ORIEL DAVIES OPEN 2012
ORIEL DAVIES OPEN 2012 28. 04. 2012 - 27. 06. 2012
Selectors: Ben Borthwick, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Artes Mundi Ann Jones, Curator, Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre Amanda Farr, Director and Ruth Gooding, Curator, Oriel Davies
Barbara and Zafer Baran
Tom Lovelace
Ruth Boothroyd
William Mackrell
Bettina Buck
Melanie Manchot
Helen Cammock
Scott Mason
Julie Cassels
Paul Murphy
James Clarkson
Nina Ogden
Julian Claxton
Sarah Pager
Michael Cousin
Mike Perry
Emma Critchley
Abigail Reynolds
Joe Doldon
Peter Richards
Rosaline Dolton
Damien Roach
Sean Edwards
Angela Smith
David Gepp
Anna Solum
Heloise Godfrey
Fern Thomas
Andy Harper
Tommy Ting
Shan Hur
Matthew Verdon
Real Institute
Mary Vettise
Geoff Diego Litherland
Richard T Walker
Jessica Lloyd-Jones
Ben Woodeson
Open 2012 is the 5th Oriel Davies Open competition, this time without set geographical or artistic parameters. The competition was truly ‘open’, with boundless potential to display the breadth and diversity of artistic practice from across the world. The competition received an overwhelming national and international response, from Wales to Israel, Cornwall to Switzerland. The 38 artists selected are pushing the boundaries - challenging political or social systems, capturing the sublime, revealing the uncanny or even interrupting the very architecture of the gallery. The works can be understood as a series of opposites - natural vs. artificial, animal vs. human, or transitory vs. permanent, demonstrating the many and various ways contemporary art works to evoke, challenge and intrigue, yet each work stands alone with its own unique way of communicating. We are very grateful to our Open 2012 selectors, Ben Borthwick, CEO of Artes Mundi and Ann Jones, Curator, Arts Council Collection for their continued support and invaluable insight. Our thanks also go to our wonderful Open 2012 administrators Rachel McManus and Melissa Hinkin, to Emma Posey for her excellent input and to Alex Boyd Jones who created the framework for the Oriel Opens to develop and become such a popular event in the Gallery’s exhibition calendar.
Ruth Gooding, Curator, Oriel Davies
Arddangosfa Agored 2012 yw 5ed cystadleuaeth Arddangosfa Agored Oriel Davies, y tro hwn, heb unrhyw baramedrau daearyddol neu artistig. Yn ddiamau, roedd y gystadleuaeth ar ‘agor’ i bawb, ac â photensial diddiwedd i arddangos ehangder ac amrywiaeth arfer artistig o bob rhan o'r byd. Cafodd y gystadleuaeth ymateb cenedlaethol a rhyngwladol aruthrol - o Gymru i Israel, o Gernyw i’r Swistir. Mae’r tri deg wyth o artistiaid a ddewiswyd yn gwthio’r ffiniau - yn herio systemau gwleidyddol neu gymdeithasol, cipio’r aruchel, datgelu'r annaearol neu hyd yn oed amharu ar bensaernïaeth yr oriel. Gall y darnau gael eu deall fel cyfres o wrthgyferbyniadau - y naturiol yn erbyn yr artiffisial, anifeiliaid yn erbyn pobl, neu’r byrhoedlog yn erbyn y sefydlog, ac maent yn dangos y ffyrdd niferus ac amrywiol y gall celfyddyd gyfoes weithio i effro, herio a chyfareddu; eto, mae pob darn o waith yn cael eu cyflwyno’n unigol, ac â ffyrdd unigryw eu hunain o gyfathrebu. Rydym yn ddiolchgar iawn i’n panel dethol ar gyfer Arddangosfa Agored 2012, sef Ben Borthwick, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol, Artes Mundi ac Ann Jones, Curadur, Arts Council Collection am eu cefnogaeth barhaus a’u cyfraniad gwerthfawr. Diolch hefyd, i’n gweinyddwyr gwych, Rachel McManus a Melissa Hinkin, i Emma Posey am ei chefnogaeth a’i brwdfrydedd, ac i Alex Boyd Jones, a greodd y fframwaith i’r gystadleuaeth allu datblygu a dod yn ddigwyddiad mor boblogaidd yng nghalendr arddangos Oriel Davies.
Ruth Gooding, Curador, Oriel Davies
Barbara and Zafer Baran Barbara and Zafer Baran’s work explores the boundaries of current photographic technologies. Their Star Drawings are a hybrid between drawing and photography, and an offshoot from celestial photography (or astrophotography) in particular. In these works the stars and moon are used as ‘pencils’, in ‘drawings’ made with long camera exposures. www.zb-baran.co.uk
Mae gwaith Barbara a Zafer Baran gwaith yn archwilio ffiniau echnolegau ffotograffig presennol. Mae eu Star Drawings yn hybrid rhwng arlunio a ffotograffiaeth, ac yn gangen o ffotograffiaeth nefolaidd (neu astroffotograffeg) yn benodol. Yn y gweithiau hyn, mae’r sêr a'r lleuad yn cael eu defnyddio fel 'pensiliau', mewn 'lluniau' a wnaed gan ddefnyddio datguddiadau camera hir. www.zb-baran.co.uk
Star Drawing 7012, 2010 photograph (archival pigment print), 34.5 x 50 cm
Ruth Boothroyd I am interested in transformation - through a series of processes, which remain visible and bear witness to the objects journey. Oiled paper gains the heaviness of an industrial material while tiny holes create fragility, and allow light to penetrate. The folded structure enables the piece to take on multiple forms. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn trawsffurfio - drwy gyfres o brosesau, sy'n parhau’n weledol ac sy’n dyst i daith y gwrthrych. Mae papur olew yn elwa oherwydd trymder deunydd diwydiannol, tra bo tyllau bach yn creu bregusrwydd, ac yn caniatáu i olau dreiddio i mewn. Mae’r strwythur plyg yn galluogi'r darn i gymryd ffurfiau amryfal.
