Alice Forward
Alice Forward's practice essentially centres around ambiguities in human perceptions of nature and wildness in both rural and urban environments, often involving minute exploration, through the languages of sculpture, film, drawing and painting, at times in collaboration with her partner Louise Short, under the moniker of Short&Forward. Both are passionate believers in slow art, which is just one reason for finding rural living so conducive.
Short&Forward are currently showing S T A G in SYMUD Exhibition of Moving Image at Oriel CARN unitil March 15th 2025.
The large charcoal drawing Twnel was purchased for the National Library of Wales collection in 2021, and watercolour drawing Pyre (Ash) was winner of the RWA Academy Prize in 2022
Qualifications and training
2007 - MA Fine Art with Distinction, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales
- BA (Hons) Ceramics, first class, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales
1984 - Documentary Film Training, BBC Ealing Studios, London
1977 - BA (Hons) Fine Art, Hornsey School of Art, London
Solo exhibitions
2014 - Swarm Society, Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth,
Wales, UK
2010 - Bee Lines, Stroud Valleys Artspace, Gloucestershire, UK
2006 - Regeneracion, Biblioteca Nacional Tunal, Bogota, Colombia
Public Collections
The National Library of Wales
Group exhibitions
2025 National Eisteddfod 2025, Y Lle Celf, Wrexham
Royal Hibernian Academy Open 2025 Dublin
SYMUD Exhibition of Moving Image, Oriel CARN, Caernarfon
2024 En Route Mecklenberg Square Garden London W1
2023 Ballinglen Arts Foundation Biennial, Co Mayo, Ireland
Above and Below/Uwchlaw ac Islaw, Capel Bethel Cwmrheidol
2022 Royal West of England Academy Open, Academy Prize winner
Y Lle Celf, National Eistedffod 2022, Tregaron
2021 Oriel Lockdown, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales,
People's Prize winner
2019 - DEFAID/SHEEP at Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth, Wales
2018 - The Gathering, Ambrolauri State Museum and Tbilisi History Museum, Republic of Georgia
2016 - The Drawing Book, University of Carmarthen, Wales
2015 - Griffin Gallery, London. Conte Drawing Prize finalist
BV Open 2015, Bristol UK
Excerpt From a Library of Cast Objects at
New British Art, Cylhrynys, fringe National Eisteddfod 2015
The Art of Pollination, Peninsula Gallery, Plymouth, UK
2013 - Sweet Dreams, Wallsworth Hall, Gloucestershire, UK.
2012 - Boar Skull Vanitas, Short&Forward filmwork screened at
Geneva Projects Film Festival, Bristol.
Art&Bee, Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon.
2011 - Marmite Prize for Painting finalist, Central Art
Gallery,Lanchester Gallery,The Nunnery, London
and Tameside, Coventry
2010 - Lines of Desire, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Wales, UK
Super8Station Film Festival, ARNOLFINI, Bristol, UK
2009 - AiM International Biennale, Cyber Park, Marrakech, Morocco
Curatorial Contrasts, BAYART gallery, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
The Darbyshire Award (winner), Museum in the Park, Stroud, UK
2007 - Cardiff Fine Art MA Show, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
Very Important Products, CentreSpace Gallery, Bristol, UK
2006 - Venice Bienal de Bogota, Barrio of Venice, Bogota, Colombia
2005 - The Marconi Project, Site-ations International 2005-6 (Artists Projects), Flatholm Island, Bristol Channel, UK
2004 - From The Ground Up, Old Brewery Galleries, London, UK.
