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.