Journey 2, 2011 paper, oil, paint, thread, perforation, 119 x 168 cm
Bettina Buck I’m interested in the endless cacophony around us and making something that sits oddly in this: something provisionally transformed into an imaginative encounter; a stage, a space made to collapse. This is characterised by a quasi-sculptural investigation of material, volume, texture and situation, which shift and alter within a closed system - both performative and durational. www.rokebygallery.com Mae gen i ddiddordeb yn y cacoffoni diddiwedd o'n cwmpas ac mewn creu rhywbeth sy’n rhan ryfedd ohono. Mae’r rhywbeth hwn yn cael ei newid dros dro yn gyfarfyddiad llawn dychymyg, llwyfan, ac yn le sydd wedi’i wneud i gael ei ddymchwel. Nodweddir hyn gan ymchwiliad lled-cerfluniol o ddeunydd, maint, gwead a sefyllfa, sy'n symud ac yn newid o fewn system gaeedig - o ran ffurf a hyd. www.rokebygallery.com
In Shape, In Control, 2009 wooden table, half inflated / deflated rubber ball, 55 x 65 x 50 cm
Helen Cammock I decided to film myself learning the hymn Jerusalem as a metaphor for my dual heritage experience in Britain, situated in my mother’s suburban home to reference the notion of the everyday. The format takes its cue from populist everyday forms, driven by the need to self-represent (such as YouTube). www.helencammock.co.uk Penderfynais fy ffilmio fy hun yn dysgu'r emyn Jerwsalem fel trosiad am fy mhrofiad o dreftadaeth ddeuol ym Mhrydain, yng nghartref swbwrbaidd fy mam, i gyfeirio at y syniad o fywyd bob dydd. Mae'r fformat yn cael ei sbarduno gan ffurfiau bob dydd poblyddol, ac yn cael ei yrru gan yr angen i hunan-gynrychioli (fel YouTube). www.helencammock.co.uk
17 Hastings Avenue, 2011 video, DV PAL, 9’
Julie Cassels Using the photographic image as her medium, Julie Cassels is fascinated by the relationship between the photograph, the photographic sequence and the moving image. Her work includes collage, video installation and digitally reconstructed objects. The video painting series, Patient Sitter, records the layers of time within an artist’s field of vision. www.juliecassels.co.uk Mae Julie Cassels yn defnyddio'r ddelwedd ffotograffig fel ei chyfrwng, ac yn cael ei denu gan y berthynas rhwng y ffotograff, y dilyniant ffotograffig a’r ddelwedd symudol. Mae ei gwaith yn cynnwys gludwaith, gosodiad fideo a gwrthrychau sydd wedi cael eu hailadeiladu’n ddigidol. Mae'r fideo o’r gyfres baentio Patient Sitter, yn cofnodi haenau o amser o fewn maes gweledigaeth artist. www.juliecassels.co.uk
Patient Sitter Series – Mountain Lake – Gold Dress, 2011 silent video painting, looped
James Clarkson James Clarkson’s practice explores the relationship between art and design history, found / public materials, painting and sculpture. The materials Clarkson uses in his works are often selected for references they make to specific moments of art history. His work looks to explore tensions between functionality, purpose and experience, whilst also asking wider questions surrounding the meaning embedded in the objects that we surround ourselves with. www.james-clarkson.co.uk Mae arfer James Clarkson yn archwilio'r berthynas rhwng celf a hanes dylunio, deunyddiau a ddarganfuwyd / cyhoeddus, peintio a cherflunio. Yn aml, mae’r deunyddiau sy’n cael eu defnyddio gan Clarkson yn ei waith yn cael eu dewis am eu cyfeiriadau at adegau penodol mewn hanes celf. Mae ei waith yn archwilio tensiynau rhwng ymarferoldeb, pwrpas a phrofiad, ac mae hefyd yn gofyn cwestiynau ehangach yn ymwneud â’r ystyr sy’n rhan annatod o’r gwrthrychau sydd yn ein hamgylchynu. www.james-clarkson.co.uk
Two Glass Forms (Waving), 2012 car windows, wine rack, 110 x 70 cm
Julian Claxton Nobody now knows how it began: some put it back as far as the meteor shower. The new constant is unrest. Previously fixed times and places have shifted, become fluid: people have gone. Nothing remains from the way things used to be. An ongoing fantasy in non digital format. www.apocalypse-soon.com
Does neb yn gwybod sut y dechreuodd: mae rhai yn meddwl ei fod wedi cychwyn mor bell yn ôl â’r gawod o sêr gwib. Aflonyddwch yw’r cysondeb newydd. Mae amseroedd a lleoedd oedd gynt yn sefydlog wedi symud, wedi mynd yn anwadal: mae pobl wedi mynd. Does dim ar ôl o’r hen ffordd. Ffantasi parhaus mewn fformat annigidol. www.apocalypse-soon.com
Untitled (Shower), 2011 mixed media, 100 x 60 x 60 cm
Michael Cousin Michael Cousin is predominantly a moving-image artist, whose main concern is cultural scripting and the modification of canonical images, texts and documents.
