“Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark”
BIOGRAPHY
b.1995, London, UK
Black British-Caribbean Artist
UK-based Digital Sculptor, Writer and Researcher
Rayvenn Shaleigha D'Clark MA, FHEA, MRSS (she / heR) a digital sculptor based in London, has gained international recognition with her works exhibited alongside renowned artists such as Tracey Emin, Ai Wei Wei, Joseph Beuys, and Banksy.
Her art has been praised and acquired by international private collectors, and she has showcased her work in prestigious institutions like the Carl Freedman Gallery, Gucci Circolo Shoreditch, Mall Galleries, Royal College of Arts, Victoria & Albert Museum, and Saatchi Gallery. D'Clark has also made appearances on art shows such as the Next Big Thing (Jan 2021), Arte TV (Jan 2023), and BBC Live (2023), discussing the importance of supporting emerging creative talent in the UK and addressing sector inequalities with sustainable business models.
Despite challenges, Rayvenn has garnered substantial audiences in the UK and US, as well as press and social media attention. She addresses contentious topics like slavery, inequality, and equity through anti-violence motifs, challenging stereotypes in today's visual culture and maintaining a strong global and UK audience, particularly in cities embracing monuments of people of colour.
Aware that monuments and public sculptures often overlook communities of colour, D’Clark wants to celebrate her anonymous peers, commemorating hidden figures in the public realm. Drawing on her personal experience as a minority ethnic artist facing challenges in securing funding, she uses her voice to empower communities of colour through visual storytelling, addressing painful histories in the UK.
Her innovative oeuvre bridges the gap between tradition and technology, blending digital and traditional artisanal techniques, creating figurative technology-driven sculptures using intuitive Haptic ‘touch’ devices in digital environments. These sculptures depict complex representations of black anatomy.
In 2023, Rayvenn opened her studio, Sculptural Drawings Ltd., and secured nearly two million pounds in funding for permanent sculptures in the US and UK in under ten months.
In March 2024, D'Clark unveiled her largest project to date - a multi-million pound permanent public project in the United States at a historic site in Montgomery, Alabama. Her three bronze sculptures, titled ‘Black Renaissance’ — a new and original series of artworks at Equal Justic Initiative’s (EJI) Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in 2024 — is noteworthy not only for the size of the commission award but for being awarded to an early-career black female artist under the age of 30. It holds the potential to reshape narratives around the topic of slavery, with over two million visitors anticipated at the site.
In April 2024, Rayvenn was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 (Art and Culture) in Europe.
Rayvenn also received the joint award for the Best Component for the most technically challenging casting component at The Cast Metals Federation (CMF) in late 2024, in collaboration with Maybrey Precision Casting.
Rayvenn is a finalist for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2025
“IN THE SCULPTURE OF RAYVENN D’CLARK,
THE BLACK BODY IS LAID IN TRACTION; UNENCUMBERED...”
T e s t i m o n y
Myself and the rest of the Heritage Center team have never seen work like this before.
I personally have watched the intro video to your website dozens of times trying to understand how your pieces are printed.
I’m blown away each time. You have amazing pieces that are concentrated on the Black Body Politić.
“I Don’t See Color” (2018) is a beautiful piece that appears to be a simplistic piece but actually shows a Black Woman in a headwrap.
The name could be interpreted in a variety of ways but the way in which I do is that although a Black woman, she’s a human being at the core, just like the other 7 billion people in the world, emphasizing her humanity. She breathes, exists, and thrives.
The texture and hyperrealism in the “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don’t Love Jesus” piece is mind-boggling! The title alone is a huge conversational piece, even more so with the piece itself. We can see what appears to be a light scar on the upper ankle, slight skin pigmentation from what could be bruising from an overworked person.
