Rayvenn Shaleigha D'Clark
Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark is a London-based digital sculptor whose groundbreaking practice fuses traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology to interrogate representation, identity, and monumentality. Her hyperrealistic sculptures—created using a process she developed herself—challenge the visual and cultural canon, reclaiming space for Black and marginalised bodies in public and institutional contexts.
D’Clark’s sculptures occupy a space between the familiar and the otherworldly. Combining live casting, 3D printing, silicone pigment, and hand-applied elements such as human hair or nail varnish, her works straddle bodily realism and speculative aesthetics. At first glance, her portraiture feels startlingly life-like; but look closer, and you’ll find intentional abstraction, commentary, and disruption. Drawing inspiration from kinship, representation, and the politics of visibility, her work centres the lived experiences of women of colour and critiques the historical absence of Black bodies in Western sculpture and public monuments.
Her journey began with a formal education in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea School of Art, where she experimented across disciplines—painting, drawing, photography—before committing to sculptural practice. Her early breakthrough piece, Untitled (2016), marked the culmination of months of material research and trial. It also cemented her methodology: “sculpting with eyes closed and mind open.” Inspired by the faces of those closest to her, Rayvenn renders deeply intimate yet universally resonant works, blending affection, politics, and technical precision.
D’Clark has exhibited at leading cultural spaces including Saatchi Gallery, Carl Freedman Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, Gucci Circolo Shoreditch, and Royal College of Art. She has presented work alongside iconic artists such as Tracey Emin, Banksy, Joseph Beuys, and Ai Weiwei, and her sculptures are held in private collections around the globe. Her presence extends beyond the gallery—she’s appeared on BBC Live, Next Big Thing, and Arte TV to discuss the role of art in challenging structural inequities and championing emerging talent through sustainable creative ecosystems.
In 2024, D’Clark unveiled her most ambitious project to date: ‘Black Renaissance’, a trio of permanent bronze sculptures at the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Alabama. Commissioned as a multi-million-pound public work, the project is historic—not only in scale but in its symbolism, representing a new era of visibility for early-career Black women artists. As a tribute to those whose stories remain undocumented, the sculptures are poised to be seen by millions annually and have been featured by The New York Times, The Art Newspaper, Architectural Digest, and CNN as one of the most significant cultural destinations of 2024.
Rayvenn’s work navigates the complexities of race, gender, and visual culture with both gravity and playfulness. Her sculptures oscillate between uncanny realism and vibrant abstraction, using scale and detail to interrogate how identity is constructed and consumed. Informed by intersectional theory and lived experience, her practice celebrates the nuance of individual narratives over homogenised community tropes.
With a rapidly growing international following, D’Clark continues to push the boundaries of who gets to be seen, remembered, and celebrated in contemporary sculpture—rewriting the monument, one figure at a time.
Rayvenn has been showcased in many Creative Debuts events and exhibitions
