Born in 1956 in Plymouth, Montserrat and raised in England, Veronica Ryan OBE, RA, creates meticulously handcrafted work using a wide range of materials, including bronze, plaster, marble, textile and found objects. Ryan has examined the psychological implications of history, trauma and recovery in relation to the broader culture through her sculptures and installations. Across her four-decade-long practice, Ryan’s inquiries included looking at migratory movements across the globe, narratives of nurturing and belonging, and a deeper consideration of excess, consumption, and the unrealized potential of discarded objects. In 2022, Ryan received the Turner Prize and was included in the Whitney Biennial.

María Elena Ortiz is the Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth where she recently curated Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible (2023) and Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists Since 1940 (2024). She was curator at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), where she founded the Caribbean Cultural Institute, curated several exhibitions, and worked to grow the museum’s collection. In 2024, Ortiz co-curated with Susanna V. Temkin and Rodrigo Moura, Flow States, El Museo del Barrio’s triennial dedicated to Latinx art. In 2023, she co-curated with Marina Reyes Franco, Puerto Rico NegrXsat the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. In 2011, Ortiz was curator at La Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros in Mexico City.