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Chelsea Now photos by Jefferson Siegel Three pieces in artist Blake Ward’s exhibit, “Fragments,” from which all proceeds will be donated to the global campaign against landmines, Adopt-A-Minefield. Sculptor finds ‘symbols of hope’ in landmine art By Jefferson Siegel In a sun-splashed gallery on the 14th floor of the Chelsea Arts Tower on W. 25th St., an exhibit of one-quarter life-size, broken-bodied bronze statues was on display through this week, evoking the tragic impact of active landmines in former war zones.
The works were inspired by a tour artist Blake Ward took through Vietnam, where he saw first-hand the continuing scourge of landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) 30 years after the end of the war. In Quang Tri Province alone—where global charity Adopt-A-Minefield operates—more than 500 children have lost their lives and 4,000 people have been injured by landmines and UXO since 1975. Ward wanted to do something to help, and the thought-provoking “Fragments” exhibit is what emerged. “I work with clay and then I take a hammer to it,” Ward said on Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by his works. “I’m symbolizing what the explosive remnants of war does to the human body and the society that’s living amongst the explosive weapons. “I’m trying to have the art as part of the solution,” he continued. “I call it ‘intentional art’ because it has a concept, but it also has a purpose.” Each work of art portraying a body damaged by a landmine is named after the explosive ordinance that caused the maiming. The exhibit catalog also lists some sobering statistics: 30 minutes, on average, between landmine casualties; 68 countries containing landmines; 71 people, on average, killed or maimed by mines daily; 8,000 children maimed or killed annually; 100 million live mines in former war zones. As a friend and supporter of the international campaign against minefields, Adopt-A-Minefield, Ward is donating all proceeds from the exhibit to the group’s life-saving work in Vietnam and around the world. Ward added the exhibit will return to the gallery in October. |
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Ward stands with his work “Mon-50,” named after a type of landmine, at the exhibit in Chelsea.