laurence Wood
Biography:
Born in Merseyside in 1957, Laurence Wood’s creative story started in Leicester in the UK in the early 1980’s, as a community mural painter and as a saxophonist with the British 2-tone band The Apollinaires.A graduate of London’s Royal College of Art and a former University Dean and Professor his professional career has embraced painting and printmaking, music, publishing, martial arts coaching, and international Higher Education in the Creative Arts. Currently based in Kent in the UK he also lived and worked for a decade in Hong Kong.
Exhibition & Art Fairs:
List of exhibitions
2025
Recent Works, Galerie Makowski, Paris France and New York USA
Palm Beach Contemporary and Modern Art Fair, Galerie Makowski, USA
2024
WHATZ Art Fair Hong Kong, Oi Ling Gallery, Hong Kong
Art Central Art Fair, Hong Kong, ART Gallery, Hong Kong
Wells Art Contemporary, International Art Competition, Wells, UK
Recent Works, Oi Ling Gallery, Hollywood Road, Hong Kong
Silent Disco 24, Invitation Exhibition, curated by Graham Crowley, Suffolk, UK
“Londres-Paris”, works by Wood and Minaev, Galerie Makowski, Paris, France
2023
The Art of Creative Research, Art Gallery, NTU, Singapore
Laurence Wood, Kang Qi Art, Foshan, Guangzhou, China
2022
Laurence Wood, Kang Qi Art, Foshan, Guangzhou, China
2021
Hysan Mural Design Competition Showcase, Urban Sky, Hysan Place, Hong Kong
2020
Drawing as the Core, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Contemporary Artists from Abroad, Guangzhou Design Week, IEC, Guangzhou, China
2019
Macao Institute, Art Macao 2019, Macao
Recent paintings, Guangzhou International Design Week, China
Mural painting for Yitian Plaza Mall, Shenzhen, China
Exchange Exhibition; Kyung Hee University Museum of Arts, Seoul, Korea
2018
Mural for Design Week, Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning, Shenzhen, China
Translating New Territories, Osage Gallery, Hong Kong
Shenzhen City Art Fair, Lafonte International Hotel, Shenzhen
Yunlin Art Together International Exhibition, Yilan & Yunlin, Taiwan
2017
Mysticism in Landscape, Nadine Fine Art SE Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2016
The Monochrome Show, Spice Select, Nadine Fine Art South East Asia, KL, Malaysia
Choice Emblems, Solo exhibition, Lacey Contemporary, London, UK
Videotage Lab, Art Basel, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
The Dance and Drunken Maniac, Black Box Theatre, JCCAC, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Around, Among, Within Solo exhibition, Lacey Contemporary, UK
2014
Artworking International Art Prize Finalist, Arsenale, Venice, Italy
2013
“Translations”, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong
2008
Art Power for Future Hope, HSBC HQ, Canada Square, London, UK
2005
Les Mervielles Du Monde, Museum of Fine Arts, Dunkirk, France
1998
New Paintings, Palace Theatre, Watford, UK
1996
3-ways, Contemporary British Painting, British Council touring Asia/Africa 1990-96
1990
New paintings, Gallery Thun, Switzerland
1988
Druce Landscape Competition, Camden Arts Centre, London
Royal Overseas League Annual, ROL HQ, London
‘Stormstruck’, National Trust, Petworth House, Sussex, UK
1986
‘Venice’, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London
Hunting Group Art Prizes, Institute of Contemporary Art, London
1985
‘Recent paintings’, Solomon Gallery, London
‘Pace-Setters 5’, City Museum, Peterborough, UK
DH Lawrence Festival Exhibition, Nottingham
1980
Midlands Open 25. ATV Network Prize, Nottingham, UK
Stowell’s Trophy, Printmaking prize, Royal Academy, London
1979
The New Contemporaries, Institute of Contemporary Art, London
Collections
National Coal Mining Museum for England, Yorkshire, UK
World of Glass Museum, St Helen’s, Merseyside, UK
The Mercer’s Company, Mercer’s Hall, London, UK
HM King Charles III, Highgrove House, UK
National Trust Foundation for Art, UK
Kent Science Park, Kent, UK
Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong
HSBC Bank HQ, Canary Wharf, London, UK
Watford Borough Council, Watford, UK
Royal College of Art, London, UK
Imperial College, London, UK
Bergen Arkitekt Skole, Norway
University for the Creative Arts, Kent, UK
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Numerous private collections
Public artworks/key commissions
2019- Mural for Yitian Plaza, Shenzhen, China
2018- Mural for International Design Week, MOCAPE, Shenzhen, China
2015 – Paintings for Kent Science Park, Kent, UK
2006 – Designs for Cayzer courtyard, Lee’s Court Mansion, Kent
1993 – Watford Borough Council, Foyer Painting, Munden Tower Block
1992 – Watford Borough Council, Charter Place Shopping Centre Mural
1983 – Leicester City Council, various murals.
