English-born, New York-based artist TB Ward will open his show Professional Human on October 3rd at Upstream Gallery in Hastings on Hudson, NY, with an opening reception on October 4th.
The show, his fourth solo show, will consist of seven oil paintings. Ward, who spent his formative years touring the world in multiple bands, put together an aural accompaniment to the visual portion in the form of an EP consisting of four songs and five spoken word/short stories. The EP will be released on vinyl and available at the show.
The show was born as a reaction to the idea of a “personal brand” and the fictional world people create online that we accept as reality even though we all know it’s fake. It asks the question: does relevance rely on our ability to advertise and commodify our thoughts, daily lives, and the work we produce?
Ward chose portraiture as the vehicle for this message. Portraits force you to be interested in subjects simply as subjects. He isolates the individual from imposed storylines and crafted perception: these paintings tune into the human frequency. These are real people telling a small story of our time, and the responsibility Ward assumes in this show– to capture the cast of characters’ essence with care and empathy– makes each portrait a personal and delicate affair.
Ward, born and raised in Barnsley, England, embarked on a journey through creativity that traversed continents and mediums. His focus in university was printmaking, and after finding himself disenchanted with the structured environment of studying visual arts, he became drawn to music and the unbridled creativity and freedom exemplified by bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, and Nirvana. His foray into music saw him dive into the experimental realm of Math Rock, leading to tours across the UK and Europe and eventually settling in New York City in the late 90’s. He went on to work at the Whitney Museum, and his years there were pivotal in his artistic journey. Surrounded by an eclectic array of artworks and artists, he found inspiration in various styles and techniques on display. Experimenting with wire, clay, and acrylic on wood, Ward expanded his artistic repertoire, pushing the boundaries of his abilities. After moving back to England for family reasons, he started embracing the rural landscapes of his homeland; he delved into plein-air landscape painting, marking a significant shift in his creative process. The transition to oil paint proved transformative, infusing his work with a new found depth and vibrancy.
For Professional Human, Ward asked: “what would be more boundary-pushing and radical than the return to a classic genre?” He answered with this small rebellion against a culture of oversaturation, pushing himself to make a deeper investment in each painting. Amidst the pressure to produce, we are required to tell stories to sell our work and talents. After enough time, we forget where that line separates our fiction from reality.