Redux: a new interpretation of an existing work by the restoration of previously removed material. Anti-Redux: a new interpretation of an existing work by destruction or removal of previously canonical material. Redux-Plus: a new interpretation of an existing work by the introduction of previously unrelated material. www.michaelcousin.co.uk Artist delweddau symudol yw Michael Cousin gan amlaf, sy’n ymwneud yn bennaf â sgriptio diwylliannol ac addasu delweddau testunau a dogfennau canonaidd.
Redux: dehongliad newydd o waith sydd eisoes yn bodoli drwy adfer deunydd y cafwyd gwared arno’n flaenorol. Anti-Redux: dehongliad newydd o waith sydd eisoes yn bodoli drwy ddinistrio neu gael gwared â deunydd canonaidd blaenorol. Redux-Plus: dehongliad newydd o waith sydd eisoes yn bodoli drwy gyflwyno deunydd sydd heb fod yn berthnasol o’r blaen. www.michaelcousin.co.uk
009 - 012 Valerie & Countryside, 2011 digitized 8mm video, 17’ 50”
Emma Critchley My practice investigates what happens to us, as land-based mammals when for a suspended moment, we become immersed underwater. Single Shared Breath presents the breath as a silent yet universal exchange. The work explores the subtle balance between the intimate nature of the kiss and the mutual dependency in the interchange of breath. www.emmacritchley.com Mae fy arfer yn ymchwilio beth sy'n digwydd i ni, fel mamaliaid sy’n byw ^ r. Mae ar y tir, pan am eiliad gohiriedig, rydym yn cael ein trochi dan y dw
Single Shared Breath yn cyflwyno'r anadl fel rhywbeth a gyfnewidir yn dawel ond sydd hefyd yn gyffredin. Mae'r gwaith yn archwilio’r cydbwysedd cynnil rhwng natur bersonol y gusan a'r gyd-ddibyniaeth wrth gyfnewid anadl. www.emmacritchley.com
Single Shared Breath, 2011 video, looped
Joe Doldon I am not a prophet I have nothing to say I am an equal I am a listener I am a visual explorer My curiosity is impetus to explore To turn water into wine ‘Reality’ is a construct of each individual’s mind Nid wyf yn broffwyd Nid oes gennyf ddim i'w ddweud Rwyf yn gyfartal Rwyf yn wrandäwr Rwyf yn archwiliwr gweledol Mae fy chwilfrydedd yn ysgogiad i archwilio ^ I droi dw r yn win
Mae 'realiti' yn gread meddwl pob unigolyn
Contortion 9, 2011 book and wood, 100 x 110 x 65 cm
Rosie Dolton I have always been interested in making sculpture using consuming and repetitive processes which are typically associated with femininity. My current work involves using found objects, such as pallets, and sewing into them. I try to question traditional notions of femininity by combining soft ephemeral materials with inflexible, ‘man-made’ objects. www.wix.com/rosiedolton/artist Rwyf wedi ymddiddori erioed mewn creu cerflunwaith yn defnyddio prosesau llafurus ac ailadroddus sy'n gysylltiedig yn draddodiadol â benyweidd-dra. Mae fy ngwaith presennol yn golygu defnyddio gwrthrychau a ddarganfuwyd, fel paledau, a gwnïo o’u mewn. Rwy'n ceisio cwestiynu syniadau traddodiadol am fenyweidd-dra, drwy gyfuno deunyddiau darfodedig meddal gyda gwrthrychau anhyblyg, ‘o waith dyn’. www.wix.com/rosiedolton/artist
Untitled, (detail) 2011 textiles, found objects
Sean Edwards Built around a block of high-rise flats in a council estate in the mid 1970s, the Maelfa Shopping Centre in Llanedeyrn is the focus of Edwards’ portrait of a near derelict space. The film focuses on the detritus of daily life and the inevitable failure of human aspirations for greatness. Canolfan Siopa Maelfa yn Llanedeyrn, sydd wedi’i hadeiladu o amgylch bloc o fflatiau aml-lawr mewn stad o dai cyngor yng nghanol y 1970au, yw testun sylw portread Edwards o le sydd bron yn adfail. Mae'r ffilm yn canolbwyntio ar weddillion bywyd bob dydd a methiant anochel dyheadau dynol am fawredd.
Maelfa 2010 HD video, 24’ 44” courtesy the artist and Limoncello London, photo: Jamie Woodley / Spike Island
David Gepp ‘No light, but rather darkness visible.. ‘ (John Milton, Paradise Lost] Digital Zoëtrope (Greek zoë, life, tropos, turning) auto-portrait The Troubles Milton - Man has a nature both Dæmonic and Angelic as well as Human depersonalise internal weather system cyclical lighten
‘The word is not the thing.’ (Martin Büber)
Darkness Visible, 2011 video, looped
Heloise Godfrey Heloise Godfrey’s practice explores the body as the focal point for narratives: bodies as sites for storytelling. The Hair Archive is the result of research into the world of the hair salon and the sensations of both intimacy and threat that these particular social spaces can create. Mae arfer Heloise Godfrey yn archwilio’r corff fel y canolbwynt ar gyfer storïau: cyrff fel safleoedd ar gyfer adrodd storïau. Canlyniad gwaith ymchwil yw The Hair Archive i fyd salon trin gwallt, ac i’r teimladau o agosatrwydd a bygythiad y gall y mannau penodol hyn mewn cymdeithas eu creu.
Hair Archive, 2011 installation with sound, 90 x 130 x 140 cm
Andy Harper The term actus reus is derived from the principle actus non facit reum
nisi mens sit rea, which means: "an act does not make a person guilty unless (their) mind is also guilty"; hence, the general test of guilt is one that requires proof of fault both in behaviour and mind. Mae'r term actus reus yn deillio o'r egwyddor actus non facit reum
nisi mens sit rea, sy'n golygu: "nid yw gweithred yn gwneud person yn euog oni bai bod (eu) meddwl yn euog hefyd"; felly, y prawf cyffredinol o euogrwydd yw’r un sy'n gofyn am brawf fai o ran ymddygiad a meddwl.
