2016 has been an extraordinary year for the visual arts in Wales, with major exhibitions alongside major commemorations. And there has been a fair share of reactions to the socio-political landscape too. Here are Wales Arts Review‘s 10 choices for the best of Welsh visual arts – 2016. To read our original reviews of our choices, just click on the red.
The Best of Welsh Visual Arts 2016:
Romanticism and the Welsh Landscape (MOMA, Machynlleth)
Romanticism in the Welsh Landscape is a major exhibition at MOMA Machynlleth from 19 March to 18 June. With over 60 works dating from the late eighteenth century to the present, it’s the most substantial exhibition MOMA has ever held. Its guest curator Dr Peter Wakelin talks about the experience of conceptualising and selecting it, and shares some of the star exhibits.
Anthony Rhys’ Notorious (Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen)
Elin Williams visits Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen to take in the new exhibition Notorious by Anthony Rhys, which imagines what felons from the town of Carmarthen in the 1860s and 70s might have looked like.
Unmaking the Modern: The Work of Stanley Anderson (School of Art Gallery, Aberystwyth University)
Karen Westendorf is at the School of Art Gallery, Aberystwyth University to cast a critical eye over Unmaking the Modern: The Work of Stanley Anderson.
Hollow by Jenny Hall (Aberystwyth Arts Centre)
Artist Jenny Hall walks us through the germination and creation of her new exhibition, Hollow, which opens at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on March 23rd.
Inside Out: From Vegas to Wales (Aberystwyth Arts Centre)
Karen Westendorf is at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre to cast a critical eye over Inside Out: From Vegas to Wales, an exhibition by Linda Alterwitz and Ruth Thomas.
Iwan Bala at Penarth Pavillion (Penarth)
War’s Hell: The Battle of Mametz Wood in Art (National Museum of Wales, Cardiff)
Gary Raymond is at the National Museum in Cardiff to cast a critical eye over the exhibit War’s Hell, depicting the Battle of Mametz Wood in art.
Quentin Blake: Inside Stories (National Museum of Wales, Cardiff)
Gary Raymond is at the National Museum in Cardiff to review and discuss Inside Out, an exhibition celebrating the work of illustrator Quentin Blake.
In Raymond Williams’ Border Country (National Eisteddfod, Abergavenny)
Peter Wakelin introduces the exhibition he has curated at this year’s National Eisteddfod, Four Painters in Raymond Williams’ Border Country, of four Welsh realist painters working in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Eye International Photography Festival (Aberystwyth Arts Centre)
Kate Mercer recently attended The Eye International Photography Festival at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, showcasing the work of many talented photographers.
