Robyn Ward and the Permanence Of Change – The Village Voice

Artist Robyn Ward was born in Dublin and raised in Belfast. Growing up in the tail end of the troubles in the North of Ireland, he took to painting as an adolescent. His first ‘canvas’ was a derelict wall not far from his home, where he would spend hours a day refining his skills, before painting over his work and beginning again.

No stranger to the trials and tribulations of being a young artist, Ward took jobs in various bars and building sites, but his urge to create remained. Around 2015 he began to get his work into shows, having expanded upon his graffiti origins to focus on large-scale abstractions. Ward is now celebrated for his dynamic use of colour and layered imagery, which fuse elements of street art, pop culture, and classical techniques.

Ward stopped painting large-scale pieces on walls a long time ago and had previously maintained that he wouldn’t return to the practice until a particularly special situation presented itself. Unsure if this would ever happen, and despite being such a fundamental part of the development of his artistic practice, he perhaps felt that this chapter was closed for good. New Yorkers may want to take note of this as, without revealing too many details, Ward has disclosed this may no longer be the case.

Whilst he will never lose his sense of being Irish, Ward has long lived a nomadic lifestyle. Admittedly “obsessed” with seeing the world, his artistic practice draws influence from the politics of his past and his ever-widening knowledge of new cultures, religions and societies. Ward’s artwork, now as transient as the artist himself, has popped up in cities from New York to Shanghai, London to Mexico City, and has been displayed alongside global names such as David Hockney, Marina Abramovic and Anish Kapoor.

“As much as I spend a lot of time away from big cities, being in nature, a big part of my practice is inspired and heavily influenced by major global metropolises,” Ward says. “The eclectic mix of what you see and feel in the city, and being amongst its inhabitants, is what turns me on.” It is the grit, dirt, chaos and energy combined with style, fashion, commerce and sophistication – elements that one finds hard to experience outside of these cities – that draws Ward to urban space.

There is also a certain intellectual stimulation that Ward garners from the cities he spends time in, which heavily develops and shapes his work. “I have forever loathed suburban life,” he reflects. “I either need to be in the thick of it or away from everything completely.”

Like many members of the Irish diaspora in America, Ward has an affinity with New York. “There is a certain energy in the city which is unparalleled to any other in the world,” he believes. Ward often spends hours walking the streets of the Big Apple, clocking up over 20km on a daily basis, sometimes people watching, other times noticing no other people at all. “There is no one thing in particular that inspires me,” he says. “It is different aspects found on each new block of the city I pass by.”

Ward has also often found urban environments overwhelming, saying, “sometimes I feel like they destroy me, I can come in for a couple of months, get my inspiration and then I need to step out for a while.” Fragmenting himself mentally and physically whilst in deep production in urban studios, Ward often turns to his love for surfing to recentre and reset himself to begin painting again. “I am a very fickle painter”, he says. “The smallest thing can interrupt my practice and prevent me from painting for weeks or months at a time. I go very deep to bring things onto a canvas and this can be disturbing. Not always, but it’s definitely very uncomfortable at times.” It is then that the artist finds solace in nature.

Up next for Ward is a major solo exhibition in London entitled ‘Sunset the Day After the Night Before’, running at Gallery Rosenfeld (37 Rathbone St, London W1T 1NZ) from 20th September – 3rd October 2024.

This exhibition will showcase a compelling collection of new works that delve into the complexities of modern identity and culture, including pieces that have previously been on show at Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai earlier this year, that was curated by artistic director Shai Baitel. ‘Sunset the Day After the Night Before’ features a series of large-scale paintings that are both visually striking and thought-provoking. Ward’s latest bold compositions capture moments of transformation and resilience, portraying characters caught in the fluid dance of societal change. From his earliest days in Ireland, it is this societal change that has inspired his creativity.