Actus Reus, (detail) 2011 oil on paper, installation, variable sizes
Shan Hur When I see closed shops or construction sites in the city I look at them carefully. They are vague and attractive because the space used to be different - it is being changed into something new. Walking through the debris I have feelings that are neither positive nor negative because certain things have already happened and are progressing in a certain direction. Such scenes interest me as they temporarily sidestep into silence and incompleteness. www.shanhur.com Pan rwy’n gweld siopau wedi cau neu safleoedd adeiladu yn y ddinas, rwy'n edrych arnynt yn ofalus. Maent yn amwys ac yn ddeniadol oherwydd bod y gofod yn arfer bod yn wahanol - mae’n cael ei newid yn rhywbeth newydd. Wrth gerdded drwy'r rwbel, mae gen i deimladau sydd ddim yn gadarnhaol nac ychwaith, yn negyddol, gan fod rhai pethau wedi digwydd yn barod ac yn symud ymlaen mewn cyfeiriad penodol. Mae golygfeydd o’r fath yn fy niddori, wrth iddynt gamu i’r ochr am y tro i ddistawrwydd ac anghyflawnder. www.shanhur.com
Lucky Coins, 2012 concrete, plywood, timber, coins an Oriel Davies commission 2012
Real Institute Founded in north Wales in direct response to the paucity of independent cinema in the region, Real Institute has since initiated contemporary art events involving a variety of art forms. It operates as a metamorphic collective
deliberately
without
permanent
residence,
regular
funding, five year plan, humiliating initiation ceremonies or laminated membership cards. Its most recent period of self-imposed inactivity has been as effective as its preceding years of activity including projects such as Soporific, Un-Wanted DJs and Really Restrictive Shorts. Wedi’i sefydlu yng ngogledd Cymru mewn ymateb uniongyrchol i'r prinder sinema annibynnol yn y rhanbarth, mae Rêl Institwt ers hynny wedi cychwyn digwyddiadau celfyddyd gyfoes sy’n cynnwys amryw o ffurfiau celf. Mae'n gweithredu fel cydweithfa drawsffurfiadol sy’n fwriadol heb gartref parhaol, cyllid rheolaidd, cynllun pum mlynedd, seremonïau urddo bychanol na chardiau aelodaeth wedi’u lamineiddio. Mae ei gyfnod diweddaraf o anweithgarwch gwirfoddol wedi bod mor effeithiol â’i flynyddoedd blaenorol o weithgarwch, gyda phrosiectau fel Soporific, Un-Wanted DJs a Really Restrictive Shorts.
Bwyd Sonique, 2012 performance at Oriel Davies
Geoff Diego Litherland My work explores the tension between the awe-full majesty of the natural world and its grasping appropriation by human influence with the creation of these very ambiguous ‘containing structures’. They are reminiscent of the huge bio-domes at the Eden Project, but also have the harsh quality of a shard of reflective glass. They affirm the limits of our perspective and reproach the activity of composition that imposes balance, order and harmony upon nature. Moreover, in these paintings, even the division and isolation of these intelligible, figurative elements is uncertain. www.geoffdiegolitherland.com Mae fy ngwaith yn archwilio’r tensiwn rhwng mawredd syfrdanol y byd naturiol a'i adfeddiannu crafangus gan ddylanwad dynol drwy gread y ‘strwythurau cynhwysol’ amwys iawn hyn. Maent yn ein hatgoffa o'r biogromenni enfawr ym Mhrosiect Eden, ond mae ganddynt hefyd ansawdd llym fel darn o wydr adlewyrchol. Maent yn cadarnhau cyfyngiadau ein persbectif ac yn ceryddu gweithgaredd cyfansoddiad sy’n gosod cydbwysedd trefn a harmoni ar natur. Ar ben hynny, mae hyd yn oed ymraniad ac ynysiad yr elfennau dealladwy, ffigurol hyn yn ansicr yn y lluniau hyn. www.geoffdiegolitherland.com
All Animals Lead Us to Light, 2011 oil on canvas, 60 x 72 cm
Jessica Lloyd-Jones Through the ages, lens based technology has enabled man to discover secrets of the universe hidden from the human eye. Jessica's Coal
Spheres are hand held optical sculptures containing peculiar plant life interiors referencing ideas about the carbon cycle and the formation of coal from compressed plant remains. www.jessicalloyd-jones.com ‘Drwy'r oesoedd, mae technoleg seiliedig ar lens wedi galluogi dyn i ddarganfod cyfrinachau’r bydysawd sydd wedi’u cuddio rhag llygaid dyn. Cerflunwaith optegol y gellir gafael ynddynt yw Coal Spheres Jessica, sy’n cynnwys elfennau mewnol rhyfedd o blanhigion ac sy’n cyfeirio at syniadau ynghylch y cylch carbon a ffurfiant glo o weddillion cywasgedig planhigion. www.jessicalloyd-jones.com
To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour Auguries of Innocence, William Blake
Coal Sphere, 2011 coal and plant life, 22 x 22 x 22 cm
Tom Lovelace The photographic image and its relationship with the history of sculpture and performance is a focal point for my practice. I create images by working across, and fusing, these three disciplines.
