Arts & Lifestyle

Veronica Ryan: The Surreality of Everything

Lincoln Ahn

30 Sep 2025 — 2 min read

Photo by Lincoln Ahn

I recently visited the Veronica Ryan exhibit at the Wexner Art Museum. I was interested in how her work displayed icons of the interior world such as pillows and how her adaptation of them as art could serve as inspiration for my own designs. Incorporating the philosophy of Ryan's craft into a vehicle interior could aid in creating a unique environment that fosters contemplative calm.

Based in New York since the 1990s and traveling often to the UK, Ryan’s work is influenced by transatlantic exchanges. She creates a network of connections that bring together personal and global histories of travel and migration as well as narratives of healing, nurturing, and belonging. The exhibition also highlights her frequent return to past works and ideas in pursuit of new conversations. Through this continuous reshaping, she asks us to consider life itself as a process of constant growth, navigation, and change.

The materials and techniques Ryan uses serve the themes and narratives that surface in her work. Her hand-embroidered pillowcases and cushions evoke dream states and interior worlds. So does her use of alluring textures and colors—some sourced from natural materials like coral, turmeric, and indigo. Visitors will encounter sculptures made from traditional art materials, including bronze and marble, but also found and everyday items, from seeds to bandages and hair ties. Ryan asks us to reconsider so-called waste, imbuing discarded material such as padded envelopes, fabric scraps, packaging, and plastic bottles with new life. Her reuse of such humble materials, remaking them into artwork, suggests environmental concerns around excess and consumption. It also demonstrates a recognition of discarded objects’ unrealized potential.

Veronica Ryan: Along a Spectrum. 2021 / Photo by Max McClure

The themes of comfort and holding are seen throughout the exhibit, such as with the rocks suspended by nets or enlarged seeds nestled into pillows. These surreal objects evoke a certain calmness despite their unusual appearance, perhaps owing to the thought of the viewer being nestled in similar pillows or nets. The expression of comfort via plush visual aspects such as puffed forms or other objects sinking in could also serve as inspiration for making a space feel more comfortable.

Another point of interest with the pillows and other art pieces is the use of dying and embroidery. These elements not only generate visual interest but also assist in adding to the trance-like experience of view these works of art. Usually dye and embroidery are used to visually signify certain design elements or to evoke a feeling or place. Here these techniques are used to support the overall surreal tone that creates an indecipherable yet calming piece.