On sculpture: Cornelia Parker and Veronica Ryan

10 Jul 2024 6.30-7.45pm

Overview

Join two of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Cornelia Parker RA and Veronica Ryan RA, as they explore sculpture and the role of art in the public realm.

Artists Cornelia Parker and Veronica Ryan transform the ways in which we understand sculpture. In this conversation they will come together to discuss its place in society – both now, and in the future.

Cornelia Parker is well-known for her large-scale, often site-specific, installations that position her subjects at the moment of transformation – from a garden shed frozen at the moment of explosion to a set of suspended and flattened silver objects including teapots, candlesticks and dinnerware. Parker's solo exhibitions have included those at the Serpentine Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Metropolitan Museum, New York and Tate Britain in London.

Veronica Ryan works in sculpture and assemblage, investigating how everyday objects like fruits, vegetables and seeds elicit a wealth of histories and meanings. Her 2021 works ‘Custard Apple (Annonaceae)’, ‘Breadfruit (Moraceae)’ and ‘Soursop (Annonaceae)’ in Hackney, London are the nation’s first permanent monument to honour the Windrush generation. Ryan was awarded the Turner Prize in 2022.

Chair: Natalie Rudd is a curator and writer. In her former role as Senior Curator of the Arts Council Collection, Natalie produced many touring exhibitions, including Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945. Natalie is currently a Midlands4Cities PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham, studying precariousness in sculpture by women, 1978-1993.

Cornelia Parker and Veronica Ryan are part of the committee coordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition.

Book now