In Preparation for the Real present events, which are confined to behind closed gallery doors. The camera is the audience. www.tomlovelace.co.uk Mae'r ddelwedd ffotograffig a'i pherthynas â hanes cerflunwaith a pherfformiad yn ganolbwynt i fy ngwaith. Rwy’n creu delweddau drwy weithio ar draws y tair disgyblaeth hyn, a’u hymgyfuno. Mae In
Preparation for the Real yn cyflwyno digwyddiadau, sy’n cael eu cyfyngu tu ôl i ddrysau caeedig yr oriel. Y camera yw’r gynulleidfa. www.tomlovelace.co.uk
In Preparation for the Real, 2010 C-Type photograph, 60 x 50 cm
William Mackrell The tasks I attempt appear to be illogical, absurd or destined to sabotage themselves. Nearly all attempts break down under the actual frustrations and restrictions within the durational ‘performance’ itself, owing to the limitations of time and space. Though small shifts and ruptures first appear to interfere and frustrate, they ultimately demonstrate the human character of the work. Yn ôl pob golwg, mae'r tasgau rwy’n rhoi cynnig arnynt yn afresymegol, ^ rd neu fel pe baent am fethu’n anochel o’r cychwyn cyntaf. yn absw
Mae bron pob ymgais yn methu o ganlyniad i’r rhwystredigaethau a’r cyfyngiadau sy’n rhan o’r 'perfformiad' ei hun, yn sgîl y prinder amser a lle. Er bod newidiadau a rhwygiadau bychain yn ymddangos fel pe baent yn ymyrryd ac yn rhwystro ar y dechrau, maent yn dangos natur ddynol y gwaith yn y pen draw.
Deux Chevaux, 2011 video documentation, 5’ 44”
Melanie Manchot Melanie Manchot’s practice investigates performative qualities of portraiture in the context of events, situations and encounters with people who become active participants. Cameras, both still and moving, are both the means to create these encounters and to record them. Her practice often explores the meanings of public space and forms engaging explorations into our individual and collective identities. Mae arfer Melanie Manchot yn archwilio ansoddau perfformiadol portreadau yng nghyd-destun digwyddiadau, sefyllfaoedd a chyfarfyddiadau â phobl sy'n dod yn gyfranogwyr gweithgar. Defnyddir camerâu llonydd a symudol i greu a chofnodi’r cyfarfyddiadau hyn. Mae ei harfer yn aml yn archwilio ystyron mannau cyhoeddus, ac yn ffurfio archwiliadau ysgogol i’n hunaniaethau unigol a chyfunol.
Spray (LEAP after The Great Ecstasy) 2011 HD video, 17’45”
Scott Mason a solitary plume overwhelmed (I) travels between London and Paris through the texts of Poe, Huysmans, Baudelaire and Blake. Texts conflate into each other and the piece acts as a digital palimpsest, creating new narratives as the texts intertwine. A psycho-geographical journey within the gallery - the spectator as the contemporary Flâneur. www.scottmason.com Mae a solitary plume overwhelmed (I) yn teithio rhwng Llundain a Pharis drwy destunau Poe, Huysmans, Baudelaire a Blake. Mae testunau yn plethu i’w gilydd ac mae'r darn yn gweithredu fel palimpsest digidol, sy’n creu storïau newydd wrth i’r testunau ymblethu. Taith seico-ddaearyddol o fewn yr oriel - y gwyliwr fel y Flâneur cyfoes. www.scottmason.com
a solitary plume overwhelmed (I), 2011 HD video, 8’ 56”
Paul Murphy These unusual monoliths stand strong and upright seemingly protecting the surrounding landscape of Skye. Their presence and visual effect was undeniable. Bewildered by their beauty I decided to approach the rocks in the manner I would a portrait. Challenging the visual rules of photography I created a distinct sense of symmetry partly influenced by Hokusai’s series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. www.paulmurphy.com
Mae'r monolithau anarferol hyn yn sefyll yn gadarn ac yn syth ac yn ôl pob golwg, yn gwarchod tirwedd amgylchynol Ynys Skye. Roedd eu presenoldeb a’u heffaith weledol yn ddiamau. Wedi fy nrysu gan eu harddwch, penderfynais drin y creigiau yn yr un modd ag y byddwn yn trin portread. Gan herio rheolau gweledol ffotograffiaeth, creais ymdeimlad unigryw o gymesuredd, y dylanwadwyd arno’n rhannol gan gyfres Hokusai Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. www.paulmurphy.com
Sentinel I, 2011 C-Type print, 233 x 190 cm
Nina Odgen My work examines the relationship between man and beast and how we co-exist. I am fascinated by how the animals in pre-Twentieth Century art were pictured symbolically for sentimental record, and how this position has been undone to re-focus on the perspective of the creature itself. www.ninaogden.com Mae fy ngwaith yn edrych ar y berthynas rhwng dyn ac anifail a sut rydym yn cydfodoli. Rwy’n rhyfeddu at sut oedd anifeiliaid mewn gweithiau celf cyn yr Ugeinfed Ganrif, yn cael eu portreadu’n symbolaidd, fel cofnod sentimental, a sut mae’r sefyllfa hon wedi cael ei dadwneud, gan ganolbwyntio unwaith eto ar safbwynt y creadur ei hun. www.ninaogden.com
The Woolly Cotton Brains of Infancy, 2011 ink on paper, 29.7 x 21 cm
Sarah Pager Sarah Pager is an artist whose work uses familiar objects awkwardly or jarringly reframed, to offer a tear in the fabric of reality. Often referencing the body, in a society where objects offer redemption by proxy, her sculpture is sited in an area where desire touches on obscenity. www.sarahpager.com
