Denbigh, Rhyddlan and Rhyl Library Art Galleries are presenting 3 new exhibitions in 2010; ‘Wise and Foolish Dreamers’ a touring exhibition exploring the role of Wales within the Spanish Civil War; Le Chéile, a Welsh-Irish collaborative project which is a communication through printmaking and Alphabet, a collection of bold and colourful silkscreen prints, one for each letter of the alphabet by Peter Blake.
‘Wise and Foolish Dreamers’ opens in Denbigh Library Art Gallery on 16 January and runs until 27 February 2010. This is a touring exhibition exploring the role of Wales within the Spanish Civil War – and especially the contribution of the Welshmen who went to fight in Spain. Issues of governance, the role of War, the nature of the heroic, nationalism and our relations with peoplesacross the globe are all examined here.
Communities throughout Wales found much with which to identify in the lives of the oppressed workers in Spain in the 1930s, sharing their fears of the dangerous attractions of fascism both home and abroad. Many were quick to pledge their support for Replican Spain, collecting food, clothing, medical aid and money, while others made the difficult journey to fight to resist Franco, some even gave their lives.
Alongside its pain and suffering, the Spanish Civil war became a cultural battlefield upon which opposing notions were violently played out. It’s a story that even though it is part of our history (and therefore belongs to our past) – continues to pose questions that are fundamental to our present and to our futures.
Wise and Foolish Dreamers offers an inspiring platform upon which to explore, discuss and arrive at some useful conclusions about issues of governance, the role of war, the nature of the heroic nationalism, the value and nature of history and our relationship with other people and other parts of the globe. These are all issues of crucial importance to us all and in particular young people. Developing both an understanding of our past as well as strategies to survive our complex, collective present and future.
‘Le Chéile’, meaning ‘together’ is an exhibition created from a collaboration between the Leinster Printmaking Studio, based in Co. Kildare, Ireland, and the Regional Print Centre in Wrexham. It has involved a series of working prints, drawings, collages and emails, travelling back and forth across the sea, with artists responding to work they have received. Co-ordinated by Alison Craig and Pamela de Brí includes work by more than 15 printmakers and is an ongoing project.
The seed for the project lay with John Berger’s account of his communication through drawing with Spanish artist Marisa Camino. The collaborative drawings were shown at Vanguard Gallery, Cork exhibition as part of the Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture visual arts programme.
Initial partnerships were brokered and visual dialogue began. Themes of land, language and place emerged as starting points. The work was, and continues to be exchanged by email or post, in notebooks or as first proofs or, in some cases, by exchanging the original plates. The exhibition can be seen in Rhyl Library Gallery from January 9- February 13 2010.
Produced by the artist in 1991, Alphabet characterises his method of working, incorporating ‘found’ imagery from postcards, magazines and popular ephemera. From the familiar Z for Zebra to the esoteric and iconic K for King (Elvis Presley), these screen prints reflect his humour, nostalgia and eclecticism.
Peter Blake emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading figures in British Pop Art. He is most famous, perhaps, for his iconic album cover design of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Still working hard in his studio, Blake describes himself as a ‘barmy collector’, especially of elephant objects, hence both his fascination with assimilating ordinary objects into his art and the inevitable inclusion of P for Pachyderm in Alphabet. This exhibition can be seen in Rhyddlan Library, Rhyl, from January 9 until February 6 2010.
Rhyl, Rhyddlan and Denbigh Library Art Galleries are supported by Arts Council of Wales.
