CURRENT EXHIBITION

15 March – 3 May
IN THE SPACE THAT IS LEFT: Levels 1, 2 & 4

Becky Adams, Ania Bas, Holly Davey, Stella Eldon and Rabab Ghazoul are five UK based artists, selected by Artes Mundi to work with various groups in the South Wales community as part of a programme sponsored by St David’s 2. 

For the last four months these artists have been working in Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Cardiff and Newport to engage participants in creative practice stimulated by the diverse nature of their own. From performance to textile based work the participants have experienced working alongside professional artists to develop their own creative ideas as well as learning new skills, reflecting on their environment and developing an understanding of contemporary art. The participants’ work can be seen in various locations around Cardiff, including level 4 of St David’s Hall.

This exhibition of works by the five artists reveals their own practice and their own response to the St David’s 2 construction site. From photographs, and framed textile works to a series of interventions in the space, all the artists ask you to engage in your immediate environment and to reflect upon your role within the space whether it be St David’s Hall, St David’s 2 construction site or beyond.

FORTHCOMING EXHIBITIONS

10 May – 12 June
THREE SUM: Level 2 (level 1 and 4 exhibitions to be confirmed)

An exciting show of new work by Annie Giles-Hobbs, Sue Hunt and Sue Williams.
Three well known Cardiff-based artists.
Three individual points of view.
Three different dialogues, engaged with individual quests within a contemporary Fine Art context.

WELSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2008

Jacqueline Alkema:
St Nicholas Eve

Download the 2008 Entry Forms here: English | Welsh
Download the Conditions of Entry here: English | Welsh

Please read all conditions of entry and then print off the application form,
fill it in and send off with entry fee.

Deadline for applications is February 29th.

if you would like to apply please contact Exhibitions Officer Ruth Cayford on
029 20878706 or rcayford@cardiff.gov.uk

PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

ST DAVID’S HALL EXHIBITION SPACE – LEVEL 1

HOLLY DAVEY
‘A THIRD IS YOU’
August 29 – September 28



'A Third is You' is Holly Davey's first solo exhibition in Wales. Her photographic performances take place between herself, the camera and the audience. The viewer is only invited to see a trace of these performances as photographs. The camera becomes her audience. Davey uses the lens as a mirror in an attempt to be outside and inside herself at the same time.

For St David's Hall, Davey has created a new series of public private photographic performances. These performances have taken place in four different locations across Cardiff City Centre. Unadvertised and totally improvised, each performance has a different location, different object and different outcome. She uses recognisable places such as a cemetery or car park, an ordinary object like a bed sheet with her own body to create another world that exists between fantasy and reality. There are echoes of fairytales, as the sheet becomes Little Red Riding Hood's cloak and the red arms become Medusa's hair.

The figure in these worlds seems to be obsessed with trying to escape and yet wants be captured at the same time. There seem to be several different characters, identities that lead the viewer into an uncertain story with no beginning, middle or end. These narratives are incomplete and at first seem surreal, but on closer inspection they become reflections of our own existence and a realisation that each of these characters belongs inside of us, like a childhood secret waiting to be whispered.

Davey lives and works in Cardiff.

ST DAVID’S HALL EXHIBITION SPACE – LEVEL 2

FRANCES VALAYDON - PILLAY
EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPES
1 – 28 September

Opening September on St David’s Hall Level 2 Exhibition Space is a new exhibition of work by painter Frances Valaydon-Pillay. Frances has taken the emotionally charged poems of Owen Sheers’ award winning book Skirrid Hill as inspiration for her large- scale abstract paintings. The musical compositions of Dylan Fowler’s album Fynnon Ofor were used as inspiration for several of Frances’ other paintings. 
 
The paintings are dream-like, intricate in gesture; the colours, shapes and rhythmic marks reflecting the artist’s emotional response to the poetry. These are exhibited beside canvases upon which the original text is transcribed, over elements of colour and light which extend from the main image.

The works reflect the artist’s powerful response to Sheers’ poetry, to which she brings tangible visual form to one specific element of the poem, or encompasses its key themes.

ST DAVID’S HALL EXHIBITION SPACE – LEVEL 4
 
DAN LLEWELYN
WALES: DEAD OR ALIVE? CYMRU: YN FYW NEU'N FARW?
1 – 28 September



Dan was drawn to the visual references that Owen often incorporates in his poetry and immediately thought about similarities in their subject matter, and the parallels that could be drawn from our mutual feelings of Wales.

He set about making contact with Owen to discuss the possibility of collaboration and whether or not he would be interested in contributing work to form an exhibition.

Following a number of meetings in both Cardiff and London they eventually decided on the title: Wales: Dead or Alive?

They believe that this title is particularly relevant in the position that Wales holds as a country. As a nation we are proud. Dan had mixed feelings towards his homeland, often conflicting. Therefore, the title will provoke an immediate response in the viewer, be it positive or negative. They decided that a touring exhibition would be appropriate and that it would be interesting to hold at least one exhibition outside of Wales.

Owen gave Dan the opportunity to look at a large proportion of his poetry and the artist selected 12 poems to form the basis of the touring exhibition.

’It was my job to select poetry that would be relevant and interesting to use as an inspiration to my artwork. I set about working on each piece individually and making constant referrals to the poetry to direct and conjure the imagery that you can see in the prints. ‘

As the printed layers increased, the screen printing process allowed me to work directly on to the silk screen and create intuitive images that were not prepared or preconceived.’

The format of the prints gives the viewer a chance to ponder over the relationship between the image and the poetry, and at the same time allows each art form its necessary space to stand alone. The artist hopes that this exhibition draws attention to the relationship between image and text, and at the very least provokes a response.

In 2003, Dan was awarded the prestigious title as the ‘Sunday Times Young Artist of the Year’ and had his work featured and reviewed in the Culture supplement of the Sunday Times. Over recent years Dan has also been short-listed as the ‘Welsh Artist of the Year’ on two separate occasions.

16th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION

November 10th - January 5th.

Andrew Baldwin:
High as a kite

Kate Bassett:
The Consequences of being Irresponsible

15 January - 18 February
INTAGLIO

Paula Rego:
How many Miles to Babylon
(Etching and Aquatint)

David L Carpanini:
A Winter in the Hills

This exhibition featured some of the most exciting Intaglio printmakers working in the uk today. Including Paula Rego, Marcelle Hanselaar, Norman Ackroyd RA, Professor David L Carpanini, Professor Chris Orr( RCA) Anita Klein, Jane Taylor and many more.

25 February – 8 March
ST DAVID'S HALL – 25th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION: Levels 1 & 2

An exhibition celebrating 25 years of St. David’s Hall as the National Concert Hall of Wales. 

CRAFT SHOWCASES

We carry work by makers from throughout the UK, including ceramicists Walter Keeler, Sarah Dunstan, Sarah Noel, Lowri Davies and jewellery by Jane Adam, Marlene McKibbin, Sally Wakelin and Becky Crawford. Our showcases are constantly changed and updated, offering buyers some of the most exciting applied art available.

PRINCIPALITY COLLECTORPLAN

Works exhibited at the hall are available to buy with interest-free credit through the Arts Council of Wales Principality Collectorplan. For more information, ask a member of staff.

We are open 10 - 4 Monday – Saturday. Admission is free.

Welsh Artist of the Year 2007