You may remember last year we featured a year-long series of events and installations investigating our relationship to land and water and how we might respond to rising sea levels on the Welsh coastline.
Lighthouses appeared at Magor Marsh and the Riverfront, Newport, last April with each light connecting us in Wales to our friends in the Bay of Bengal via live tidal data.
Now, a first-of-its-Kind Modern Art Exhibition Comes to South Wales featuring Rocks, Waves, and the Written Word.
Next month sees the works of twenty leading artists and poets from Wales coming together under one roof for the very first time – in an exhibition inspired by the Wales Coast Path.
Opening to the public for free from the 1st of the month, the thought-provoking exhibition will mark the end of the Wales Coast Path’s 10th anniversary celebrations — inside the iconic Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff Bay.
The works were individually showcased as part of Celf Coast Cymru last year, a project which saw 10 poets and 10 artists to create works inspired by their local stretch of the Path.
All in celebration of the 10th anniversary year, the works appeared in creative spaces all along the coastline – from Pontio Arts Centre, Bangor to the National Waterfront Museum Swansea and will now come together to be enjoyed and admired in one place.
Featured artists include the likes of Bob Guy, Manon Awst and Simon Page – each depicting parts of the Path in their own respective mediums, from sculptures playfully juxtaposing coastal tourism and geology to wood engravings depicting the Petrified Forest on Borth Beach.
Ten bespoke pieces of poetry will also be celebrated at the Norwegian Church – showcasing the works of the National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, Gillian Clarke and Ceri Wyn Jones to name but a few.
Lead artist for the Celf Coast Cymru project, Dan Llywelyn Hall told us…..
“The Wales Coast Path has established itself as a beacon of our nation’s natural beauty — providing inspiration to artists and poets across the world for generations.
“The only continuous coast path in the world, the Wales Coast Path, is truly unique — as are the works of our wonderful artists and poets, which I would encourage anyone to come along and see for themselves.”
Sioned Humphreys, Marketing Officer for the Wales Coast added…..
“As we come to the end of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the exhibition is the perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and reflect on their own personal memories of the Path over the last decade.
What’s more, each of the works will be published in a commemorative book, Celf Coast Cymru 10, available to purchase at the exhibition”.
The exhibition will be at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay and will open from 10am to 4:30pm on Wednesdays to Sundays between the 1st and 26th March.
To find out more about the Celf Coast Cymru exhibition, just go HERE. And to see what else is happening at the Norwegian Church, head over to their site HERE.
Artists and Poets featured in the Celf Coast Cymru exhibition…………..
ARTISTS
Dan Llywelyn Hall is a Welsh painter known for working in the landscape and portrait genres, bringing a combination of insight and raw emotional force to the genre of figurative art. Dan is the lead artist for the Celf Coast Cymru project.
Wendy Dawson is primarily a metal artist working with precious and non-precious metals. For the Celf Coast Cymru project, Wendy curated a body of work that focused on time’s paces through road signs along the coast.
Manon Awst is a Welsh artist specialising in sculptures and site-specific artworks woven with ecological narratives. Her thought-provoking piece from the exhibition brings to the fore the cultural and environmental weight of ‘holiday mode’ on coastal destinations.
Brian Jones is a landscape and portrait artist based in Mid Wales, bringing his original oils onto canvas for the Celf Coast Cymru exhibition. Brian also specialises in textile design, after spending many years working in the design studios of Laura Ashley.
Liz Neal is an embroiderer, sculptor and painter who has created an array of coastal landscapes for Celf Coast Cymru, that are both local and important to her through the various art forms that she specialises in — all on appliqué.
Bob Guy specialises in wood engraving — a technique pioneered in the late 18th century. An artist, illustrator and printmaker from Cain Valley, Montgomeryshire, Bob brings a very different edge to the exhibition with his breadth of artistic expertise.
Iwan Bala is an established artist, writer and lecturer based in Wales. Having won Welsh Artist of the Year, Drawing Prize in 2013. What’s more, Iwan Bala has also published books and essays on contemporary art in Wales. Iwan Bala is cited in most published compilations on contemporary art in Wales.
Simon Page re-envisioned the Gower coast, Swansea, for his Celf Coast Cymru piece — after being attracted to the idea of the Wales Coast Path’s relationship with the land, the sea, and the changing space that exists on the edge of both.
Neale Howells is often referred to as ‘the bad boy’ of Welsh art, combining graffiti, pop art, symbolism, and abstract expressionism — primarily with household materials. From working with the Manic Street Preachers to Welsh fashion designer, Kayne Pierson — the Celf Coast Cymru exhibition is another major addition to his ever-growing portfolio.
Neale is also currently exhibiting a selection of his work at the JOHN MARTIN GALLERY in London until the 3rd March. It really is well worth seeing if you’re in that capital, not ours. You can see whats on show HERE.
POETS
Ifor ap Glyn is known as one of Wales’ most established poets, having held the title of National Poet of Wales from 2016 until 2021. Ifor ap Glyn is the poet behind the words of Wales Coast Path’s 10th anniversary poem, ‘A Wales Coast Path Blessing’ — landing him the role of lead poet on the Celf Coast Cymru project.
Hanan Issa, the newly-appointed National Poet of Wales, is a writer, poet and artist from Cardiff. Her work has been performed and published on a variety of different platforms including the Celf Coast Cymru exhibition — celebrating what the local stretch of the Path means to her.
Zoe Skoulding is a poet and literary critic. Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Bangor University, Zoe’s work has been acknowledged by Wales Book of the Year Awards after being shortlisted numerous times and winning the Poetry Award in 2020.
Llion Pryderi Roberts is originally from Anglesey, and splits his time as an author and a lecturer at Cardiff University’s School of Welsh. Specialising in creative writing and literature, he released his first volume of literary work in 2018.
Guto Dafydd is a successful Welsh poet and novelist who’s won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales twice — becoming one of the youngest-ever winners, as well as winning the Daniel Owen Prize for his novels.
Haf Llewelyn is an author and poet from Llanuwchllyn, Mid Wales. Haf started her career as a primary school teacher before becoming an established author and receiving the Tir na n-Og prize for her novel, Diffodd y Sêr in 2014.
Ceri Wyn Jones is one of Wales’ leading authors, having won both the Chair and the Crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales not once, but twice. In addition to his successes at the Eisteddfod, Ceri was also the Children’s Poet for Wales (Bardd Plant Cymru) 2004 – 2005.
Gillian Clarke is a well-established poet from Wales and was the National Poet of Wales between 2008 and 2016. Gillian was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2010 for her contributions to the field, as well as having contributed to both radio and theatre drama.
Elinor Gwynn is a Welsh poet and environmentalist — also a recipient of the Crown the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Elinor’s work is known for being heavily-inflicted by her love for the outdoors, in addition to personal tragedy.
Natalie Holborow is a multi-award-winning author from Swansea, finding success with her novels And Suddenly You Find Yourself and Small. Natalie has also been shortlisted for various prizes including the Bridport Prize and the National Poetry Competition.
Robert Minhinnick is a Welsh poet and novelist and has won the Wales Book of the Year award a record of three times. Robert was born in Neath and now lives by the coast in Porthcawl — the local stretch of Path which inspired his Celf Coast Cymru contribution.
If you can’t make any of the in-person events. The team have created some short videos so you can see and hear the work from wherever you are – available from Spring onwards.