2003 - Fossil Fuel, ceramics, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Live/Performance
2011 - SUPER8STATION Film Festival, live film accompaniment, ARNOLFINI, Bristol, UK - 2010 - The Bristol Beehive Inaugural Walk, public participatory event, Arnolfini Gallery to Windmill Hill, Bedminster, Bristol, UK - 2007 - Being Bird, Resound Art/Radio Sonic Art Conference, Stroud Valleys Artspace, Gloucestershire, UK
- Artist talks
2014 - Bees in Art, lecture at Ceredigion Museum offsite gallery, Aberystwyth - 2011 - JOYA Presentation, Cortijada de Los Gazquez, Andalucia, Spain 2010 - In Conversation with Tom Trevor (director of ARNOLFINI, Bristol), Stroud Valley Arts, UK - 2009 - JOYA Presentation, Cortijada de Los Gazquez, Andalucia, Spain - AiM Marrakesh presentation, Stroud Valleys Artspace, UK - 2006 - Invasion, presentation, Biblioteca Nacional Central, Bogota, Colombia
Residencies
2018 - Arteli Ratcha residency involving six Georgian artists and six UK artists in rural Racha district, and thenTbilisi, Republic of Georgia
2015 - Popty Bach 2015, South African and Welsh collaborative residency, Oriel Q Offsite, Pembrokeshire -
2011 - Joya Artists Residency Part II, Cortijada de Los Gazquez, Andalucia, Spain
2009 - Joya Artists Residency Part I, Cortijada de Los Gazquez, Andalucia, Spain
2008 - Marrakesh, two week residency funded by AIM Biennale and Stroud Valley Arts
2006 - Wales Arts International funded residency in Bogota, Colombia, South America
2005 - The Flat Holm Project, part of Site-ations International 2005/6, Flat Holm Island, Bristol Channel, UK
- Workshops
2021 Covid Recovery Sculpture Program Ysgol Penllwyn school Aberystwyth
Covid Recovery Sculpture Program Ysgol Penrhyncoch school Aberystwyth
2019 Drawing by Moonlight, public drawing programme in the Elan Valley, Powys Council funded
2017 The Treehouse Project - 8 weeks sculpture workshop at Newbridge on Wye CIW School.
2014 - Swarmbuilding, schools workshop at Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth, UK
2009 - Drawing in the Dark I , STATION and Spike Island, as part of The Bristol Drawing Exchange Project, Bristol, UK
Drawing in the Dark II, St John's Crypt, public drawing project, Bristol, UK
Commissions
2024 - Voices From the Edge documentary film for Aberystwyth Museum - 2021 - Twnel II drawing for Phillipp Scofield, Aberystwyth University History dept - 2017 - Grimaldi's Lunch plasterwork ceiling, Short&Forward collaborative piece for Simon Whitehead, Venice, Italy - 2009 - AliasArtCamp 2009, documentary film for Artist-Led Initiative Advisory Service , South West England, UK 2008 - a momentary, film with Louise Short, Tblisi Film Festival commission, screened at The Cube Cinema, Bristol, UK 2008 - CLIMB, film commission , Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust and Forestry Commission, Coleford, Gloucestershire, UK - 2005 - Ghost, sculpture installation for Cardiff Parks, Roath Park, Cardiff, UK
- Projects
Since 2023 and ongoing: Cwt Y Postman/The Postman's Hut, a longterm collaborative documentary with the Grŵp Hanes/History Group of Cwmystwyth
Since 2021 and ongoing: Burrowing, in collaboration with Louise Short and mining historian Ioan Lord, multidisciplinary responses to the local abandoned mines of Cwmystwyth & Cwmrheidol, including curation of the group exhibition Above and Below in Capel Bethel in 2023. The chapel was specifically built in 1872 in the service of the local mining community.
Since 2016 and ongoing:
~ Dai and Nancy, collaborative Short&Forward film project in the Rheidol Valley (1st working cut screened in Ceredigion Museum in 2019)
~ Troedrhiwsebon/ Capel Bethel International Artists and Writers Residency Project in Cwmrheidol, Aberystwyth
~ Capel Bethel events
2012 -2014 The Short&Forward MOBILE STUDIO Project: UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal
2011 - Beelines on Windmill Hill, Windmill Hill, Bristol, UK
- Publications
BARN, RHIF 703, p 29, review, Books Council Wales, August 2021
Y Lle Celf catalogue, Eistedffod 2022
Gathering, catalogue, Tbilisi History Museum publication, 2018
Lines of Desire, catalogue, Oriel Davies, Newtown 2010
Marmite Prize for Painting, 2010, catalogue, Susak Press,London
International Journal of Nautical Archeology, review, vol.39, issue 2, 2009, Blackwell Publishing, London International Journal of Nautical Archeology, review, vol.38, issue1, 2009, Blackwell Publishing, London
Sense in Place, Site-ations International 2005-6, catalogue, University of Wales, Cardiff