Artist yw Sarah Pager y mae ei gwaith yn defnyddio gwrthrychau cyfarwydd wedi’u hail-fframio’n lletchwith neu’n ysgytiol, i gynnig rhwyg yn ffabrig realiti. Yn aml yn cyfeirio at y corff, mewn cymdeithas lle mae gwrthrychau yn cynnig gwaredigaeth drwy ddirprwyaeth, mae ei cherflunwaith wedi ei leoli mewn maes lle mae dyhead yn ymylu ar anlladrwydd. www.sarahpager.com
Twins, 2011 plaster and hair, 30 x 35 cm
Mike Perry Môr Plastig is welsh for ‘Plastic Sea’ and is a photographic study of plastic washed up by the sea. I am interested in the colour, form and surface of these objects and the potential narrative surrounding each piece. ie. where it has come, how it became this shape and the resulting environmental impact. www.m-perry.com Môr Plastig yw’r term Cymraeg ar gyfer ‘Plastic Sea’, sef astudiaeth ffotograffig o blastig sydd wedi dod i’r lan gan y môr. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn lliw, ffurf ac arwyneb y gwrthrychau hyn, ac yn y stori posibl sy’n ymwneud â phob darn hy. o le mae wedi dod, sut y cafodd ei siâp, a'r effaith ar yr amgylchedd o ganlyniad. www.m-perry.com
Môr Plastig 15 bottle grid, Bae Ceredigion, Wales, 2012 photographic installation, 180 x 250 cm
Abigail Reynolds Reynolds lives and works in St Just, Cornwall. She works with photographs of the British countryside, usually found in vintage books. These very intentioned photographs clearly point to the social uses of landscape - ground as ideological ground. www.abigailreynolds.com Mae Reynolds yn byw ac yn gweithio yn St Just, Cernyw. Mae hi'n gweithio gyda lluniau o gefn gwlad Prydain, sydd fel arfer, yn cael eu gweld mewn llyfrau vintage. Mae'r lluniau tra bwriadus hyn yn cyfeirio’n glir at ddefnyddiau cymdeithasol tirwedd - tir fel tir ideolegol. www.abigailreynolds.com
Hophead, (detail) 2011 wooden block, steel rods, connectors, lucite, paper, cord, wire, 182 x 25 x 25cm
Peter Richards Richards, born Cardiff 1970, is an artist based in Belfast. Engaged with forms of corrective perspective, notions of social construct and social contract Richards works with performance, photography, text and video. His recent work Bank On takes as its starting point the authority suggested by the names of central banks. Artist a gafodd ei eni yng Nghaerdydd ym 1970 ond sydd bellach yn byw ym Melffast yw Richards. Mae Richards, sy’n ymgysylltu â mathau o bersbectif cywirol, syniadau am luniad cymdeithasol a chontract cymdeithasol, yn gweithio gyda pherfformiad a ffotograffiaeth. Man cychwyn ei waith diweddar Bank On, yw’r awdurdod y mae enwau banciau canolog yn ei awgrymu.
Bank on…, 2011 colour light jet print, diamond mounted, with sub frame, 70 x 140 cm
Damien Roach Roach’s work is like a do-it-yourself kit for rewiring the human brain, where it is not the (ordinary) materials he works with that are transformed but rather the way we see the world around us. (1) The found object becomes an artifact which functions as the materialised end product of certain world views, as a symbol of understanding and interpretation of the past and future. (2) A multiplicity of sources funnel into situations best described as ‘constellations of possibility’, a firmament of incessant creative arbitrage. (3) Each exhibition space is posited as a sensory adventure, where artfulness is intended to trigger new horizons of meaning. (4) Sentences loosely connected from texts by: Skye Sherwin, 2008 (1), Melanie Bono, 2007 (2), Martin Holman, 2007 (3), Francesco Pedraglio and Caterina Riva, 2008 (4) www.syntxrrr.com
Mae gwaith Roach yn debyg i becyn DIY ar gyfer ail-wifrio’r ymennydd dynol. Y ffordd rydym yn gweld y byd o’n cwmpas sydd dan sylw ac nid y deunyddiau (cyffredin) y mae’n gweithio gyda nhw sy’n cael eu trawsffurfio. (1) The found object becomes an artifact which functions as the materialised end product of certain world views, as a symbol of understanding and interpretation of the past and future. (2) A multiplicity of sources funnel into situations best described as ‘constellations of possibility’, a firmament of incessant creative arbitrage. (3) Each exhibition space is posited as a sensory adventure, where artfulness is intended to trigger new horizons of meaning. (4) Brawddegau rhannol gysylltiedig o destunau gan: Skye Sherwin, 2008 (1), Melanie Bono, 2007 (2), Martin Holman, 2007 (3), Francesco Pedraglio and Caterina Riva, 2008 (4) www.syntxrrr.com
Weave series # 6 (International space station, Montessori, National Geographic), 2009 digital video with sound, 5’ 34”
Angela Smith The exposure and concealment of vulnerability is central to my practice. I am particularly interested in suppressed emotions and the anxiety and tension this evokes. A strange series of creatures have emerged in my latest work. Formed by embracing the fluidity and unpredictability of paint, and energized through its restriction. www.angelasmithart.com
