Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life

‘One of this year’s most anticipated sculpture shows gathers together the widely strewn works of the Jamaican-born artist Ronald Moody for the first time in full force.’ ★★★★ The Observer

Jamaican-born sculptor Ronald Moody is one of the most significant artists of the 20th century and this major exhibition explores the development of Moody’s art as well as his contribution and impact on British and international art history.

The exhibition brings together over 50 Moody works from large-scale figurative sculptures made in wood in the 1930s through to post-war experimentation with concrete and resin casting. These works are set within the context of his contemporaries Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, artists he exhibited alongside such as Eileen Agar and his friend Jacob Epstein, as well as the group known as the Caribbean Artists Movement of which Moody was a founding member.

Sculpting Life also includes his broader creative endeavours such as poetry, writings and audio broadcasts that he turned to at the advent of the Second World War in which he discusses his artistic influences. This archive section is presented in a specially commissioned installation by Sheffield-based artist Kedisha Coakley.

To coincide with the exhibition, a new biography, Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life by Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski is published by Thames & Hudson in association with The Hepworth Wakefield on 20 June.

Sheffield-based artist Kedisha Coakley’s (b.1982, London) practice spans sculpture, photography, predominantly printmaking with braided hair, and casting in bronze, through which she interrogates Black histories and experiences.

Coakley’s work begins as a personal investigation of self, childhood memories and ritualistic practices in the lives of Black communities, and what they signify universally in the world. A timely expression of Black identity, she investigates the overlooked by remixing aesthetics, techniques and cultural references throughout her work.

Coakley was selected as one of five Platform 22 artists between 2022 and ’24, a Freelands Foundation artist development programme overseen by Site Gallery, Sheffield. She was the recipient of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park Yorkshire Graduate Award 2020 and was part of Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2021.

kedishacoakley.co.uk

Major Supporter

The Ronald Moody Trust

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