Ildikó Sealey
Biography
I was born in Hungary in 1974 and moved to England in 1995, aged 21, by taking an unexpected opportunity. After learning English and obtaining a Secretarial Diploma, I embarked on a 14-year ‘career detour’ and worked in social housing.
I was ‘classically trained’ in the arts and crafts in Hungary. From a young age my sole interest was in creating, I only loved the technical and art classes. This led to extracurricular activities: I joined a ceramic course, then later took still life and life drawing lessons. All this supported my successful entry to one of Hungary’s four art colleges, where I studied drawing, modelling, art history and leather craft.
I always felt incomplete without a design degree, and this long-awaited opportunity came along in 2013, when, after a spell of unemployment, completion of a business course and setting up a leather craft business designing and making pet accessories, I enrolled onto a BA (Hons) Textiles course at Plymouth College of Art. Under the guidance of Programme Leader Paul Singleton and his teaching team, I obtained my long-desired Textiles degree and bagged two awards along the way.
Through a recent review of my creative side of life, three keywords jumped out at me that, I now realise, have been following me through my life: interest, determination and wanting to learn. I’ve always been interested in creating, making, materials and techniques. My inquisitive nature has led me to learn and study continuously, from work related training to a BA degree, GCSEs and a PGCE degree. Now, in my 40s, I can allow myself to do what I want, and I am determined to be a renowned Designer.
Collaborations and Volunteering
2019-present - Drawn to the Valley
2018-present - Daniel Sealey Photography and Quay Innovation
2016-present - Rhizome Artists' Collective
2016-present - Outside the Box
2016-2017 - Handmade Wellbeing
2015 - Contemporary Craft Festival
2015-present - Plymouth Art Centre / Plymouth Art Cinema
Exhibitions and Awards
2019
Ocean Studio's Makers' Market, Plymouth
DttV at The Garden House, The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum
Spring Exhibition, Devon Artist Network, Kingsbridge
Spring Exhibition, Drawn to the Valley, Gunnislake
2018
Rhizome Exhibition, University of Plymouth
The Basement Show, The Athenaeum, Plymouth
PRINT, Studio 102, Plymouth
2017
Rhizome Contemporary Open, Millfields Trust, Plymouth
Handmade Wellbeing, Superact, Wellington
2016
Rhizome Contemporary Open, Millfields Trust, Plymouth
Best of Summer Show, Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth
Graduate Show, Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth ('Enterprise Award for Graduating Artists' winner)
2015
i-dott International Wallpaper Competition, The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester (‘My Home Collection’ category winner)