Saturday and Sunday passed by in a haze of Cardiff back streets, sporadic rainfall and an unbridled display of raw artistic talent: The Open Studios Weekend returned to our city. In conjunction with Cardiff Contemporary 2014, the Open Studios was perfectly illustrative of this year’s theme, Reveal/Conceal. Armed with our free interactive yellow maps, hundreds of art enthusiasts hit the streets in search of that ever elusive space: the artist’s studio.
Courtesy of Cardiff Open Studios
Pontcanna and Canton play host to an artistic hub, aptly referred to by one artist – Lydia Niziblian of Printhaus Workshops and Studios – as “the Bermuda Triangle” of art in Cardiff. Numerous workshops, collectives and studios are positioned within these suburban streets, just off Llandaff Road and just a few steps from Chapter. Particularly impressive was the display of Alun Hemming’s Backwaters collection of metalwork and sculpture at the Oriel Canfas Gallery. Its an absolute must-see that is being showcased until the 9th November. I was lucky enough to catch Alun at a quiet moment, upon which point he talked me through his career trajectory, right through to his current works, also showing me his private workspaces. This kind of insight into the working day of an artist is something the public very rarely get to experience, and is why an event such as Cardiff Open Studios Weekend is so imperative in bridging the gap between creators and their audience.
Alun Hemming’s private workspace @ Oriel Canfas Gallery, Canton
Three of Alun Hemming’s artworks @ Oriel Canfas Gallery, Canton
Prints by Alun Hemming: Mountain, City, House, Flint, Heart, Cell, Chromosome
The works on display at the participating studios were not just limited to the fine arts, however. I got a chance to speak to Martin Smith of Kings Road Studios who specialises in the tranquil art of Chinese brush painting. The Kings Road Studios accommodates sixteen artists in total, all with their individual styles and aesthetics. Joseph Forster, a landscape abstractionist painter spoke eloquently of the local art scene in Cardiff, saying that once you become involved in the scene “suddenly you realise there’s a whole art world out there, as if a veil has been taken away from your eyes. What you thought to be a wilderness turns out to be a forest.”
Jan Williams’ workspace @ Kings Road Studio
Alun Rosser’s workspace @ Kings Road Studio
A psychedelic piece by Andy Fung @ Kings Road Studio
Further to that, Printhaus Workshops and Studios are home to a diverse range of creatives, from those who specialise in jewellery design, to illustration, to print art. The newly refurbished site is a gem that regularly hosts all manner of arts happenings on-site.
Lydia Niziblian, jewellery designer and creator, in her studio @ Printhaus
Not only was this an incredibly stimulating insight into the working minds of Cardiff’s practising artists, it also offered a newcomer such as myself the opportunity to explore the surrounding areas of Cardiff. The only problem I came across over the weekend was the sheer volume of places and people to view and meet, with an overwhelming twenty-five participating sites in total. Of course, this in itself is a commendable display of the artists in South Wales coming together in support of the arts. The weekend is the brainchild of Richard Higlett, an acclaimed artist in his own right, who has been a powerful advocate of the arts in Cardiff.
Not only was it a pleasure to meet so many talented individuals and witness works being created firsthand in their organic spaces, the whole experience also served to consolidate something I have believed, after studying art and art theory for some years: Whoever said artists should flock to London to live and work clearly hasn’t experienced the wealth of production being nurtured into existence right here, in the Welsh capital. I am looking forward to uncovering more of these great characters and their work in the future, via the pages of THE ART DIFFerential.
THE ART DIFFerential 