Alec Stevens is a London-based artist working at the intersection of woodcarving, gilding, and storytelling.
Trained at the City and Guilds of London Art School, his practice combines technical precision with bold, concept-led making. He creates intricately carved wooden sculptures and installations that are as materially refined as they are disruptive, using humour and craft to challenge how history is experienced.
Working across historic sites, Alec uncovers hidden and overlooked narratives, bringing them into the present through playful, material-driven interventions. His process is rooted in deep research, often developed within museums, archives, and heritage spaces, and shaped through collaboration with communities whose stories have been excluded or marginalised.
Over the past six years, he has built an ongoing partnership with the National Trust, producing nine sculptures and installations that offer fresh, often unexpected perspectives within their collections. His wider practice spans 16 international residencies alongside commissions with arts organisations, private clients, academics, and fellow artists.
As a neurodiverse and queer artist, Alec’s work is driven by a commitment to amplifying voices that have historically been left out and ensuring they are not only included but impossible to ignore.
His practice has been supported by Arts Council England, the Worshipful Companies of London, and other national arts organisations, enabling continued growth in both ambition and impact.
Who they've worked with:
Public Institutions
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
National Centre for Craft and Design
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery
Watershed Pervasive Media Studio
Educational Institutions
City and Guilds of London Art School
University of the West of England
Norwich University of the Arts
Galleries
"The work of Alec Stevens admirably shows how contemporary art can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the display and interpretation of historic properties and collections."
Curator of late 19th-century British sculpture and decorative arts, Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford.