosted a carefully orchestrated and forever altering parade of china animal ornaments.

What is now apparent to me is how my taste for many of these ornaments could not be rekindled in adulthood and no matter how much I had been drawn to them as a child a different attraction had now taken it’s place. Perhaps a nostalgia or the desire to take a look at past innocent attractions drives me to paint and adorn each one according to my new, adult tastes, redefining their place in my world”

One off signed pieces, each piece arrives in a box with a certificate.

Visit the Ceramic Department to view the whole collection