Hana Ward makes paintings and ceramic works that explore themes of identity, introspection, and transformation. Appearing both ethereal and visceral, Ward weaves together moods, motives, and narratives to depict Black and Brown feminine figures who reflect and dream, creating their sovereign worlds from the inside out. These multitudinous visions of unfolding self-actualizations are sometimes sheltered in the solitude of domestic space and other times liberated into landscapes. Influenced by anticolonial histories, spiritual texts, and cycles of the natural world, as well as the canon of art history, Ward’s work excavates inner dimensions to discover a world where one’s sovereignty is in the here and now.

Hana Ward (b. 1989, Los Angeles, CA) received a BA from Brown University in 2011. Ward’s work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Museum in Long Beach, CA; the California African American Museum, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Harun Gallery, Beyond Baroque, and OCHI in Los Angeles, CA; The FLAG Art Foundation in New York, NY; Mrs. in Queens, NY; Roche Projects in Kyoto, Japan; and The Breeder in Athens, Greece. In 2023, Ward attended the Hayama Residency in Japan and in 2017 she received a Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Artist-in-Residence Grant. Ward’s work has been featured in numerous publications including Artforum, Frieze, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, Amadeus, Artillery Magazine, and AUTRE. Ward currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA and is represented by OCHI.