Year 1 – Curiosity, Explore and Happiness classes recently visited The Whitechapel Gallery to view the work of Veronica Ryan, an award-winning British sculptor and the subject of Multiple Conversations, a major retrospective exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. Born in Montserrat in 1956 and based between the UK and New York, she won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2022. 

The Whitechapel Gallery exhibition is one of her most extensive surveys to date. Here is what defines her work: 

Materials: Ryan blends traditional sculptural materials like bronze, marble, and plaster with everyday found objects, textiles, and domestic crafts (such as crocheting and quilting).

Signature Themes: She is known for exploring the natural world, focusing heavily on seeds, pods, fruits, and organic forms. These items serve as metaphors for memory, psychology, recovery, and the migrant experience. The exhibition is highly regarded for its tactile, intimate approach to sculpture, drawing deeply on both her Caribbean heritage and her personal history.

The children got to explore the exhibition and were tasked with producing work in the style of Veronica Ryan, using a range of materials. The education team at the gallery were very impressed with the Marner children's questions and their choice of language, using a vast range of adjectives to explain the work and the emotions of the artist.

Speaking to pupils from Curiosity (Samuel, Jameela, Afsara and Yasser) on their experience, they said:

‘I enjoyed making my own art – well, it’s sculpture’.

‘I enjoyed drawing the artist's work in the gallery’.

‘I used bottle tops, nets, pom-poms, foam, string, rubber bands and pine cones to produce my art’.

‘I liked putting the hanger on to display my work’.

‘Something cool happened with the plaster, it made a mini island and then disappeared’.

‘I made lots more sculptures when I got home, using lots of materials including my dad's newspaper.

‘I saw Peppa Pig upcycling on TV like us’.

Here are some examples of work that they produced in the style of the artist, using plaster and recycled materials.