artawe blog

Fare Thee Well Glynn Viv, Hurry Back Soon…

2012-02-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

FareThee Well Glynn Viv, Hurry BackSoon…

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery redevelopment © Powell Dobson Architects

The Great Mother of theSwansea art scene has closed her doors for business awaiting ascrumptious new make-over in the shape of a multi-million poundrefurb. Having dispersed her fairy art children throughout the cityto continue their creative crusade in her absence, the Glynn Vivianawaits extensive redevelopment that includes complete conservation ofthe historical 1911 building.

Already feeling the loss? The good news is that it’ll mean tons more vibrant visual displayspaces, a brand new lecture theatre and community room, and aninspired social space, complete with refreshment facilities and WiFi. The bad news is that we have to eagerly sit on our hands awhile asgood things take time and patience, but do eventually come to thosewho wait! So as we anticipate the 2014 launch let’s reminisce uponsome of the Glynn Viv’s recent best bits, and take an animated lookat electrifying off-site events to come.

Primarily taking place incommunity venues such as the Central Library and YMCA, the gallerywill continue to host its usual busy programme of art workshops,events, talks, film and live music. Speaking on behalf of the GlynnVivian, Katy Freer promises an exciting collaborative project withBirmingham-based IKON Gallery to be shown at Swansea’s MissionGallery in late 2012, as well as some thrillingly impromptu pop-upexhibits by local artists, up-to-date details of which may be foundon the gallery’s new blog: www.glynnvivian.com. But if you can’t wait, here’s some art-centric memorialising toget you all starry-eyed…

Maleonn Ma King of the Ridiculous, 2011

Recognizable for her 2006Venice Biennale entry sculpture Beast, Welsh artist LauraFord’s June 2011 exhibition, Beast and Other Works, wasrefreshingly unorthodox. Tactile and familiar with a strangelyuncanny psychological undertone, it was a show that proved popularwith visitors, creating an impending and substantial impression inthe Atrium. Showing at the same time in the

main gallery was IKnow Something About Love part ll, organised by Parasol Unit,London. Investigating themes of love (and loss) in diverse times andcultures, the exhibition included film and installation pieces bythree artists: YangFudong , Christodoulos Panayiotou, and, a personal favourite, ShirinNeshat. The positioning of these two arresting shows togetherrevealed an inspired piece of curatorship, as their respectively darkundercurrents offset one another nicely in a fluid spatialcontinuation of comparable themes. Similarly, Mark Wallinger curatedexposition TheRussian Linesman,2009, focussed upon unsettling the limits of spectatorship. Flaunting mixed media pieces it interrogatingly distorted theboundaries between perceptions and reality, and accordingly proved achallengingly stimulating hit with visitors.

Takinga momentarily critical view, both of these shows are linked not onlyin terms of accomplishment, but in budget also. For great,long-running exhibits by internationally acclaimed artists requirebig bucks. The danger here, as always, is that national economicdifficulties will inhibit arts funding, and thus exhibition qualitywill diminish accordingly. Tough times will inevitably call forradical measures if monotony and diminution are to be avoided. Inspired curatorialship and user-responsive programming are requiredif the Glynn Vivian is to retain her eminent position as Matriarch ofour domestic arts scene. Because witnessing the plethora ofsupportive visitors who turned out to bid the gallery a fondfarewell, the pressing public need for great arts resources inSwansea became vibrantly clear. So let’s hope the Glynn Vivdelivers in rousing abundance upon her return!

By Jess Hughes

D I S R U P T I O N - Oxford Street, Swansea - November 5th 2011

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

D I S R U P T I O N
Oxford Street, Swansea, November 5th 2011

Drawings by Rose Davies

Drawings by Rose Davies

Swansea Creative Hub

2011-10-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Swansea Creative Hub

The terms ‘Creative’ and ‘High Street’ do not go hand in hand in the popular imagination when considering the appeal of one of Swansea’s most down at heel zones. Suffering from long-term neglect and lack of regeneration it is the area to avoid late at night, the dismal gateway to an otherwise vibrant and cultural city that rail-travellers unfortunately build their first impressions upon. But this is unlikely to prevail given the extensive new urban regeneration project currently underway. Masterminded through the collaborative efforts of Swansea- based Coastal Housing Group and local creative enterprises, Swansea Creative Hub is at the centre of Swansea’s new Urban Village project. Its aims are to construct a space that is conducive to creativity of all kinds, offering the kind of ‘Flexible Space, Flexible Rent, Flexible Lease’, that is so necessary a part of the arts scene that it forms the basis of their tag-line.
On a personal level, quite frankly I’m a fan of anybody brave and visionary enough to tackle this oft critiqued part of the city. But the Swansea Creative Hub’s vision extends way beyond a simple and rather expensive regeneration project. With the well established Volcano Theatre Company and Music. Art. Dance. Swansea already on board and operating out of flexible leased spaces at the main 229 High Street location, and currently hosting one of the ‘Art across the City’ projects, the Hub appears to be rapidly growing from strength to strength. Add to this its proximity to the recently opened South Wales Evening Post Theatre next door, and you quickly get a sense of the scope of this exciting new venture, the ethos of which is firmly located around nurturing, facilitating, and promoting the creative arts in Swansea. In the words of co-founder Huw Williams it’s ’a space that’s minimal, flexible and allows for ease of communication’, stressing the exciting possibilities for artistic coalescence and collaboration that exist within such an art-centric setting. It’s not just about the High Street location either. Having already brought us Supersaurus art space on Orchard Street, the Coastal Housing Group in collaboration with Elysium Gallery, now intends to create some much needed studio spaces at the former Barons site, hence watch this space! So if you’re an artistic individual or group then go along and get involved, start a creative dialogue, and become part of this burgeoning new ‘creative cluster’ that’s set to make a vivid mark on Swansea’s arts scene.
Further Information on the Swansea Creative Hub can be found at http://swanseacreativehub.com, or alternatively contact Huw Williams directly on huw@swanseacreativehub.com.

