Laura Ford

Laura Ford’s sculptures are faithful representations of fantasy with sometimes bitter sweet and menacing qualities mixed with tenderness. She uses humour and an acute observation of the human condition to engage with wider social and political issues. Ford’s work surveys sculptures'  ability to amplify or temper the different emotional states of the human experience, and often takes reference from her own childhood memories. Underlying much of Ford’s work is her reference to historical accounts and classical motifs allowing her sculptures to develop a story-telling quality.

 

Intensely crafted but playful, Ford builds on the narrative nature of her work through her use of a wide range of mediums such as bronze, fabric and ceramic. 

Recently, Ford was appointed president of the Royal Society of Sculptors. She also made the
move from London to West Sussex where she lives and works alongside her husband, sculptor Andrew Sabin. Matt Black Barn sits on 15 acres of countryside, and here Ford's work is quietly shifting in response to her new environment as she draws upon the emotions that arise in our interaction and intervention with the landscape. 

Laura Ford studied at Bath Academy of Art between 1978-82 including a period at the Cooper Union School of Art, New York. Her sculpture Bird Boy is currently part of the public project ‘The Line’, London’s first dedicated modern and contemporary art walk. Ford represented Wales in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005 and has had notable solo shows at the Camden Arts Centre, the Arnolfini, Bristol and the Royal Scottish Academy. Her work is represented in many public collections including; Tate, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Government Art Collection, Potteries Museum, National Museums and Gallery of Wales; Museum of Modern Art, University of Iowa; Arts Council of Great Britain; Contemporary Art Society; Unilever plc; Penguin Books; Oldham Art Gallery, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, The Meijier Gardens, Grand Rapids USA and The Gateway Foundation, St. Louis, as well as numerous private collections.