Turner Prize 2022: Veronica Ryan and the Quiet Power of Seeds and Shells

Veronica Ryan took the 2022 Turner Prize for sculpture of tremendous delicacy — cast and crocheted forms of seeds, pods and fruit that hold memory, migration and care inside their fragile shapes.

It capped a landmark year. Ryan had just created the first permanent public artwork honouring the Windrush generation: giant marble and bronze Caribbean fruits — soursop, custard apple, breadfruit — installed on a street in Hackney, east London.

Born in Montserrat and raised in Britain, Ryan makes work that rewards slowness. In a noisy age, the Turner jury rewarded an artist who whispers.

Image: “(Barcelona) Rain, Steam,and Speed After William Truner - 1856-61 - R.Brandard - Tate Britain” — Didier Descouens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.