Behind the scenes at Yorkshire Sculpture Park: Discover LR Vandy’s powerful new exhibition this spring

As her first solo show in a museum, this is an opportunity to experience an extraordinary body of work right here in Yorkshire, before anyone else.

For any artist, a first solo museum exhibition is a defining milestone, and Rise marks that point for LR Vandy. The exhibition will span The Weston Gallery and outdoors, bringing together new rope installations, figurative sculptures and wall-based works that have been carefully developed with YSP in mind. It means people living in and around Wakefield will be among the very first to see this work at scale, in the setting where several of the pieces have been conceived.

From a public perspective, Rise promises to be an exhibition that is visually striking, emotionally engaging and accessible to all, regardless of art knowledge. Vandy works with familiar forms such as maypoles, spinning tops and dancing figures, using them to explore ideas of resilience, collective movement and joy, so visitors can connect with the work on a very immediate level. The exhibition will offer the kind of experience YSP is known for: sculpture that encourages you to look, move and think differently as you walk through the space and explore the park.

What sets Rise apart is its strong sense of identity and material focus. Vandy’s practice is grounded in rope – informed by her studio at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham – and she uses this everyday material to draw out stories of trade, labour and the histories tied up with Britain’s maritime and colonial pasts.

As curators, we are particularly excited about how Rise will speak to different visitors in different ways. Some may be drawn primarily to the bold shapes, colour and sense of movement, while others will want to delve into the deeper themes of protest, liberation and the legacies of colonialism and slavery that sit behind the work. The exhibition has been conceived so that both kinds of encounters – instinctive and reflective – are equally valid and rewarding.

For YSP, hosting Rise is an opportunity to reaffirm what makes this place so special: ambitious art, a beautiful landscape and a warm welcome for everyone. As we prepare to open the show, there is a real sense of anticipation about sharing Vandy’s vision and seeing how people respond. Whether you are a regular or have not visited for a while, this spring’s exhibition is an invitation to join us at the start of an important new chapter in the story of an artist you are likely to hear much more about in the years to come.

Rise opens on Saturday 14 March and is free to visit at The Weston Gallery on the eastern edge of the Park, with its own free parking, award-winning restaurant and gift shop. You can find out more at: https://ysp.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/lr-vandy-rise