Henry Ward is an artist, writer, curator and educator living in London.
He works primarily as a painter, but also makes drawings and small sculptures. He is interested in exploring the language of paint by investigating the threshold between abstraction and representation. He maintains three specific sites of practice; his kitchen table, where he makes small objects, his shed, where he paints on paper, and the studio. These three spaces create an ongoing dialogue between different ways of working and different paces.
He was shortlisted for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize in 2018, 2019 and 2022, and longlisted for the Contemporary British Painting Prize 2021. He was included in the inaugural “The Football Art Prize” in 2022. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions. The first substantial publication about his work, “Shed Paintings – Henry Ward”, was published in February 2021 by Hato Press and features 101 works on paper and a new essay by Ben Street.
He is the Director for Freelands Foundation (www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk), and launched the Freelands Painting Prize in 2020. Previously he was Head of Education at Southbank Centre and worked in a variety of roles at Welling School, a Specialist Visual Arts College, where he led on the school’s specialism. In 2002 he established the alTURNERtive Prize, an annual award celebrating outstanding student practice. In 2011 he founded the biannual arts and education periodical, æ (www.wellingvisualarts.org). He is a visiting lecturer at UK art schools including Bath Spa University, University of Brighton, Manchester School of Art, Plymouth College of Art and Wolverhampton School of Art, and a mentor on the Turps Art School Correspondence and off-site courses.
He has written and lectured widely on the arts and education, with a particular focus on teaching as an artistic practice. He was an advisor for Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin from 2018-21 and curated a two day event, “Assembly”, investigating approaches to public engagement in 2018 and a follow up, “Assembly II” in 2021. He is a trustee of Bolton Contemporary and has been an advisor for Iniva and the Crafts Council.
In 2023 he undertook a residency at The Albers Foundation, Connecticut.
Contact
email: henryhawksleyward@gmail.com
instagram: henzward
Biography
Born 1971. Lives & works in London
Solo Exhibitions
“Medusa & Other Stories” London Art Fair, Kittoe Contemporary, London 2024 (forthcoming)
“From Woolwich” Oasis, Frinton on Sea 2023
“Baffle” Aleph Contemporary, London 2021
“Abracadabra” AMP Gallery, London, 2018
“Henry Ward” Stark Gallery, London, 2004
“Henry Ward – Paintings and Drawings” North Bank Gallery, London, 1995
Selected Group Exhibitions
“Carnevale – Friendly Little Monsters” Vivienne Roberts Projects, London 2023 (forthcoming)
“Don’t Look Back” Vivienne Roberts Projects, London 2023
“Public Notices” Deptford X, Art Hub Gallery, London 2023
“Look Both Ways – Dan Preece & Henry Ward” Kittoe Contemporary, Curious Kudu, London 2023
“Collection 04” Felt, London 2023
“Colour, Texture, Sunstance, No Name” Warbling Collective, Kingsgate Space, London 2023
“A Little Closer” Aleph Contemporary, London, 2023
“Shapeshifters” Irving Contemporary, Oxford, 2023
“Small is Beautiful XL” Flowers Gallery, London, 2022
“Swamp Legends” Terrace Gallery, London, 2022
“The Aesthetics of Enchantment in Abstract Art” Aleph Contemporary, London, 2022
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, touring UK, 2022 – 2023
“on Surface – Perspectives on Painting” Messums London, 2022
Beep Painting Biannual 2022, Elysium Gallery, Swansea 2022
“A Generous Space 2” The New Art Gallery, Walsall 2022
“Works on Paper 4” Blue Shop Cottage, London 2022
“Roam” Rebecca Gilpin & Henry Ward, Fitzrovia Gallery, London 2022
“The Football Art Prize” Touchstones, Rochdale then touring 2022
“On Paper” The Paper Museum, Manchester, 2022
“In Awe of You” Liliya Gallery, London, 2022
“Lido Stores Open” Lido Stores Gallery, Margate, 2021
“A Generous Space” Hastings Contemporary, Hastings, 2021 – 2022
“Lost in Abstraction 1, 2, 3” Henry Ward & Mark Wright, curated by Alistair Hicks, Aleph Contemporary, London 2021
“Oxlade Soup” co-curated with Karl Bielik and Angela Johnson , Terrace Gallery, London, 2021
“Your Foot in my Face” curated by Dan Howard-Birt, Kingsgate Space, London, 2021
“This Year’s Model Part III” Studio 1.1, London, 2021
“Swimming Backwards” Sid Motion Gallery, London, 2021
“Studio Confetti” curated by Karl Bielik, Terrace Gallery, London, 2021
Drawing Biennial 2021, The Drawing Room, London, 2021
“Without Borders” Elysium Gallery, Swansea then touring to Norway, , USA, Canada, Venice and Japan, 2021 -22
Wells Contemporary 2020, Wells 2020
Hastings Open, Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, Hastings 2020
