Vic Wright

Multimedia sculptor

Down the path of material exploration

Vic’s sculptures are inspired by the beauty of the natural world
She creates her own materials with cement, metal powders, pigments and salt crystals
She enjoys the unknown outcome of her creation process

Vic Wright’s sculptures emerge from joining together cement-cast forms in contrasting materials. She finds inspiration by riffling through the library of shapes, materials and colours she has built up over years, in which she records outcomes of her experimentation with cement. Growing up in northwest England, Vic was surrounded by creativity through her mother, a fine arts tutor, and was able to explore art with experimental materials. She studied painting and sculpture, then worked in and around London for 20 years. Vic rekindled her sculpture practice after moving back to the north of England in 2017, where she now works from her home studio near Manchester. “I am inspired by echoes of the natural world, with its colour, form and inherent beauty,” she says.

Interview

Is your work led by concept or material?: My work is always material-led. I like the conversation between materials – something plain, pigmented, hard and brutal, next to something with lots of detail, beautiful and extravagant. My studio is full of cast elements, and I look into what marries well together and what forms emerge.
What are your materials?: They are all cast out of a fine white ecological casting cement, which almost feels like flour. I add pigments or metal powders, which can force a patina. I also grow salt crystals on an extruded piece of cement, and I enjoy that the outcome is unknown.
How do you build up your compositions?: I am always drawn to organic and naturalistic shapes. I am also influenced by form and balance, along with architecture and modernism. Each sculpture shifts in appearance with every new material combination.
What drives your perseverance?: It is hard being an independent artist – it takes strength to constantly pick yourself up, move forward and believe in yourself. Today, I have the support of a gallerist, whose belief in me is brilliant.

Vic Wright is a rising star: she began her career in 2017