New Exhibition | David Ward, Touching Light

'Go up close, very close, to the surfaces of these majestic prints and you will feel the pressure of presence, life animating their sculptural forms.'
- Professor Peter de Bolla, 2025

Touching Light brings together a group of recent pieces by David Ward, made in the last year, that meditate on the nature of light and gravity. Ward’s preoccupation with light is a thread that has run consistently through his work for the past four decades, dating back to early light drawings and the dance work Huge Veil produced at Riverside Studios in 1984. In this exhibition Ward touches on associations from childhood memories of light’s transience, to the poetics of works made with the direct physicality of handling clay, to create this new body of work.

A dense network of literary and personal references under-pin each individual piece in Touching Light. At the core of the exhibition are the archival prints I felt my life with both my hands, which take their title from the first line of the Emily Dickinson poem, number 357. The photographs of the artist’s hands evoke birds, in the form of shadow play games, which in turn refer to the myth of Icarus. By layering cultural, autobiographical and literary references in this way, Ward brings together a number of lenses through which the viewer can be drawn into his work.

David Ward
I felt my life with both my hands II, 2024 – 25
Archival ink print on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper
89.5 x 112 cm
35 ¼ x 44 ⅛ in.
Edition 1 of 3 plus 1 AP

Whilst the ceramic objects in this exhibition, made by the same hands, are more tangible than the light and time-based projects produced by Ward in recent years, the participation of the viewer remains a key facet of each piece. Umberto Eco’s theory of poetics deems that the viewer completes the work, and Ward’s pieces, through reflection, words and touch, invite us to do just that. By offering us these entry points into his inner world, Ward grants us a uniquely personal insight into his thinking and work.

David Ward
Hand to Hand 1-6, 2025
Porcelain
Dimensions variable

David Ward
Out of the Blue, 2024 - 25 Archival ink print on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper with suspended handmade glass plumb-bob
152.5 x 84 cm
60 x 33 ⅛ in.

When speaking about the piece Out of the Blue, at our recent exhibition opening, Professor Peter de Bolla described how he 'cannot look at Out of the Blue without noticing, feeling very insistently, the impulse to look skyward, heavenward. Looking, for me in front of this piece, feels like letting something soar heavenwards, like a release of something from my hands'.

The distinctive blue of the print which is referred to by Professor de Bolla relates to the colour of Cyanotype printing, in which photosensitive paper is exposed to sunlight. The composition of Out of the Blue echoes images of Bernini’s small terracotta figures, known as bozzetti (sketches), which are also referenced in Ward's series of terracotta and porcelain sculptures titled Due Palmi. In this way, each work in Touching Light is in conversation with the other, drawing together the exhibition into one whole.

On display in the Orangery is the porcelain installation in a thin voice. The title of this work is a quotation from the Ancient Greek poet Sappho. When visiting the archives of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, Ward saw fragments of papyrus on which the earliest records of Sappho’s poetry are written. These fragments led Ward to create this series of porcelain 'petals', which are displayed alongside the archival print Fleet. Fleet depicts the foot of a Rambert dancer mid-flight, and contrasts with the lightness of in a thin voice. As a result, the relationship between these two pieces brings together the two key concerns of the exhibition, light and gravity.

Left:
David Ward
in a thin voice, 2024 - 25
20 porcelain discs, glazed and un-glazed
10 cm / 4 in. diameter each

Right:
David Ward
Fleet, 2025
Archival ink print on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper
71 x 51 cm
28 x 20 ⅛ in.
Edition 1 of 12 plus 1 AP

The Roche Court Educational Trust has received much interest regarding David Ward's new exhibition, with talks and tours set to take place over the coming weeks. Speaking to the artist directly has allowed students of all ages to engage with the works, helping to nurture an interest and understanding of contemporary art. The trust is a charity, relying on donations and school visits; if you would like to become a friend or benefactor, or are interested in booking a tour, please enquire below:

David Ward has a collection of books which may be purchased from Roche Court, The New Art Centre website, or enquire below: