Veronica Ryan with her Hackney Windrush Art Commission, London, June 2022, photographed for Tate Etc. by Holly Falconer © Holly Falconer. With thanks to Labyrinth Photographic, London.

It is with pride and pleasure that we congratulate Veronica Ryan for winning the 2022 Turner Prize in recognition of her highly acclaimed Hackney Windrush Art Commission, co-commissioned by Create London and Hackney Council, and her solo exhibition ‘Along a Spectrum’ at Spike Island in Bristol.

For the Hackney Windrush Art Commission, Ryan adopted a deeply personal and original approach to a public artwork that commemorates and celebrates the contributions of Windrush Generations in the UK. Drawing from her memories of shopping at Ridley Road market as a child, we unveiled the marble and bronze three fruits sculptures Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit (Moraceae) and Soursop (Annonaceae) in October 2021.

Tate Britain Director and co-chair of the Turner Prize jury, Alex Faquharson, said that alongside her installation at Tate Liverpool, Ryan “has been judged on her sculptures in east London – the first ever to honour the Windrush generation. They alone make her a worthy winner.”

The prize marks the end of a successful year for Ryan following her recent win of the PSSA Marsh Awards for Public Sculpture. Ryan was nominated for the Turner Prize alongside Heather Phillipson, Ingrid Pollard and Sin Wai Kin, and the exhibition will continue at Tate Liverpool until 19 March 2023.

The permanent Hackney Windrush sculpture can be viewed at Narrow Way in Hackney. Please find out more here.