(London) British sculptor Veronica Ryan won the Turner Prize, Britain’s prestigious contemporary art award, on Wednesday evening for two works that pay homage to the “Windrush generation” and address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first honors the heritage and contribution of the “Windrush generation”, these immigrants who arrived from the Caribbean in the post-war period in the United Kingdom, including the 66-year-old artist, born on the island of Montserrat.
The “Windrush generation” is associated with a scandal revealed in 2018: although supposed to be British, some of these migrants were treated as illegal immigrants and had to prove their presence in the United Kingdom each year on pain of deportation.
The three bronze and marble sculptures by Veronica Ryan, installed in the London Borough of Hackney, represent tropical fruits grown in the Caribbean.
The artist was also rewarded for her work, Along a Spectrumwhich brings together pieces in clay, bronze, or suspended nets filled with seeds or nuts, and explores perception, personal stories and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The jury praised the “personal and poetic way in which she extends the language of sculpture”.
Receiving the award in Liverpool, the artist thanked in particular those who “looked after me when I was not visible”.
Among the four finalists was Heather Phillipson, known to the public for her sculpture of a giant cherry overhanging a mound of whipped cream, a fly and a drone which took pride of place until March in Trafalgar Square in central London, as well as British photographer Ingrid Pollard, and self-proclaimed “non-binary” artist Sin Wai Kin.
This is the first time that no man has been a finalist. “It was time, after years of misogyny in the art world, where women were only good for showing their breasts and stretching out on sofas”, greeted announcing the name of the winner Holly Johnson, former lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
For the first time since 2007, the four artists are exhibited at Tate Liverpool until March 19, 2023.
Last year, the Northern Irish artist collective Array Collective, whose works are intended to echo the problems of Northern Ireland, won the prize.
Created in 1984, the Turner Prize, named in tribute to the painter William Turner, is renowned for its non-conformism and familiar with controversy.
The winner takes home £25,000 ($42,000), with the other finalists each receiving £10,000 ($17,000).