Professor Rob Ward

Biography

Rob Ward was appointed Professor of Sculpture at the University of Huddersfield in October 2010. He studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and at the University of Reading before going on to study at the Athens Polytechnic Ecole de Kalon Technon and the Academia Di Belle Arti in Rome.He was Principal Lecturer and Head of the Centre for Sculpture at Bretton Hall, University of Leeds from 1989 – 2010. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, the Royal Society of Arts a board member of the European Sculpture Network and consultant to Shanghai Sculpture Park. Rob has exhibited widely in prestigious international exhibitions, including the Sydney Biennale, a retrospective exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds and was invited to participate in a survey of British Sculpture at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice and as a British representative at Scultura Internationale in Turin, Italy. Recently he has completed a major exhibition at the Shanghai Sculpture Park and published a monograph of 40 years of work, published by Making Space and Yale University Press. Since 2000 he has been making large scale monumental sculpture in Germany, Italy, China, Taiwan,U.S.A, Luxembourg and the U.K.

Research & Scholarship

Rob Ward’s research is practice based, pursuing themes which have been ongoing for 40 years. The work concerns a dialogue between sculpture, drawing and painting exploring the spaces between 2 and 3 dimensions, both actual and metaphysical spaces which create tension between object, subject and the imagination. Throughout the work the intention is to inculcate the viewer into a relationship which is meditative, reflective and mindful of the sanctity of place. This can be either gallery or public space. Subject matter can be from poetry, music, architecture or transcendent ideas taken from the purely visual. The object is to create visual poetry. Materials used change depending on the theme being explored but are rooted in the tradition of painting and sculpture. Small scale works are made in bronze or wood. Rob also works to commission having completed major commissions internationally. Large scale work is designed to interact with the environment, using stainless steel bronze and recently marble. The most recent commission is a 12 metre high structure called Chapel for a public space in Shanghai. He is represented in many collections world wide and has to date completed 28 one person exhibitions.

His other area of interest and research is the development of British art education since 1950, having worked on and collected for the National Art Education Archive at Bretton Hall. The developing process has been the subject of 3 international conference papers since 2009.

Research Areas:

Sculpture and Education in the arts

Research Funding:

Chin Pao San Group, Taiwan
Shanghai Sculpture Park
Henry Moore Foundation, UK
Menin Developments, USA
Peel Holdings, UK
Piedmontese art association
City of Grugliasco, Italy

Esteem Factors:

Member of Board EU Sculpture Network
Arts Council Assesor
Consultant Shanghai Sculpture Park
Fellow of the R.S.A
Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors
International Juror, Guilin Art Awards
Keynote speaker European Sculpture Network conference, Kunsthalle Graz, Austria
International Design Conference, University of Illinois Chicago
Conference organiser Sculpture in Landscape, University of Leeds and European Sculpture network.

Impact:

Rob Ward's work and research has substantial impact world wide with regular invitations to speak, exhibit and produce large scale public work.

Publications and Other Research Outputs

2012

Ward , R (2012) Guilin Yuzi Paradise Sculpture Symposium [Show/Exhibition]

Ward, R (2012) Carving in Britain From 1910 to Now [Show/Exhibition]

2011

Ward, R (2011) International Sculpture Symposium [Show/Exhibition]

Ward, R (2011) International Sculpture, Yue Hue Museum, Shanghai, China [Show/Exhibition]

2010

Ward, R (2010) Scultura Internationale a Racconigi [Show/Exhibition]

Ward, R (2010) Shanghai Sculpture Park . Shanghai: Shanghai Sculpture Park .

Ward, R (2010) ‘The Developing Process’. In: Fourth International Conference on Design Principles and Practice, 13-15 Feb 2010, University of Illinois