Blake Ward in his studio. Courtesy of the artist.
Trained in the classical principals of figurative sculpture, Blake’s early work is heavily grounded in form, beauty, and the perfection of the human body. From there the work moved from the classical strictness of form toward the florid inner world of content where the purely aesthetic ideals have been abandoned giving the limelight to introspection.
“I wanted to renew my relationship with the traditional figure. I want the narrative within the form to speak of our nature and the mysteries of our human condition, to open a conscious, intentional correlation between the external surface of the figure, that represents our image, and an internal awareness that allows us to awaken to who we are.” – Blake Ward.
Blake Ward, Phantom 2 Sky, 2013, bronze and gold, 91 x 17 x 36 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
With that departure, Blake’s sculpture has strived to contribute to the betterment of society. He challenged himself to make a difference by seeking to change the world through truth-telling images that portray both the tragedy and the beauty that exists within each one of us. Inspired by the remnants of war and the shattered lives left behind, Blake created a series of sculptures to raise money in order to clear landmines. The beauty within the sculptures is hidden by the intentional destruction that depicts our violent history, relying on the parts of the figure that are missing to capture a truth that speaks of our human nature.
Blake Ward, Angel Afriel (Angel of Youth), 2013, bronze, 55 x 29 x 26 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
In his latest series, Spirits, Blake has merged the essence of classical sculpture with the abstract where he aims for provocative figures that incite introspection, stimulating the expansion of our consciousness. Permeating throughout this body of work is the continuing search for humanity, activism, and our expanding awareness. Together, all of these ideas constitute what Blake calls intentional art, art with a purpose that leads toward collective action. This is what his dreams are made of; to inspire the courage to create a new vision of our world and influence the way that it is shaped. As if through this art we can address some of the damage that we have inflicted within ourselves and upon our society.
Blake Ward, Ushabti Mafdet (Goddess of Judgment, Justice, and Execution), 2014, bronze, 83 x 23 x 18 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
The current exhibition, Just Beneath the Surface, presents work that was developed through the prism of Blake’s internal search for a liberating expressionism that reflects a constant state of metamorphosis that is life itself. The mission of this series of sculptures is to communicate the power of self-awareness with open bodies exposing their inner landscape, and thus, in an instant, we the viewers turn inward and our introspection begins, in an effort to understand, decipher, and analyse. This collection glorifies individuality, each sculpture is unique and tells a different story. We are made aware of the fact that they, like us, occupy a specific space in the universe. Their lyrical beauty and strength have the power to trigger an array of emotions in the viewer expanding the awareness of self.
Blake Ward, Angel Tahere (the first woman suffrage martyr), 2014, bronze, 69 x 26 x 27 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
“I was captivated by the idea of not paying so much attention to the outside of the sculpture and focused on the provocative sense of self, comprised by our feelings and emotions, all that we have inside us.” – Blake Ward.
Blake Ward, Babylonian Arima (Soul), 2014, bronze, 69 x 23 x 37 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
Blake’s sculptures are explorations on how artistic expression can be used to advance self-awareness in order to achieve a higher state of consciousness, thus enhancing our understanding and compassion as human beings. Just Beneath the Surface gives us a new type of intentional art with the potential to move human consciousness toward collective action that is based on knowledge, altruism and humanity, which are all at the core of Blake’s tour de force.
Boky Hackel
*Exhibition information: October 9 – November 9, 2014, Articsók Gallery, 1697 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat, 12 – 6 p.m.