pic: SEAN EDWARDS |
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BE OUR GUEST
Oriel Davies, Newtown Until Wed 4 Sept Tourism is a major component of the Welsh economy and an often unacknowledged part of Welsh experience. The perception of tourism in Wales varies tremendously depending on social, linguistic and political positions( RS Thomas believed that Wales had become a museum for the English, others are grateful for the money which tourism brings to Wales). A key part of the history of tourism in Wales is the humble, familyrun B & B. Starting with the Victorian era, and with their heyday in the post-war boom in domestic tourism of the 1950s and 1960s, the B & B has occupied a special part of the Welsh imagination. Now Oriel Davies in Newtown, Powys, is exploring ideas about tourism by producing an exhibition based around the experience of staying in a B & B. The artists in the show have worked with local B & B owners, and tourists themselves, to create works of art based on objects found within B & Bs. Shower curtains, board games,“ quirky fire notices” and ceramic knik-knaks are all included, with works in different media. The gallery informs us that“ this immersive show features works integrated within the‘ rooms’ at the B & B which expose the blurred lines between private and public spaces and the roles played out by both host and guest”. Which presumably means you can pretend you’ re staying in a B & B while looking at the exhibits. Admission: free. Info: 01686 623633 / www. orieldavies. org( DG)
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CARWYN EVANS: I / O
Gallery / Ten, Cardiff + Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Until Sat 13 July The relational concept of culture and the body has always been a major thematic preoccupation for artists as they seek to explore how identity is shaped by humanity’ s interaction with the ever changing environment that surrounds us. The nature of the body and the way in which it is shaped by culture forms the backbone of Carwyn Evans’ work. After being awarded the gold medal for fine art at the National Eisteddfod Of Wales in 2012, Evans’ work has begun to create a stir, building his reputation as a groundbreaking young artist. This summer, Evans presents his first solo exhibition since winning the esteemed award. Divided between two locations, Gallery / ten and the Wales Millennium Centre, the exhibitions intertwine to portray Evans’ concern with domestic and external realms. The first instalment at Gallery / Ten,‘ I’( translated as‘ to’ or‘ for’ in Welsh) showcases Evans’ manipulation of mixed media, working with ceramics, sculpture and prints to draw on the connection between culture and the body. At Wales Millennium Centre, topographical installations make up‘ O’( translated as‘ from’ or‘ out of’ in Welsh) as Evans examines man’ s relationship with nature. The exhibition epitomises Evans’ s dynamic and evocative style stemming directly from his attempt to explicitly render in his work the physical effects of migrating from his rural Welsh upbringing. Admission: free. Info: 029 2034 5978 / www. gallery-ten. co. uk( JR)
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RONA CAMPBELL: ICE DANCE
Grand Theatre, Swansea Tue 30 July-Fri 16 Aug Rona Campbell has her talented fingers in many creative pies. Not only is she a singer who has performed in cathedrals across South Wales and occupied the role of principle soprano in the Opera De Caracas, nor is she just a prize-winning poet who has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival and been complemented by Ted Hughes, she is also a recognised photographer and visual artist. Her latest exhibition, Ice Dance, uses fine art photography of natural ice and snow from around Wales to create compelling and often intricate pieces. Campbell searches for the poetry within nature, capturing movement and choreography in the static structures and crystals present in the various forms ice takes. Inspired by frost on her kitchen window, she delves into the alien landscapes that reside within the ordinary world of frozen water and celebrates the elaborate forms they achieve. The exhibition also combines Campbell’ s poetry with the ice images to further explore the graceful beauty on show, giving the viewer a unique glimpse into the intentions of the artist not normally possible in a traditional exhibit. Through the combination of images and words, Campbell uses the ephemeral complexity and elegance of ice forms as a representation of our own delicate and fleeting existence. Admission: free. Info: 01792 475242 / www. ronacampbell. co. uk( JD)
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SEAN EDWARDS: DRAWN IN CURSIVE
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff Sat 27 July-Sun 22 Sept Is there art in the everyday? Abergavennybased artist Sean Edwards explores this question in his Drawn In Cursive exhibition at Chapter Arts Centre. Founding his work on the notion that the most mundane materials have sculptural potential, Sean Edward’ s new exhibition displays some 600 random items. These comprise of objects, images, drawings, photographs and clippings that are often in the process of development, are the remainders of activities or have been found or made. Although spontaneously selected, the artist suggests that all the items have a strong connection. Their re-positioning and re-deliberation endows them with a fresh, fascinating significance. If you’ re charmed by Sean’ s innovative take on the ordinary, you’ ll be pleased to know that your visit plays a fundamental role in the exhibition’ s ambience. The objects rely on the viewer’ s creative gaze to become sculptures – the gallery is less a space for completed artwork than a space in which material undergoes a transformation into art. Engaging with its location, the display will adjust as it moves. Leaving Chapter Arts Centre, it will visit a former textile factory in Arles, France, and a purposebuilt gallery in Mostyn, North Wales. Sean inspires us to re-consider immaterial elements of our lives with an original, dynamic worth. Admission: free. Info: 029 2030 4400 / www. chapter. org( HR)
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BUZZ 30 |