Robyn Ward is an Irish contemporary artist. He uses mixed media on canvas and combines abstract and realist approaches. He is based in Mexico City.
Robyn Ward | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | Campbell College |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Known for | |
| Website | robynwardart.com |
Early life and education
editWard was born on 3 October 1982 in Dublin, where he lived for five years before moving to Belfast.[1] In 2019, Ward claimed that Campbell College expelled him aged fifteen[1] and that he spent his teenage years skateboarding and painting graffiti on derelict buildings[2] before adopting a nomadic lifestyle.[3]
Ward left Belfast at age 18 and went on to work in studios in Bangkok, Shanghai, Amsterdam and Mexico City.[3]
Career
editWard paints on canvas, using a multi-layered style.[4] He uses a mixed media of acrylics, inks, watercolours, Oil paint and spray paint.[4]
Ward cites Jackson Pollock, Banksy, and Hieronymus Bosch as inspiration for his work.[2] His subject matter comprises personal reflections and socio-political commentary.[2] This has included messages about sustainability, racism and bigotry, and the conflict in Ireland.[5]
Ward has worked under several pseudonym and collectives, but in 2016, he broke his anonymity and has since worked under his birth name.[6]
In 2018, the Art Attack Exhibition at the Royal Monceau Gallery in Paris featured Ward's work.[4] In the same year, Ward displayed his artwork in six other exhibitions and solo shows.[4] His solo exhibition 'Once Upon a Time', held in May 2018 at the House of Fine Art in London, combined images of popular children's cartoon characters with reflections on racism and bigotry.[7] For example, one piece depicted Bugs Bunny with a picket sign reading 'no Blacks, no dogs, and no Irish'.[8]
Ward has exhibited at Moniker Art Fair in 2018 and 2019[9] and as part of the 10th anniversary fair in 2019, he auctioned his work to help fund charities working to preserve endangered species.[10]
In 2019, Ward exhibited a series of artworks entitled 'Plastic Nation' that aimed to draw attention to the global environmental crisis. The pieces focused on the impact of the world's consumption of single-use plastics.[1] Ward auctioned some of the artworks from 'Plastic Nation' to raise funds for a non-profit animal welfare charity.[11]
Ward's 2021 exhibition 'Fucked at Birth' depicted destruction, violence, and societal breakdown as a continuation of ‘Plastic Nation’. The exhibition was first held in Mexico City in October 2021, followed by New York, London, Los Angeles and São Paulo.[12]
In May 2023, Ward debuted his first solo exhibition in the US, ‘Walking in the Dark,’ at 82 Gansevoort Street in New York.[13] The exhibition was curated by Shai Baitel, the artistic director of the Modern Art Museum Shanghai (MAM) and featured twenty-two abstract paintings and six freestanding sculptures in a darkened room. This series of works was based on the themes of migration and trauma,[14] inspired by ‘Ward's nomadic lifestyle’.[15]
Ahead of London’s Frieze Art Fair week in October 2023, Ward exhibited ‘Walking in the Dark’ at the Old Sessions House in collaboration with musical artist and member of The Big Pink, Robbie Furze.[16] The exhibition included Ward’s twenty-two abstract paintings and six freestanding sculptures alongside an original composition created by Furze in response to the artworks.[17]
The week before the exhibition opened to the public, Ward and Furze hosted a private dinner, auction, and private viewing to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Ward’s ‘Walking in the Dark’ is currently on display at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai (MAM) from March 2024 as part of their 2024 programme, which includes work from David Hockney and Marina Abramović.[13] The exhibition will remain on view to the public until the end of May 2024.[18]
‘Walking in the Dark’ is scheduled to be exhibited at Gallery Rosenfeld in Fitzrovia, London, in September 2024[19] and at The Yarn, a new arts and cultural centre in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in 2025.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c Beattie, Jilly (5 March 2019). "Expelled from Campbell College, now artist Robyn Ward is on the wall with Banksy". Belfast Live. Reach plc. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Gordon, Len (9 September 2021). "Robyn Ward: An examination of destruction and society's systematic breakdown". Art Plugged. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ a b Roy, David (14 March 2019). "Artist Robyn Ward depicts endangered species in debut Irish exhibition". The Irish News. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "On the Spotlight Robyn Ward Fucked at Birth". Art Market Magazine. No. 62. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Cowan, Katy (8 May 2018). "Once Upon a Time: Robyn Ward's paintings of iconic cartoon characters have a dual meaning". Creative Boom. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Len (6 September 2021). "Robyn Ward: An examination of destruction and society's systematic". Art Plugged. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "A clash of cartoons and racism brings Robyn Ward's work to gritty life". Big Issue. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Robyn Ward's exhibition launch". Tatler. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "ROBYN WARD". Moniker Art Fair. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Moniker hosts final art fair in a move to combat the Climate Crisis". MiS Magazine | Daily exploration of Creativity & Innovation. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Tenembaum, Laura (11 October 2019). "Nonprofit Group, Music Against Animal Cruelty, Raises Funds To Save Wildlife". Forbes. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Len (6 September 2021). "Robyn Ward: An examination of destruction and society's systematic". Art Plugged. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Robyn Ward: Walking in the Dark". Art Plugged. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Robyn Ward: Walking in the Dark — CAI". 20 June 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Matt Smith and Daphne Guinness among stars at The Big Pink frontman Robbie Furze's exhibition with Robyn Ward". Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Walking in the Dark - Exhibition at Knotel at Old Sessions House in London". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Lim, Wilson (6 October 2023). "Irish Artist, Robyn Ward's New Solo Exhibition "Walking in the Dark" Launches On the Eve of Frieze London Art Fair". LUXUO. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Robyn Ward - Walking in the Dark | MAM Shanghai". MODERN ART MUSEUM SHANGHAI. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Irish contemporary artist Robyn Ward on painting a global canvas". The Irish News. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Robyn Ward was expelled from school at 15 for being 'uncontrollable'– now the Irishman is an internationally acclaimed artist". www.independent.ie. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.