Welshness as a theme conjures for me imagery of a rich cultural history and landscape which work by juxtaposing against one another creating a mythical dream like imagery, connoting the hardness of the industrial past coupled with majestic scenery
Contemporary Welsh art is unifying the past and landscape but also cementing that as the past in becoming more visual in display techniques not to just display history of Wales but also its innovative techniques.
Lois Williams - 'A reconstructed thing'
This has many connotations for me the way it is hung on the wall in equal distances from one another suggests the conformity of the past with its draping down and becoming more thread bare it reflects hanging onto past routes which are systematically falling away through time. I like how you can visually become part of the history of the production and its effect over time as metamorphosing into something which was not how maker intended, which is symbolic of holding onto Welsh national past.
Huw Jones - 'Tom Jones,' oil on canvas
The surrealist quality of the image appeals to me by choosing to portray Tom Jones an iconic Welsh personality it gives a comical approach it has a hyper-real quality by the displacement of background it is as he is floating, it looks Margritte inspired. I enjoy how the only real life like of the image is portrayed in Tom Jones face it is as he is laughing at the absurdity of his surroundings and his pposition as celebrity position, it acts as comical metaphor for the increaseness of the role of Celebrity importance played in society.
Tim Long - 'Dyffryn 1'
The initial reading I take is the connotation of subverted ugliness versus beauty balance as by the placement of displayed face against an aesthetically pleasing background of flowers it is challenging the notion of how we analyse beauty and the collage 3D effect of the face is demanding attention against background, it is as the subverted face is challenging the person reaching towards the flowers. For me his mix of colours works by blending the piece together but the redness in the face is obtrusive and reflects to viewer a harshness that remains behind our perceived values of what constitutes as beauty.