Selection of previous exhibitions
Gallery Makowski in USA, New York/Chelsea Manhattan – 2025;
Galerie Makowski in France, Paris/6.&7. Arrondisment – 2024/25;
Oi Ling Gallery, Hollywood Road, Hong Kong – 2024/25;
Wells Art Contemporary International Art Competition, Wells, UK – 2024:
Silent Disco 24, Group Exhibition, Suffolk, UK – 2024:
“Londres-Paris”, works by Wood and Minaev, Galerie Makowski, Paris, France – 2024:
Recent paintings, Art Central Hong Kong, ART Gallery, Hong Kong – 2024:
The Art of Creative Research, NIE Art Gallery, NTU, Singapore – 2023;
Laurence Wood, KangQi Art, Foshan, Guangzhou, China – 2022+2023:
Hysan Mural Design Competition Showcase, Urban Sky, Hysan Place, Hong Kong – 2021;
Drawing as the Core, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong – 2020;
Contemporary Artists from Abroad, Guangzhou Design Week, IEC, Guangzhou, China – 2020;
Artistic Excellence, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Art Macao 2019, Macao – 2019:
Recent paintings at Guangzhou International Design Week, China – 2019;Mural painting for Yitian Plaza Mall, Shenzhen China – 2019:
Exchange Exhibition; Kyung Hee University Museum of Arts, Seoul, Korea – 2019;
Mural for Design Week, Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning, Shenzhen, China – 2018:
Translating New Territories, Osage Gallery, Hong Kong – 2018:
Shenzhen City Art Fair, Lafonte International Hotel, Shenzhen – 2018:
Yunlin Art Together International Exhibition, Yilan & Yunlin, Taiwan – 2018:
Mysticism in Landscape, Nadine Fine Art SE Asia, KL, Malaysia – 2017:
The Monochrome Show, Spice Select, Nadine Fine Art South East Asia, KL, Malaysia – 2016:
Choice Emblems, Solo exhibition, Lacey Contemporary, London, UK – 2016:
Videotage Lab, Art Basel, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, HK – 2016:
The Dance and Drunken Maniac, video and live music collaboration, Black Box Theatre, JCCAC, Kowloon, Hong Kong – 2016:
Around, Among, Within, Solo exhibition, Lacey Contemporary, UK – 2015:
Artelaguna International Art Prize finalist, Arsenale, Venice, Italy – 2014:
Collections
The Mercers’ Company, City of London, UK
National Coal Mining Museum for England, Yorkshire, UK
The World of Glass Museum, St Helen’s, Merseyside, UK
Kent Science Park, Kent, UK
HM King Charles III,
Highgrove House, UK
National Trust Foundation for Art, UK
HSBC Bank HQ, Canary Wharf, London, UK
Watford Borough Council, Watford, UK
Royal College of Art, London, UK
Imperial College, London, UK
Bergen Arkitekt Skole, Norway University for the Creative Arts, Kent, UK
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Numerous private collections.
Public artworks/key commissions
2019 – Mural for Yitian Plaza, Shenzhen, China
2018 – Mural for International Design Week, MOCAPE, Shenzhen, China
2015 – Paintings for Kent Science Park, Kent, UK
2006 – Designs for Cayzer courtyard, Lee’s Court Mansion, Kent
1993 – Watford Borough Council, Foyer Painting, Munden Tower Block
1992 – Watford Borough Council, Charter Place Shopping Centre Mural
1983 – Leicester City Council, various mural.
Statement:
“Generally my paintings explore the allegorical potential of naturalistic elements set within dreamlike combinations, which collage recollections of real experiences and observations into imagined scenes. I enjoy combining contrasting pictorial elements and using both naturalistic and cubistic painting conventions along with gestural expression.
The paintings often have a slow gestation, even if rapidly executed, so as with previous work there are layers of thought sequences accumulated within them. They have a decorative attraction but always with underlying content, essentially exploring my own picturing of some universal themes within our human condition”.
