Saturday 16 January 2010

Ifor Davies: Ymadawiad/Departure


Ifor Davies talking at the opening of his show Ymadawiad/Departure at Theatr Mwldan, Aberteifi

We went to Theatr Mwldan in Aberteifi this evening to the opening of Ifor Davies' new show Ymadawiad/Departure. Ifor talked us through the work he is showing; learned, funny and entertaining, he approaches his work with openness and curiosity, letting his paintings into the world to discuss themselves with their viewers with modest light handedness.
I have been lucky enough to visit Ifor in his studio in Penarth, Cardiff, a fantastic place with a space which acts as a kind of personal gallery downstairs. He was very generous both with his time and his conversation. He's a good storyteller too and told me about meeting Marcel Duchamp in Paris.
Ifor Davies is an seminal figure on the Welsh art stage. His work is strongly rooted in Welsh culture and political activism. In 1966 he helped to organize the Destruction in Art Symposium in London and he was an early member of the activist art movement BECA in the 1980s. In 2004 his work was included in Art In The 1960s at the Tate Britain. His paintings and assemblages are deeply layered with his concerns and the mythologies and deep histories of Wales, but are in no way insular, they are equally imbued with Ifor's profound art historical and international perspectives.
The work has been made specifically for this show and relates to Cardigan and it's 900 year history, it runs until 20 February.

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