The 66-year-old artist, who was born on the island of Montserrat, a British overseas territory southeast of Puerto Rico, was announced as the winner of the 25 thousand pound (29 thousand euro) prize at a ceremony in Liverpool. .
The jury appreciated his “personal and poetic way of expanding the language of sculpture” and praised his mastery of space, color and scale.
The first of the award-winning works is a sculptural group located on a street in the London suburb of Hackney.
Three bronze and marble pieces represent an apple, a breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and a soursop, three tropical fruits common to the Caribbean and the Americas.
He was also recognized for his project “Along a Spectrum,” which explores the ideas and personal narratives that emerged during the pandemic.
Ryan is “interested in psychology and migration, loss, trauma, movement, nutrition. A lot is about mother-daughter relationships,” said Tate Liverpool gallery director Helen Legg.
“All of these topics seem to be intertwined in her work. It’s really hard to explain what Veronica Ryan’s work is because it encompasses so many things, it’s all about coming together,” Legg added.
Liverpool Modern Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition of works by Ryan and three other Turner finalists: Heather Phillipson, Ingrid Pollard and Chin Wai Khin, running until March.
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