Mae datguddio a chuddio bregusrwydd yn hollbwysig i fy arfer. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb arbennig mewn emosiynau cuddiedig a'r pryder a’r tensiwn sy’n cael eu creu o ganlyniad. Mae cyfres ryfedd o greaduriaid wedi dod i'r amlwg yn fy ngwaith diweddaraf, sydd wedi cael ei ffurfio drwy gofleidio hylifedd a natur anrhagweladwy paent, a’i egnïo drwy gyfyngu arno. www.angelasmithart.com
Canine, 2011 gloss, enamel and oil on canvas, 42 x 42 cm
Anna Solum I am interested in using photography to explore and document how our surroundings come to represent phases of our lives. These pictures are taken at the same time as my childhood home is being sold. They are a final tribute to a place that has meant a lot to me. www.annasolum.com Rwy’n ymddiddori mewn defnyddio ffotograffiaeth i archwilio a dogfennu sut mae ein hamgylcheddau yn dod i gynrychioli cyfnodau yn ein bywydau. Mae'r lluniau hyn yn cael eu cymryd ar yr un pryd ag y mae cartref fy mhlentyndod yn cael ei werthu. Teyrnged olaf ydynt i le sydd wedi golygu llawer i mi. www.annasolum.com
Untitled 01, 2011 photograph, 33 x 48 cm
Fern Thomas Fern Thomas seeks to explore her relationship with the ecological, archetypal and mythological world around her. Manifesting in action, live or documented, her process-led and intuitive explorations often take the form of a physical interaction or ‘meeting’ between herself and a place, a dream, a history or another being. www.axisweb.org/artist/fernthomas Mae Fern Thomas yn ceisio archwilio ei pherthynas gyda'r byd ecolegol, clasurol a mytholegol sydd o'i chwmpas. Gan ymddangos ar ffurf gweithred, boed fyw neu ddogfennol, mae ei harchwiliadau greddfol, a arweinir gan broses, yn aml yn cymryd ffurf rhyngweithiad corfforol neu 'gyfarfod' rhyngddi hi a lle, breuddwyd, hanes neu berson arall. www.axisweb.org/artist/fernthomas
Fragment, 2011 video, 4’
Tommy Ting Museum Studies (Room 95) is a series of sculptures that reference the shapes of Chinese vases. They are cast from resin and each contains a postcard embedded inside. Deeply cracked inside, these sculptures are part a bigger project that examines the notion of representation of cultures within the museum institution. www.tommyting.com Cyfres o gerflunwaith yw Museum Studies (Room 95) sy'n cyfeirio at siapiau fasau Tsieineaidd. Maent wedi cael eu creu o resin, ac mae cerdyn post tu mewn i bob un. Mae’r cerflunwaith hyn, sydd wedi’u cracio’n ddwfn tu mewn, yn rhan o brosiect mwy, sy'n archwilio’r syniad o gynrychioli diwylliannau o fewn yr amgueddfa. www.tommyting.com
Museum Studies (Room 95), 2011 resin and found postcard, 22 x 18 x 18 cm
Matthew Verdon I’m interested in ideas of potential through the re-evaluating and re-interpreting past forms of creation and meaning. The work raises questions whilst engaging in notions of a non-linear progression of time along with issues relating to the agency, use and function of both art and the structures that surround us. matthewverdon.blogspot.com Rwy’n ymddiddori mewn syniadau o botensial drwy ail-werthuso ac ail-ddehongli ffurfiau o gread ac ystyr o’r gorffennol. Mae'r gwaith yn codi cwestiynau, tra’n ymgymryd â syniadau o ddilyniant amser aflinol ynghyd â materion sy’n ymwneud â gweithrediad, defnydd a swyddogaeth celf a'r strwythurau sydd o'n cwmpas. matthewverdon.blogspot.com
The Energy Stored in a Body or System Due to its Position in Force Field or due to its Configuration, 2011 video, 6’
Mary Vettise In my films I create narratives to fill the gap between imagined memory and material memory. The archive descends into anecdote and the objective blends with the personal. www.maryvettise.co.uk Yn fy ffilmiau, rwy’n creu storïau i lenwi'r bwlch rhwng cof dychmygol a chof materol. Mae'r archif yn disgyn i lefel anecdot, ac mae’r gwrthrychol yn ymgymysgu gyda'r personol. www.maryvettise.co.uk
Decommissioned, 2011 video, 6’ 47”
Richard T Walker Richard T Walker constructs scenarios that investigate complex relationships between language, the environment and ourselves. In visually constructing and revealing inherent failures in communication Walker’s work highlights fickle inconsistencies within the current human condition. Using the experience of our environment as metaphor, these inconsistencies are used as a critical tool to reveal a point of confrontation between innate desire, cultural interpretation and reality. www.richardtwalker.net
Mae Richard T Walker yn adeiladu senarios sy'n ymchwilio perthnasau cymhleth rhwng iaith, yr amgylchedd a ni ein hunain. Drwy adeiladu a datgelu methiannau cynhenid mewn cyfathrebu yn weledol, mae gwaith Walker yn amlygu’r anghysondebau anwadal yn y cyflwr dynol presennol. Gan ddefnyddio profiad o’n hamgylchedd fel trosiad, defnyddir yr anghysondebau hyn fel arf hanfodol i ddatgelu pwynt gwrthdaro rhwng dyhead greddfol, dehongliad diwylliannol a realiti. www.richardtwalker.net
The hierarchy of relevance, 2010 HD video, 7’ 58” Courtesy the artist and Carroll / Fletcher, London
