Laura Ford developed a passion for art at a very young age. At 17, she enrolled at the Bath Academy of Art and then the Cooper Union School of Art in New York, where she studied under major figures such as Michael Pennie, Richard Deacon, Nick Pope, Anthony Gormley, Peter Randall-Page, Shelagh Cluett, and Anish Kapoor. She then continued her studies at the Chelsea School of Art (1982-1983).
She exhibited early in her career at New Contemporaries (ICA, 1982) and The Sculpture Show (1983) at the Serpentine and Hayward Galleries. She subsequently participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, including the British Art Show 5 (2000) and the Venice Biennale (2005). Her works are included in prestigious public collections such as the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the MoMA Iowa, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, and the Château de Vullierens. She has also received public commissions, including Patient Patients for Southmead Hospital in Bristol (2014) and for the Heidelberg Children’s Hospital (2012).
Her world, on the border between reality and imagination, is inspired by childhood memories, history, literature, and social and political issues. Laura Ford blends fantasy, humor, and cynical tenderness to explore the human condition. Her works, encompassing sculpture, drawing, painting, performance, and stage design, combine the strength of bronze and ceramics with the lightness of textiles, uniting reflection and playfulness to create touching, surprising, and poetic pieces.