Victoria Rance

Victoria Rance
Pulpit
2006
Powder coated steel
106 x 145 x 145 cm
41 ¾ x 57 ⅛ x 57 ⅛ in.

A response to pulpits in Georgian churches along the Strand in London, where sculptor Victoria Rance saw that their height and form changed over time, Pulpit offers a place to address an 'audience'; the stone structure of our summer house acts as an ideal space. Themes of shielding and protecting take centre stage in Victoria Rance’s practice. Masks, helmets, armour, and cocoons are constructed from both metal and fabric. They are designed to be worn to protect both from exposure to the elements as well as other beings.

Victoria Rance graduated with a BA honours in Fine Art from Newcastle University in 1983, and subsequently an MA from Kingston University in 2009. Based at APT Studios in Deptford, London, Rance received the 2003/4 Mark Tanner Award for Sculpture. She is interested in interactivity between the viewer and the sculpture.

Rance's work was included in the touring exhibition ‘If Not Now, When? Generations of Woman in Sculpture in Britain, 1960-2022’, which started at the Hepworth Wakefield (2023) and travelled to the Saatchi Gallery, London (2023-24). Past exhibitions include Spire, The Economist Plaza, London (2000); The Night Horse and the Holy Baboon at the Cello Factory, London (2017); Creek Dreams, Seager Gallery, London (2022).