Virginia Ryan Visual Artist

'Living Gold': at the world-reknown heritage site, the Certosa di Padula,a permanent installation curated by Achille Bonito Oliva in the exhibition 'le Opere e i Giorni' in 2004.

'll Palio di Foligno' 2005: Ryan was invited by critic Italo Tommasoni to create the annual Standard for the 'Quintana' causing a large public debate in the city between traditionalists and innovators, which can be viewed on line (Italian only) here

A Contemporary Wunderkammer at The Fenestrella in Spello, Umbria (see 'installations and

Perfomances for 2006 on the Wunderkammern site,curated by F.Ottavianelli)

The 'Newsroom'at the Albornoz Art Hotel in Spoleto

'In Transitu' :an intallation in the Castle of Acaya,as part of Intramoenia,curated by Achille Bonito Oliva and Giusy Caroppo, see online interview for Telekmedia with MariaGrazia Taddeo (September 2007) and view photos of the installed works at the opening.

Some reviews:

..Nel cortile del castello, infine, l'intervento pi? lieve e insieme poetico l'ha realizzato Virginia Ryan, che ha chiesto ad alcune donne del paese di ricamare su una federa di lino o cotone una parola che alludesse ad un momento significativo della propria vita: amore, pace, mamma e la data del proprio futuro matrimonio, queste alcune delle parole fissate sulla tela e continuamente sussurrate in sottofondo, quasi a propiziare il sonno della Vergine raffigurata nell'antico attiguo affresco....................

Li del Venere, Il Segno, Novembre 2007

L'installazione di Virginia Ryan, che ha chiesto alle donne del luogo di ricamare una parola o una data per loro importante sulle federe dei cuscini, l'opera-operazione piu'commovente, struggente e radicata di tutto il grand tour.

Manuela Gandini, La Stampa, Milano, Dicembre 2007

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2008: Virginia has completed a bronze with master Salvatore D'Addario and is working on a project with the women of Quartieri Spagnoli in Naples, entitled Terremoto Femmineus, to be exhibited in November in the underground gallery of Largo Baracche.

See the first meeting with the women at a pizzeria in Naples on http://youtube.com/watch?v=hAau_jsjBSU.Of this project Virginia writes:Terremotus Femminile is the second installment of an on-going Italy-based project I began in 2007 with 'Intransitu' in Puglia, mapping the female experience through the hand, the eye, and the voice. Each time, I work in collaboration with both the American sound-designer Steven Feld and groups of women who sew, weave, and embroider their stories in response to the particular idea, emotion or event. As an artist, my practise is concerned with memory, identity and territory. Here in Naples, the project concerns the earthquake of 1980, exhibited underground in collaboration with a group of women from the Quartieri Spagnoli who had never worked together before. The resulting elaboration of each woman's "essential tremors," produced over a period of six months in 2008 is ten sewn and embroidered cloths to be exhibited on the 23rd of November, the anniversary of the earthquake, accompanied by both photographic portraits of each participant, complimented by

Feld's sound environment. Both of us wish to thank the members of Sabu - Pietro Tatafiore, Massimiliano and particularly Giuseppe Ruffo for his curatorship, and the women for their spirited collaboration.

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Virginia's solo show was part of the Spoleto international festival was held from July till September 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art in Spoleto.See 'Multiple Entries' in the Gallery.

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In May 2008, in Foligno, the first meeting was held with the embroidery group led by master embroider Rosalba Pepi from the the Laboratorio Tessile di Alice . Disussion are underway as to the theme of the collaboration,based around the idea of birth. In Italian,the project will be called 'nascita' and will be completed in 2009 (updated October 2008)