SuppliedInner Reflections, Outer Perceptions
Tuesday, April 2 to Tuesday April 19, 2016 (Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
The Front Gallery (12323 104 Avenue)
Free
For sculptor Blake Ward, a work of art is a conversation between an artist and their audience. His contemporary sculptures amount to more than just visually striking, thought-provoking eye candy, they are Ward’s meditations on the human experience.
Since graduating from the University of Alberta with a Fine Arts degree in 1976, Ward has made an illustrious career as a visual artist specializing in classical figurative sculpture. His recent work challenges traditional techniques in the field, resulting in provocative and visually striking depictions of the human figure. His recent work aims to captivate viewers on a visceral level, challenging our notions of beauty and the human condition.
“Art is a wonderful medium through which to communicate,” Ward says. “I use figures because it’s something we can all identify with. The medium alone is a wonderful way to talk about ‘us’. That’s my purpose in my work, to communicate as much as I can.”
Inner Perceptions, Outer Reflections will present Ward’s recent work from The Spirits collection, which challenges viewers to explore their inner selves. Through his work, Ward hopes to inspire discussions revolving around consciousness, spirituality as well as what makes us who we are.
The Spirit collection, which will be featured at the Inner Perceptions, Outer Reflections gallery, is a deeper dive into the abstract and ethereal. The Spirit collection consists of partial bronze figures depicting the human form. The interiors of the sculptures are exposed, serving to represent the connection between the physical body and the inner landscapes within us. In other words, it’s a commentary on the “trinity of human complexity,” of mind, body and spirit.
The collection was heavily influenced by Ward’s experiences with meditation, as well as the work of various thinkers in psychology and philosophy. He feels society is warming up to the idea of spirituality (as a practice distinct from religion) and consciousness exploration.
“In my last show at the Front gallery, we had words on the wall that read ‘Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes.’ It’s a quote from Carl Jung,” Ward says. “One of the reasons I opened up the interior is to show people that we are important, and yet many of us suffer terribly from low self-esteem. We should never question our self worth.”
The Spirit sculptures combine the familiar with the mystical, taking inspiration from various sources within religion and mythology. Ward’s definition of “spirit” is similar to what many would consider to be the “soul” or the human psyche.
On a socio-political level, the Spirit collection, consisting largely of female figures, is also a commentary on women’s rights, particularly in parts of the world like Saudi Arabia that neglect the issue. He views the “status”, or lack thereof, of women in some cultures to be one of many issues that divide the world.
Ward often combines his artistry with social activism to raise awareness about humanitarian issues. His previous series of sculptures entitled Fragments was made in dedication to landmine survivors, many of whom he met during his years teaching in Vietnam. Fragments features a collection “deconstructed” sculptures of human bodies — which, essentially, involved Ward defacing and damaging his own work.
“What I did to my art was, in effect, destroy it, or part of it,” he explains, emphasizing the idea that there is a particular beauty that can be found in destruction. “It symbolizes what war does to a society.”
While on the surface the Spirit collection doesn’t hold an explicitly humanitarian angle, one of Ward’s main aims is to inspire people to look deeper into themselves, as well as what it means to be human.
“I hope that it will inspire people to look inside themselves. I’m trying to inspire them to [realize] who they are and how wonderful they are, to look into self-awareness and self-esteem.”
