Whitechapel Gallery presents Senga Nengudi: Performance Works 1972-1982 + Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations

Senga Nengudi, Performance Piece, 1977, (detail). Courtesy Sprüth Magers and Thomas Erben Gallery, New York. Photo Harmon Outlaw.

Senga Nengudi: Performance Works 1972-1982

The gallery presents a rare archival exhibition of the work of pioneering artist and educator Senga Nengudi (b.1943, Chicago, USA). Featuring photographic works, archival materials and films of key performance pieces, the exhibition offers audiences unique insights into Nengudi’s work and practice.

Nengudi’s influential and groundbreaking works sit at the intersection of sculpture, choreography and performance and draw on a range of African, Asian and Native American art forms.

The presentation focuses on a selection of Nengudi’s most iconic works made between 1972 and 1982 – a pivotal moment in her artistic development. During this period, Nengudi refined both her approach and creative forms, building on a background in dance and art.

Veronica Ryan, Along a Spectrum, 2021. Installation view, Spike Island, Bristol. Commissioned by Spike Island, Bristol and supported by Freelands Foundation. Courtesy of Spike Island, Bristol and Alison Jacques. Photo Max MacClure.

Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations

Encompassing more than 100 works, and spanning four decades, the exhibition reflects the full spectrum of Ryan’s practice, showcasing her multifaceted work across sculpture, textiles and works on paper and illuminating a distinctive, highly evocative, visual language. Significantly, the exhibition features recently rediscovered works from the 1980s – large-scale sculptures made from plaster and beaten lead, as well as vivid drawings – which reveal an enduring deep interest in psychology, memory and personal stories, while also connecting to wider themes around the environment, history, trauma and recovery.

Whitechapel Gallery

East London

1 April - 14 June 2026

Free entry

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