Born in 1992 to a British mother and a French father, respectively of Russian and Kabyle descent, Charlotte J Ward is an eco-somatic artist, photographer, movement facilitator and Menstruality mentor in service of Earth and Women. Coming from a predominantly documentary and portrait photography background, Ward graduated from the London College of Communication in 2014, with a Photography BA (Hons). Her work has appeared in a number of international exhibitions and publications since, including the ‘Portraits of Humanity’ books by The British Journal of Photography. In 2020, she completed a Yoga, Somatic and Mindfulness teacher training which continues to nourish her embodied experience and artistic research. It was during the same year that she began to delve deeper into the realms of Menstrual Cycle Awareness, which eventually led her to complete the Red School’s ‘Menstruality Leadership Program’ in September 2022. These explorations paired with personal life experiences, led her to the practice of self-portraiture in the Spring of 2020, eventually placing her work at the crossroad between embodied movement, activism and fine are photography, with a particular interest in natural cycles, eco-somatics and the intrinsic state of inter-being between the human and Earth bodies. Working with photography and words, Charlotte has been exploring these themes through her ongoing series ‘Moon Blood’ and ‘This Earth Body Is My Home’. Two bodies of works which explore the cyclical nature of Life from both a micro and macro perspective. More recently, Charlotte has begun including other bodies into her images, as she expands her field of research to female rites of passages and life thresholds, with the intention of weaving these encounters into a brand new body of work entitled ‘From Menarche beyond Menopause: The Feminine Path to Power’.
(portrait by Cherie Birkner)
Exhibitions
- Menstrualities group exhibition, Alte Münze, Berlin, 2022
- The Wild Collective group exhibition, Omved Gardens, London, 2022
- Howl: Resurrection of the Wild Woman group exhibition, Waterton Gallery, London, 2022
- (No) Place Like Home group exhibition, Venice, 2021
- Menstrual Project, online group exhibition, 2021
- Corona Culture group exhibition, Alte Münze, Berlin, 2021
- Mind’s Eye group exhibition, Dorset UK, 2021
- The Wild Geese Call group exhibition, Old Street Gallery, London, 2021
- The Rite of Fall group exhibition, Berlin, 2019
- Art Reach group exhibition, Bikaner House, New Delhi, 2017
- Transmodernity group exhibition, KAOS, Berlin, 2017
- From the Mother Land to the Blue Island and Back, Broadway Market, London, 2017
- Photomonth group exhibition, Richmix, London, 2016
- Wanderers group exhibition, Zorba the Buddha, New Delhi, 2015
- Solo photography exhibition at LTG, New Delhi, 2015
- Languages of Love, group exhibition, Loophole, Berlin, 2015
- SIEGE group exhibition, Apartment 58, London, 2013
- Introducing 2013 group exhibition, Vibe Bar, London, 2013
- A Tribute Act group exhibition, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, 2013
- Estuary group exhibition, The Museum of London, 2013
- Southern Fried One Night Stand group exhibition, London, 2013
- Plato’s Cave group exhibition, London, 2013
- Cables Part II group exhibition, Cable Street Studios, London, 2012
Residencies
- – ‘Kyta’ – 6 weeks in the village of Kalga, Himachal Pradesh, India, October – November 2015
- – ‘Mint’ – 4 weeks in the Marrakech Medina, March 2013
Publications
- ‘Portrait of Humanity Vol.3’ book by The British Journal of Photography, published by Hoxton Mini Press, May 2021
- ‘My Favourite Shot – Street Life’ Life Framer, July 2020
- ‘Portrait of Humanity Vol.2’ book by The British Journal of Photography, published by Hoxton Mini Press , June 2020
- Life Framer, June 2016
- Le Quotidien de L’Art, June 2016
- Analog Year Book, May 2014
- Mint Leaf fanzine #2, January 2014
- Mint Leaf fanzine #1, November 2013
Interviews