Jess Hughes, Elysium Gallery Swansea.

Jane Phillips Award

2011-08-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Jane Phillips Award

Unfortunately this year has seen the incredibly sad passing of Mission Gallery Director Jane Phillips. The Swansea arts scene now has a huge gap that will be difficult to fill.

Her hard work, high standards and support were crucial to the development of many artists, and there are many of them who have a lot to thank her for including myself.

A fitting tribute to her life is of course the glorious Mission Gallery which is now one of the finest in Britain and currently is host to Live out Loud which runs until 29^th August. This exhibition showcases Jane’s little known background as a painter and features a beautiful selection of the most colorful and vibrant paintings that light up the gallery space to dramatic and wonderful effect.

What is well known was Jane’s support for emerging artists and it was with this in mind that the Jane Phillips Award was born. The Award is a fitting legacy to Jane's passion for mentoring and nurturing talent and each year the Mission Gallery will provide support and mentoring for a chosen young artist.

Over 50 artists from Wales and beyond have donated work to be auctioned on Saturday 20^th August in support of the Jane Phillips Award, with the Actress Helen Griffin as the guest Auctioneer for the day and hosted within the beautiful setting of the round Reading Room at Swansea Metropolitan University's Alexandra Road campus. This will be an unforgettable day and excellent opportunity to purchase work by established and emerging artists. Unsold work on the day will be available to purchase, all the work can currently be viewed at www.janephillipsaward.co.uk

I hope you all can make it to the show and auction and I’d like to take this opportunity to say

Thank you Jane X

Further information on Live out Loud and future Mission Gallery exhibitions can be found at www.missiongallery.co.uk

Jonathan Powell

Director Elysium Gallery & Artawe: Arts Resource Swansea

Owen Martin Photography Exhibition at Oriel Bach

2011-06-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

Artist's Statement

I am interested in photographing various political, cultural and environmental issues. This work focuses on the sky, looking at pollution caused by street lights. I have tried to take photographs that do not obviously show pollution. I used a digital camera to photograph this project, I wanted to push the camera to its limits in order to use some of the effects caused by digital cameras such as digital noise without using image editing software. I am interested in using digital technology such as cameras and printers to create images that look different rather than trying to emulate film photography.

Artawe - Elysium - ANOTHER MASSIVE DRAW - 14th to 21st May 2011

2011-05-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Locws International: Art Across the City

2011-04-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

Swansea is preparing to host one of Wales’s most exciting and prestigious contemporary visual art events, ‘Locws International: Art Across The City’, which sees international artists create new contemporary artworks for public sites across the city.

The exhibition takes place from 16th April – 13th May 2011 with artists from the UK, Qatar, Wales and Europe creating new temporary artworks that are made as a direct response to the culture, heritage and landscape of the city. The artists are Simon and Tom Bloor, Alex Duncan, Laura Ford, Rhys Himsworth, Maider López and Bedwyr Williams.

The artists have all spent time in the city researching and getting inspiration for their projects and have come up with some very exciting and stimulating ideas. The new temporary artworks will all be displayed in accessible public spaces across the centre of the city and be free and open for all to view.

Alex Duncan

“This will be a really inspiring exhibition”, said Project Coordinator Erin Rickard. “We have invited a diverse group of artists to take part, all of whom have immense experience and talent in creating exciting and stimulating work. It’s a great opportunity for the city to showcase new work by these artists and particularly as each of the artworks responds to an aspect of Swansea’s culture or heritage. It will make the exhibition accessible to everyone, both physically and conceptually, giving everybody the chance to experience new contemporary art in an open and insightful way”.

In addition to the new works of art, there is an exhibition of artworks made by Swansea school pupils that responded to the last Art Across The City event as part of Locws International’s ‘Learning and Outreach Programme’. There will also be guided tours, talks and events that are free and open to all and an information point will be located at the National Waterfront Museum where free brochures and maps of all the exhibits are available.
www.artacrossthecity.com.
With support from The Arts Council of Wales, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The City & County of Swansea, The Henry Moore Foundation, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales and The Christopher and David Lewis Foundation.

artawe Launch - Tapestri - 27th November 2010

2011-04-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

Artawe was set up in 2010 in order to create a better awareness of the arts in Swansea and its immediate surrounding areas. The project was initiated by Elysium gallery in collaboration with the last few remaining members of the no longer Swansea Arts Forum Trust and has now been incorporated in elysium gallery’s portfolio.

Jonathan Powell, Artist, Director of Elysium Gallery and artawe said: “I feel artawe is a vital resource for all creative persons and organisations who live and work in Swansea. We want artawe to capture the heartbeat of a thriving city and generate income and tourism.”
Through the website www.artawe.com and associated locally events the aims are:
to create an online resource to link our creative community to develop creative partnerships
to support and encourage existing initiatives and assist (where relevant) in their further development
to encourage and create an awareness of the diversity of cultural practice in Swansea

The website also provides information on artists including a venue directory of all Swansea galleries, music venues, theatres, arts cafes and bookshops.
In collaboration with Gwalia, Artawe, was launched on November 29th 2010 at Tapestri,
an art café/bar at Lys Glas, Swansea.

Artawe is an artist led organization, run on a voluntary basis for the people of the City & County of Swansea.