
Greene Naftali is pleased to announce RAQUE FORD’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, which reveals new facets of what one critic calls her “plexiglass poetry.” That slick surface is also the working matrix for a suite of monotypes on view—experiments in form undertaken at New York City’s renowned Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. Ford’s unique works on paper find a lyrical edge to the physical properties of prints: images made under pressure, forged through contact and release. The exhibition features wall-mounted works in her signature sheets of bright acrylic, laser-cut with snippets of text and graphic symbols pulled from popular culture. These frieze-like objects were lifted from Ford’s custom dance floors and bear the traces of past use—sociability, proximity, and connection indexed in the nicks and dings that mar the plastic. The artist’s interest in industrial and found materials extends to two further interventions: kinetic sculptures made from commercial receipt printers put to wayward use, and a site-specific activation of the gallery’s windows that sets the stage for fresh encounters.

Raque Ford infuses abstraction with narrative potential, producing layered works that explore how identity is crafted from the remnants of popular culture. Known for her distinctive way with materials, Ford troubles the line between painting and sculpture, using reflective acrylic and transparent Mylar, welded steel chains and laser-cut text. Her high-gloss surfaces are incised with spidery script that quotes from a range of sources: song lyrics, snippets of conversation, excerpts from fiction and diaristic jottings. An accomplished printmaker, she has been a fellow at the renowned Robert Blackburn Workshop, recombining her signature elements into works on paper both intimate and bracing. Deeply attuned to the history of art, Ford channels the tactics of Minimalist masters like Melvin Edwards, Robert Smithson, and Richard Serra toward her own nuanced project. “That’s the interjection of being a woman of color and learning these ways of making sculpture,” she has said. “I want to have their energy, their aggressive scale and material...I’m taking all of that and making it my own.”


A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services