Veronica Ryan was born in Plymouth, Montserrat (a British overseas territory in the Caribbean) in 1956, but while an infant, her parents moved to England where she was brought up. She studied at the St Albans College of Art and Design (1974–75), Bath Academy of Art, Corsham Court (1975–78) and the Slade School of Art (1978–80) before enrolling in an MPhil at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, 1981–83). A renowned sculptor, known for celebrating her Caribbean heritage, her use of non-traditional media, and her participation in a number of seminal group shows, in 2021, Ryan was awarded an OBE for services to art.
Sculptor Veronica Ryan was born in Plymouth, Montserrat (a British overseas territory in the Caribbean) in 1956, but while an infant, her parents moved to England, where she was brought up and educated. Her ties, however, remain firmly to her country of birth and its culture, through her research into the history of the island's original fishing communities and the special and intuitive relationship with her mother, which continues to influence her work. Ryan recalled the experience of visiting the local Caribbean market at Ridley Road in east London with her mother, where she first came in contact with the luscious colours and shapes of exotic fruit, which produced a lasting effect and inspiration for her art. Ryan began her art studies at St Albans College of Art and Design (1974–75) and Bath Academy of Art, Corsham Court (1975–78) before securing a place at the Slade School of Art in 1978. During her time at the Slade, she was allowed into the British Museum stores which helped her research and deepen her interest in Egyptian, African and Caribbean art. In her last year at the Slade in 1980, Ryan won a Boise Travelling Scholarship which enabled her visit to Nigeria. These experiences inspired her to enrol on an MPhil course in Archeology at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, 1981–83), at London University, which she later abandoned. An important focus of her research was on the history of Montserrat and trying to identify its early culture prior to the arrival of the Europeans. She acknowledges that: 'I’m interested in archaeology and anthropology, thinking about early cultures and the creative ways that people have always needed to express themselves and I see my work as a continuation of that.' She also counts the work of women artists, Barbara Hepworth, Louise Bourgeois and Eva Hesse, among the important influences on her life and art.
Ryan's career took off in the 1980s: after winning second prize at the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale in 1983, she participated in the exhibition Black Women Time Now at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Ryan subsequently featured in a number of other highly successful group shows, such as The Thin Black Line (ICA, London, 1985), From Two Worlds (Whitechapel Gallery, London; Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, 1986) as well as her first solo show at the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol in 1987. This began a series of major one-woman shows, including those at ICA, London (1987) and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge (1988). Her work also featured in the 1990 British Art Show at the Hayward Gallery, London. However, Ryan then withdrew from the art world, feeling that her abstract sculptures were out of favour with the contemporary art scene. Nevertheless, she continued to sculpt and was rediscovered by Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. The gallery helped her to embrace her roots and childhood memories, which led to her employing more organic forms in her work, such as exotic fruit and vegetables, recalling personal experiences, ancestral narratives and the history of trade with the Caribbean. Ryan continues to work with unconventional materials such as cement, lead, paper, dust and feathers. A particular feature of her sculptures is that they are placed directly on the ground, to make them feel more immediate and approachable.
In 2015, Ryan featured in the major Arts Council Collection touring show Making It: Sculpture in Britain 1977–1986, followed by In My Shoes: Art & the Self since the 1990s, also organised by the Arts Council (2018-2019), as well as in solo exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield (2017) and Spike Island, Bristol (2021). She was an artist in residence for the Art House, Wakefield in 2017. Ryan was commissioned to make a set of sculptures inspired by Virginia Woolf's writings, which was first displayed at Tate St Ives before touring in 2018. Ryan has received numerous awards and acknowledgements, including the Henry Moore Foundation Award (1987), the Freelands Award (2018, a grant for previously less recognised mid-career female artists), which led to her exhibition at Spike Island, Bristol (2021), and the Pollock Krasner Grant (2019). Ryan was awarded an OBE in the 2021 Birthday Honours list for services to art and in 2022 she was nominated for the Turner Prize. Since 1990 Ryan has divided her life between New York and Hertfordshire, England, where she continues to work. Her sculptures of giant custard apple, breadfruit and soursop, the first permanent public commission to honour the Windrush generation, were unveiled in Hackney, east London, in October 2021. Ryan was awarded the Turner Prize 2022 from a short-list including Ingrid Pollard and Sin Wai Kin. Her work is held in numerous UK public collections, including the Arts Council of Great Britain; Contemporary Arts Society; Hepworth Wakefield; Kettle's Yard, Cambridge; Sainsbury Centre for Contemporary Art; and Tate.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Veronica Ryan]
Publications related to [Veronica Ryan] in the Ben Uri Library