Surrealism in Wales

 

Surrealism in Wales 6th October - 11th November 2012  Maredd by John Welson Surrealism in Wales is a group show curated by Neil Coombs and Adrian Dannatt.The exhibition explores aspects of Wales from a surrealist perspective and includes work by five artists whose work has connections to Wales and Surrealism. The aim of the exhibition is to draw links between the work of these diverse contemporary artists and aspects of what could be called Surrealism in Wales. The exhibition is not so much a historical overview of surrealist activities in Wales but more of an attempt to explore this relationship between surrealist ideas and a particular place. The artists included in the show are: John Welson (b. 1953) has participated in over 200 exhibitions in both private and public galleries around the world since the early 1970's. From the late 1960's to the early 1990's he painted Figurative Surrealist Paintings, exhibiting with artists as diverse as Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Lucian Freud and Damian Hirst. Since the mid 1990's he has produced Lyrical Abstracted Paintings inspired by the landscape of his native Wales. Last year John had a major exhibition alongside Jean-Claude Charbonel: Surrealism - The Celtic Eye at The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Orlando Mostyn Owen (b. 1973) is an artist with Welsh origins whose canvases carry the traces of his gestures, out of which figures surge forth. Born from a combat with oil paint itself, these ghostly silhouettes are part of a composition dominated by chaos and devastation. As destruction is inherent in the creation of a picture, this artist willingly manhandles representation, taking it to the edge of disintegration and demolition, and ultimately creating an image of the chaotic state of the world. Orlando Mostyn-Owen studied at the Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris from 1992 until his graduation in 1998. He currently lives and works in London. Millree Hughes (b. 1960) is a Welsh digital artist; originally from Hawarden but now living in New York. His latest piece is a film called ‘Lummox’ which is a collaboration with the film maker Peter Boyd Maclean and which will be premiered in London as part of the Raindance Film Festival on October 2nd 2012. Millree also paints and creates frightening Surreal performances in hand-built masks and costumes. Ken Cornwell (b. 1955) is a British Australian artist who has travelled the world, painting, writing and constructing objects. He currently lives and works in Llandudno where he creates boxed assemblages that combine found and constructed objects, a surrealist method of working that can be seen in the art of Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Cornell and Anthony Earnshaw. Neil Coombs (b. 1966) is an artist and writer based in Colwyn Bay who has exhibited photographic, installation and multimedia work in galleries and festivals both nationally and internationally. He currently has a major exhibition of his work at Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales (running from 29/09/12 – 06/01/13) and his work was recently included in group shows in Turkey, Germany and USA. Coombs is also founder and editor of the surrealist journal Patricide.

Swrealaeth yng Nghymru

Grwp sydd wedi ei guradu gan Neil Coombs ac Adrian Dannatt yw Swrealaeth yng Nghymru sy’n archwilio agweddau o Gymru o bersbectif swrealydd. Mae’r arddangosfa yn cynnwys gwaith gan chwech artist sydd a chysylltiad a Chymru a Swrealaeth. Nod yr arddangosfa yw i greu cysylltiad rhwng yr artistiaid cyfoes amrywiol ac agweddau o beth yw swrealaeth yng Nghymru. Nid golwg hanesyddol o weithgareddau swrealaidd yw’r arddangosfa ond ceisio archwilio y berthynas rhwng syniadau swreal a lle neulltiol.

Yr artistiaid yw :

John Welson (b. 1953) Mae ef wedi cyfranogi mewn dros 200 o arddangosfeydd, yn gyhoeddus a phreifat o gwmpas y byd ers y 1970au cynnar. O’r 1960au hwyr i’r 1990au cynnar mae wedi paentio lluniau ffigurol swreal gan arddangos gydag artistiaid mor amrywiol a Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Lucian Freud a Damian Hirst. Ers y 1990au mae wedi cynhyrchu llunniau abstract wedi eu ysbrydoli gan dirwedd ei gartref – Cymru. Llynedd cafodd arddangosfa bwysig gyda Jean-Claude Charbonel: ‘Surrealism - The Celtic Eye’ yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Aberystwyth.

Orlando Mostyn Owen (b. 1973) artist o dras Gymreig ydyw gyda’i gynfasau yn cario ol ei ystum allan ohono y daw ffigurau yn amlwg.  Wedi deillio o baent olew, mae’r silwet ysbrydol yn rhan o’r cyfanwaith sydd wedi ei ddominyddu gan anrhefn a difrod. Mae difrod yn rhan elfennol o luniad ac mae’r artist yma yn defnyddio cynrychioliad i ddangos y cyflwr difrifol ac anrhefn y mae’r byd ynddi. Astudiodd Orlando Mostyn-Owen yn Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris o 1992 tan iddo radio yn 1998 until his graduation in 1998. Mae’n byw ac yn gweithio yn Llundain ar hyn o bryd.

Millree Hughes (b. 1960) Artist Cymreig amlgyfrwng wedi ei eni yn Hawarden ac wedi byw yn Nhywyn tan ei fod yn 18. Symudodd i Lundain gan greu y band swnllyd ‘Circle of Shit’ ac yna gweithiodd o amgylch y byd fel artist trompe l’oeil yn paentio murluniau i’r Hard Rock Cafe. Wedi byw ym Manhattan, gwelwyd ei ffilm ‘Lummox,’ a wnaeth mewncydweithrediad a Peter Boyd Maclean, dangoswyd yn y  Raindance Festival yn 2010 ac ma ear hyn o bryd yn cael ei ddatblygu ar gyfer rhaglen deledu.

Ken Cornwell (b. 1955) Artist Prydeinig Awstralidd sydd wedi teithio’r byd yn paentio, ysgrifennu a llunio gwrthrychau ydyw.  Mae’n byw ar hyn o bryd yn Llandudno lle mae’n creu darnau allan o focsys gan gyfuno gwrthrychau adeiladwyd  gyda gwrthrychau a ddaeth o hyd iddynt, dull swrealaidd o weithio sydd yn gallu cael ei weld yng ngwaith Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Cornell ac Anthony Earnshaw.

Neil Coombs (b. 1966) Artist ac awdur sydd yn byw ym Mae Colwyn sydd wedi arddangos gwaith ffotograffig, arsefydliadau ac amlgyfryngol mewn arddangosfeudd ac mewn sawl gwyl yn genedlaethol ac yn rhyngwladol. Ar hyn o bryd mae’n arddangos mewn arddangosfa blaengar o’i waith yng Nghastell Bodelwyddanyng Ngogledd Cymru (yn rhedeg o 29/09/12 – 06/01/13) a cafodd ei waith ei gynnwys yn ddiweddar mewn arddangosfa grwp yn Nhwrci , Yr Almaen a’r Unol Dalaethau. Mae Coombs hefyd yn yn sylfaenydd ac yn olygydd y cylchgrawn swrealaidd Patricide.

Adrian Dannatt (b.1963) Mab yr artist Cymreig  Joan Howell Davies ydyw a gafodd ei ddwyn i fyny yn Islington nepell o gartref y ffotograffydd swreal Cymreig Angus McBean. Fel artist, curadur ac awdur mai ei waith wedi ei arddangos mewn canolfannau mor amrywiol a’r `Deitch Projects` yn Soho Efrog Newydd a’r Oriel Whitworth ym Manceinion. Fe’i ddisgrifir gan Guy Debord fel ”le heros journalistique” a chael ei gyhuddo o “greu drygioni” gan neb llai na Malcolm Mclaren.