Wilfrid Wood (born 1968) is a London-based artist working in various mediums and specialising in portraiture.[1][2] He trained in graphics at Central St Martins before building latex heads for satirical TV programme, Spitting Image.[3]

Wilfrid Wood
Born1968 (age 55–56)
London
Alma materCentral Saint Martins
StyleSculptor, illustrator

Early life and education edit

Born in London, Wood was raised in rural Sussex surrounded by a family of artists, including his father John Norris Wood, who was a natural history illustrator.[4][5] He graduated from Central St Martins with a degree in graphic design.[6]

Career edit

Wood began his career in publishing, designing layouts for encyclopaedias. Bored by the work, he applied for a job as a “head builder” on the satirical TV programme Spitting Image, making eyeball mechanisms for the puppets of public figures.[7]

Using many mediums including polymer clay and plasticine, Wood’s candid portraits depict everyday themes from politicians to sportsmen, from musicians to celebrities with the occasional dog walker for good measure.[8] His work has been featured in different magazines, shows and exhibitions.[9] In 2021, he designed BEEF! is a simple card game for two or more players published by Rough Trade Books.[10][11]

Wood works out of his studio in Hackney Wick and holds various sculpting workshops.[12][13]

List of exhibitions edit

 

Country Life, solo exhibition at at Frmd, London, 2023[14]

Group exhibition at the Royal Watercolour Society, 2023[15]

Hampstead Art Society, group show, London, 2023

Green & Stone, group show, London, 2023[16]

Diving Deep, group exhibition at the University of Kent, 2023[17]

Funny Ha Ha! Group exhibition at Maddox Gallery, London, 2022

These Cartoons are a Work Event, group show Cartoon Museum, London, 2022

Virile, group show, House of St Barnabas, London 2022

People, solo exhibition, Copeland Gallery, London, 2021[18]

Royal Academy Summer show, London, 2021

Rude Assembly, group show, Australia, 2021

Drawings of my BF, solo show, Studio 59, London, 2019[19]

Group Show, Alan Kluckow Fine Art, Ascot, 2018

Drawing People, solo exhibition at Space Gallery, Hackney, 2018[20]

Pink, group show, Colette, Paris, 2018

Royal Academy Summer show, London, 2018

Solo show, Volume Gallery, Berlin, 2016

Olympic Portraits, solo exhibition, 2016[21]

Pop Living, group show, Schwartz Gallery, 2015

Futagotamagawa biennale, Japan, 2015

Dog Show, solo show, Beach Gallery, London, 2014[22]

KK Outlet, solo show, London, 2013[23][24]

Chisenhale Gallery, group show, London, 2012

Object Abuse, group show, KK Outlet, London 2011

Somerset House, group show, London, 2011

La Scatola, group show, London, 2011

Solo Show, Sang Sang Madang, South Korea, 2010

Lulubell Toy Bodega, group show, Tucson, Arizona, 2008

SEA 2 The Wig Has Gone Out, group show, London, 2006

Being Hunted, group show, Berlin, 2006

SEA 1, Normal, group show, London, 2004

References edit

  1. ^ Zetteler (2018-08-03). "Wilfrid Wood: Drawing People". Zetteler. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  2. ^ Cooper, James (2021-08-10). "Opinion | Love Means Drawing Your Boyfriend 1,000 Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  3. ^ "Sculpture of Liz Truss with forehead which 'stands out' has people in hysterics". The Independent. 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  4. ^ Deighton, Len (2015-11-08). "John Norris Wood obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  5. ^ Parpis, Eleftheria (2019-07-08). "The Many Faces of Sculptor Wilfrid Wood". Medium. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  6. ^ FL@33 (2011-04-04). The 3D Type Book. Quercus. ISBN 978-1-78067-489-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Plasticine satirist Wilfrid Wood on finding your voice and why it's…". Creative Lives in Progress. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  8. ^ "The art of Wilfrid Wood". Michael Statham contemporary landscape artist. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  9. ^ "Wilfrid Wood | Metal Magazine". metalmagazine.eu. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  10. ^ BEEF! THE GUIDE-WILFRID WOOD. Rough Trade Books. 2021. ISBN 978-1-914236-08-2.
  11. ^ Westall, Mark (2021-08-24). "Rough Trade Books has releases The 'ART' Series featuring The White Pube, Wilfrid Wood, Robert Rubbish & Babak Ganjei". FAD Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  12. ^ Ella Taylor (2017-09-18). "What you need to know about Something Good". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  13. ^ "Discover a 'creative labyrinth' at Hackney WickED DIY Open Studios". Hackney Citizen. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  14. ^ Williams, Megan (2023-04-28). "Wilfrid Wood's drawings offer a dose of rural idyll". Creative Review. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  15. ^ "Wilfrid Wood | RWS Open". Royal Watercolour Society. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  16. ^ "Wilfrid Wood — Blog 2". The Gallery at Green & Stone. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  17. ^ "Studio 3 Gallery – University of Kent". Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  18. ^ "People". Copeland Park & Bussey Building. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  19. ^ "Wilfrid Wood's new book collects charming and cheeky drawings of his boyfriend Theo". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  20. ^ "Drawing People: Wilfrid Wood takes a fresh creative direction with his new show". Creative Boom. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  21. ^ "Heroes and Villains: Rio 2016 through the eyes of Wilfrid Wood". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  22. ^ Murrell, Vanessa (2022-02-04). "Interview with artist Wilfrid Wood". DATEAGLE ART. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  23. ^ "KK OUTLET GALLERY 2013". KesselsKramer. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  24. ^ Hartman, Stephanie (2018-01-19). "A much loved east London gallery is closing after ten years in the game". Time Out London. Retrieved 2023-07-24.