Ben Woodeson Ben Woodeson’s works are deliberately confrontational; they confront the viewer and the exhibiting institution with real or implied activity and consequences. Manipulating everyday materials within a space, the works keep the viewer poised in a state of slight suspense. Their physicality aims to instigate an intense and visceral relationship. www.woodeson.co.uk
Mae gweithiau Ben Woodeson yn fwriadol ymosodol; maent yn wynebu'r gwyliwr a'r sefydliad arddangos gyda gweithgareddau a chanlyniadau go iawn neu rhai awgrymedig. Mae’r gweithiau, sy’n trin defnyddiau bob dydd mewn gofod, yn cadw'r gwyliwr mewn cyflwr o gyffro ysgafn. Nod eu cryfder corfforol yw ceisio sefydlu perthynas ddwys ac angerddol gyda'r gwyliwr a phensaernïaeth yr oriel. www.woodeson.co.uk
Slice and Dice, 2011 glass, bungee cord, 100 x 100 x 40 cm
List of Works Rhestr Gweithiau Barbara and Zafer Baran Star Drawing 7012, 2010 photograph (archival pigment print) 34.5 x 50 cm Barbara and Zafer Baran Moon Drawing 974 (Blue Moon), 2010 photograph (archival pigment print) 34.5 x 50 cm Ruth Boothroyd Journey 2, 2011 paper, oil, paint, thread, perforation 119 x 168 cm Bettina Buck In Shape, In Control, 2009 wooden table, half inflated / deflated rubber-ball 55 x 65 x 50 cm
James Clarkson Two Glass Forms (Waving), 2012 car windows, wine Rack 110 x 70 cm Julian Claxton Untitled (Shower), 2011 mixed media 100 x 60 x 60 cm Michael Cousin 009 - 012 Valerie & Countryside, 2011 digitized 8 mm video, 17’50” Emma Critchley Single Share Breath, 2011 video, looped Joe Doldon Contortion 9, 2011 book and wood 100 x 110 x 65 cm
Bettina Buck Interlude, 2011 video, 5’22”
Rosie Dolton Untitled, 2011 textiles, found objects 120 x 100 x 5 cm
Helen Cammock 17 Hastings Avenue, 2011 video DV PAL, 9’
Sean Edwards Maelfa, 2010 HD Video, 24’44
Julie Cassels Patient Sitter Series – Mountain Lake – Gold Dress, 2011 silent video painting, looped
David Gepp Darkness Visible, 2011 digital zoetrope (shockwave flash) video, looped
Heloise Godfrey Hair Archive, 2011 installation with sound 90 x 130 x 140 cm
Tom Lovelace In Preparation No.5, 2011 C-Type photograph 60 X 50 cm
Andy Harper Actus Reus, 2011 oil on paper Variable sizes
William Mackrell Deux Chevaux, 2011 video documentation, 5’44”
Shan Hur Lucky Coins, 2012 concrete, plywood, timber, coins Oriel Davies Commission, 2012 Real Institute Bwyd Sonique performance, Oriel Davies, 2012 Geoff Diego Litherland All Animals Lead Us to Light, 2011 oil on canvas 60 x 72 cm Jessica Lloyd-Jones Coal Sphere, 2011 coal and plant life 22 x 22 x 22 cm
Melanie Manchot Dance (All Night, Paris), 2011 HD video, 11’ 15” Melanie Manchot LEAP after The Great Ecstasy, 2011 HD video, 17’45” Scott Mason A solitary plume overwhelmed, 2011 HD video, 8’ 56” Paul Murphy Sentinel 1, 2011 C-print 233 x 190 cm
Tom Lovelace In Preparation For the Real, 2010 C-Type photograph 60 x 50 cm
Nina Ogden The Woolly Cotton Brains of Infancy, 2011 ink on paper 29.7 x 21 cm
Tom Lovelace In Preparation No.4, 2011 C-Type photograph 60 x 50 cm
Sarah Pager Twins, 2011 plaster and hair 30 x 35 cm
Mike Perry Môr Plastig 15 bottle grid, Bae Ceredigion, Wales, 2012 photograph 180 x 250 cm . Abigail Reynolds HOPHEAD, 2011 wooden block, steel rods, connectors, lucite, paper, cord, wire 182 x 25 x 25cm Peter Richards Bank on…, 2011 colour light jet print, diamond mounted with sub frame 70 x 140 cm Damien Roach Weave series #6 (International Space Station,Montessori, National Geographic), 2009 digital video with sound, 5’34” Angela Smith Canine, 2011 gloss, enamel and oil on canvas 42 x 42 cm Angela Smith Shrewd, 2011 gloss, enamel and oil on canvas 44 x 55 cm
Angela Smith Tight-lipped, 2011 gloss, enamel and oil on canvas 44 x 44 cm Anna Solum Untitled 01, 2011 photograph 33 x 48 cm Fern Thomas Fragment, 2011 video, 4’ Tommy Ting Museum Studies 1 (Room 95), 2011 resin and found postcard 30.2 x 22 x 22 cm Tommy Ting Museum Studies 2 (Room 95), 2011 resin and found postcard 22 x 18 x 18 cm Matthew Verdon The energy stored in a body or system due to itsposition in a forcefield or due to its configuration, 2011 video, 6’
Mary Vettise Decommissioned, 2011 video, 6’47” Richard T Walker The hierarchy of relevance, 2010 HD video, 7’ 58” Ben Woodeson Slice and dice, 2011 glass, bungee cord 100 x 100 x 40 cm
1st Prize: £1500 + solo exhibition 1st Student Prize: £750 + solo exhibition People’s Choice Prize: £250 sponsored by Newtown Station Travel
Selectors Ben Borthwick, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Artes Mundi Ann Jones, Curator, Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre Amanda Farr, Director and Ruth Gooding, Curator, Oriel Davies
Oriel Davies Gallery, The Park, Newtown, Powys SY16 2NZ T: + 44 (0) 1686 625041 E: desk@orieldavies.org www.orieldavies.org Published by Oriel Davies Gallery, 2012 Edited by Amanda Farr and Ruth Gooding Designed by Matthew Richardson E: matthew@hoofandclaw.co.uk © Oriel Davies Gallery, the artist, the authors. All works are reproduced courtesy of the artist. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in form by any means, electrical, mechanical, or otherwise, without first seeking the permission of the copyright owners and the publisher.
ORIEL DAVIES OPEN 2012