Day 10

Cardiff Without Culture?

Christian John Olsen, Headless, 2o16. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Christian John Olsen is a Cardiff based artist working with collage and photography. He has lived in Cardiff since 2002 and studied Fine Art at Cardiff MET.

Artist’s Statement:

“It is very short sighted for the council to be cutting investment in Cardiff’s arts scene so drastically. The arts play a vital role in the health and well being of people and, coming along side cuts to our health service, it seems doubly cruel.”

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Day 9

Cardiff Without Culture?

AJ Stockwell, Untitled (filling the losses), 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

AJ Stockwell is a visual artist based in South Wales whose work examines our contemporary relationship to/with artefacts and their modes of construction.

Artist’s Statement:

“The proposed cuts to the arts in Cardiff would have a detrimental effect on the city.  Not only on the people who live and work here but those who travel here to see, take part and experience arts events from outside the city.

Having moved to Cardiff from Glasgow two years ago, events such as Cardiff Contemporary and Artes Mundi had a considerable impact on my reason to stay in Cardiff. It worries me that without projects such as these receiving support from our local council it sends the message that the arts aren’t civically that important. This simply isn’t true and works against promoting the cultural value of the arts…

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Day 7

Cardiff Without Culture?

Rhiannon Lowe, Wish You Were Here, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Rhiannon Lowe works at CCQ magazine and makes drawing. She has worked at various arts organisations in Wales and further afield, curating and organising exhibitions, and working in arts development. 

ccqmagzine.com

axisweb.org

Artist’s Statement:

“Cardiff Without Culture is the tip of the iceberg that is Wales without culture, and beyond that, the UK without culture. The arts are a central human principle, often not recognised and acknowledged as such and so they are left unsupported without due consideration for their value, their benefit and their essential necessity to our lives and to our children’s lives.”

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Day 8

Cardiff Without Culture?

Steffan Jones-Hughes, Untitled, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Steffan Jones-Hughes is an artist who has worked on projects including t-shirts, buses, prisons, and projections, within what is often a socially engaged practice. He is Arts Manager for Wrexham County Borough Council and director of programme at OW (Oriel Wrecsam).

Artist’s Statement:

Culture shows the world who we are. It can be inclusive and diverse, but most of all it says: “We are confident. This is who we are.” To cut spending on culture is to rip out the heart of our identity, as individuals, as communities, as a nation.

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Day 6

Cardiff Without Culture?

Bob Gelsthorpe, Artist-Led Til I’m Artist Dead, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Bob Gelsthorpe is an artist, writer, Trustee for The Kim Fielding Award and Exhibitions Coordinator at Penarth Pier Pavilion. 

cargocollective.com/bobgelsthorpe

Artist’s Statement:

The Cardiff Without Culture? campaign is fighting for everything that we love about Cardiff. It’s an affordable, young capital city. With every capital city there is a creative voice, and the cultural community understands the value of working with Cardiff City Council and the many creative organisations as well as the third sector who can present Cardiff, and Wales, as a progressive and forward thinking city and nation.

The cuts don’t make sense. Why would you cut a sector so drastically when it has such clear, proven economic, social, international and civic outcomes? Berlin, Liverpool, Glasgow – all major European cities – have seen the benefits of nurturing the arts, and investing in…

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Day 5

Cardiff Without Culture?

Stefhan Caddick, Shirl Guevara, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Stefhan Caddick is an artist working in video, installation and performance. He often presents his work as a one-off event, usually outside and frequently after dark. Many works are constructed with materials sourced from institutions, communities and individuals, a collaborative process which challenges the idea of the artist as sole creator.

Artist’s Statement:

“It seems a shame (and not to mention very poor timing) that just at the point at which Cardiff’s status as a significant cultural centre is really coming to fruition, with such a wealth of both grassroots arts activity and shows and events of international significance, that the Council chooses this point in time to look at withdrawing funding. The economic benefit of investment in creativity is well proven, so the proposal comes across as ill-judged on an economic basis, as well as culturally and…

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Day 4

Cardiff Without Culture?

Laura Sorvala, Arts are a lifeline to a thriving society, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Laura Sorvala is an illustrator with an interest in mapping stories and experiences into visual narratives. She covers events with live drawing, creates documentary comics and passionately supports people and organisations who try and make things better.

www.auralab.co.uk

Artist’s Statement:

“My main concern with the looming cuts to the arts in Cardiff is to do with eliminating equal access to arts. I firmly believe that even small moments of engaging with art can truly inspire people of any age. I see the arts as a lifeline to a thriving society, rejuvenating communities and feeding a culture of compassion and positive action. Arts is not an optional extra – it contributes to the local economy.”

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Day 3

Cardiff Without Culture?

Ian Watson, Basket, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Ian Watson is an artist who lives and works in Cardiff, having relocated there in 1997.

Artist’s Statement:

“Any cuts to the cultural landscape of a particular place will obviously have a direct and negative impact on that places’ inhabitants and visitors.

Having spent significant time in Cardiff amongst local and visiting artists, I don’t think that there is enough attention placed on the rewarding social and educational output of Cardiff’s art venues. Perhaps this is why they are in danger of becoming overlooked.

I don’t think that Cardiff will ‘lose’ its platform for culture entirely, due to these proposed cuts. I do feel however, that any setback would be significantly detrimental and send a grim message to young people looking to the arts for future career opportunities.”

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Day 2

Another great poster from the g39 #CardiffWithoutCulture campaign from Kelly Best – let’s stop the cuts to our arts!

Cardiff Without Culture?

Kelly Best, Untitled, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Kelly Best has been living and working in Cardiff since 2007. Her current work is heavily drawing based. Although much of her work is 2-dimensional, she is interested in the relationship that drawing and painting has to sculpture. Most recently her work has been exhibited at g39, Eastside Projects and Exeter Phoenix.

Artist’s Statement:

“The effects of the cuts will be immediate, but the long terms effects are what we should really be concerned about if we want to maintain an inspiring culture. It is important for Cardiff Council to be bold. By protecting, rather then diminishing the Arts, it can act as a leader within the UK and set a standard for other councils and cities to aspire to. Why shouldn’t we be known just as much for our arts as for our sport?”

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Day 1

Day 1 of the #CardiffWithoutCulture poster campaign, in which artists respond visually to the proposed cuts to the arts

Cardiff Without Culture?

Richard Higlett, Tourism, 2016. Cardiff Without Culture? poster campaign.

Richard Higlett is an Artist/Curator. He manages the Cardiff Open Studios Weekend, and is a co-founder of Goat Major Projects. He is on the steering committee for Cardiff Contemporary and was involved in initiating its first incarnation in 2005 when working for Cardiff Council. Cardiff Contemporary is one of the projects set to lose their funding if Council cuts go ahead.

Artist’s Statement:

“The Cardiff Without Culture? campaign is not simply about highlighting the funding cuts to the arts. It looks at how the arts are fundamental to the society we aspire to live in.

I’m a great believer that we too often fail to support activity that exercises your mind and brain over sports which focus on the body. The brain is what makes us who we are, defines us, and society needs to look at culture as the…

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