“Way Out” La Grange Gallery, Cernay-Lès-Reims France 2020
Beep Painting Biannual 2020, Elysium Gallery, Swansea 2020
“Binary” Shift, Cardiff and Terrace Gallery, London, 2020-2022
“This Year’s Model Part II” Studio 1.1 Gallery, London, 2020
“6 Days in December”, curated by Martin Gayford, Thameside Gallery, London 2019
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, touring UK, 2019 – 2020
“A Tapered Teardrop” curated by Karl Bielik, Terrace Gallery, London 2019
“Fully Awake 4.6” Edinburgh, 2019
“Paint” PS Mirabel, Manchester, 2019
“Trade Show” curated by Karl Bielik, London, 2019
Bath Open Art Prize, 4ADD, Bath, 2019
“Super Cuts” Art Hub Gallery, London, 2019
“This Year’s Model Part II” Studio 1.1 Gallery, London, 2019
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, touring UK, 2018 – 2019
“This Year’s Model Part I” Studio 1.1 Gallery, London, 2018
“Peckham Open” Peckham Platform, London, 2015
“Fludde” Farnham, 2012
“Deltiology” Cole Gonzalez, London, 2011
“Atelier” The Berwick Road Gallery, London, 2008
“Jonathan Purday & Henry Ward” Brockley Mess, London, 2006
“Feel ‘it Gushin’” Galleryesque, London, 2005
“Tap”, APT Gallery London, 2004
“Assembly” London, 2000
“That’s All Folks!” The Art House, London, 1997
Lena Boyle Fine Art, London, 1995-1998
South London Open, South London Gallery, London, 1995
“Quite Another Matter” TUC Building, London 1993
“Expanding Evidence” Winchester Gallery, Winchester, 1992
Exhibitions Curated
“Cuckoo” featuring Zac Bradley, Alex Crocker and Daniel Pettitt, Freelands Foundation gallery, 2023
“Triangle” featuring Will Kendrick, Catherine Parsonage & Jess Power, Freelands Foundation gallery, 2022
“Donachie Rhodes Ryan” Freelands Foundation gallery, London 2019
“Repeat Repeat”, Freelands Foundation gallery, London 2019
“Look”, Freelands Foundation gallery, London 2018
“Prologue”, Freelands Foundation gallery, London 2018
“Mirrorcity Remix”, Hayward Gallery Project Space, London 2014
“Atelier” The Berwick Road Gallery, London, 2008 co-curated with Andee Collard
“Feel ‘it Gushin’” Galleryesque, London, 2005 co-curated with Andee Collard & Jason Welling
The alTURNERtive Prize, Berwick Gallery, London 2002 – 2013
“Quite Another Matter” TUC Building, London 1993
Residencies
The Albers Foundation, Connecticut USA 2023
Wolverhampton Art School 2019
Collections
Soho House, London
Reviews, Articles & Publications
“Baffle” review AN Magazine https://www.a-n.co.uk/reviews/henry-ward-baffle/
“From Gutter to Gallery” Art Daily 2021 https://artdaily.cc/news/137087/From-gutter-to-gallery–Aleph-Contemporary-exhibits-works-by-Henry-Ward-#.YOwugBNKiYA
Shed Paintings – Henry Ward (including essay by Ben Street) Hato Press
Henry H Ward – Glorious Like Guston https://lonelyocean.art/
“Coronavirus – How artists are depicting the lockdown” Ella Wills, BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52296886
“Self help is key for an art world in lockdown” Laura Cumming, The Observer https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/mar/29/self-help-is-key-for-art-world-in-lockdown
“A Tapered Teardrop” Terrace Gallery by Geoff Hands https://fineartruminations.com/
“About Abstraction – an interview with Henry Ward” Chris Francis https://www.artpedagogy.com/about-abstraction-henry-ward.html
Talks & Lectures
Henry Ward has lectured on art education nationally and internationally, including at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Karlsruhe University Karlsruhe, National Art Teaching Conference Dublin, Martin Gropius Bau Berlin, Goldsmiths, UCL/Institute of Education, Cambridge University, University of the West of Scotland, Manchester Metropolitan University, Reading University, University of the West of England, Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, Ikon Gallery Birmingham, the Engage Conference Liverpool and the Zart Conference, Australia
Television
“Utilising the Specialism” Teachers TV Production, 2009
“KS3 Contemporary Art” Teachers TV Production, 2006
Education
Middlesex University, PhD, 2013
Goldsmiths College, PGCE Secondary (Art), 1999
Winchester School of Art, BA Hons (Fine Art), 1993
Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design, Foundation Diploma, 1990
Employment
Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin, Advisor 2018 –
Visiting Lecturer, UK Art Schools 2017 –
Freelands Foundation, Creative Director, 2017 –
Freelands Foundation, Head of Education, 2015-2017
Southbank Centre, Head of Education, 2014-2015
South London Gallery Consultant (Teachers’ Forum), 2008-2012
BBC Bitesize, Blast and Broadband Learning Consultant, 2008-2011, 2015
Welling School, Deputy Head Teacher, 2008-2013
Welling School, Director of Art, 2006-2013
Welling School, Head of Faculty of Art, 2003-2006
Welling School, Deputy Head of Art, 2001-2003
Welling School, Teacher of Art, 2000-2001
Langdon School, Teacher of Art, 1999-2000