Dafydd Williams
Artist in residence
April 14th – May 10th 2018
Settling to a Still Pool
11th – 26th May 2018
Artist Talk Saturday 19th May 3pm
Over the last couple of years, Dafydd has explored his sexuality by focusing on several different subjects, such as homophobic bullying, relationship issues linked with sexuality, relationships and the domestic, and more recently the impact of homosexual through history. Dafydd highlights historical instances of homosexuality as a means to contradict heteronormative beliefs that it is a modern phenomenon, a foreign vice which has leaked into the “victim” country. It is also simply recognising and highlighting events/ periods of time which are important to LGBT history, and a document of a relationship. The core of his subject matters are Gender and Sexuality.
Dafydd graduated from Photography in the Arts at Swansea College of Art, UWTSD, in 2016 with a 1st Class Honours degree. Even though his studies were in the making and reading of photographic art, he does have a background in oil painting, more specifically, portrait painting (although his studies catered for the understanding of Art as a whole). Since graduating he has worked at Swansea College of Art as an Artist in Residence within the Photography department up until July 2017 and is currently working on another Residency within Swansea College of Art as Artist in Residence of Art & Design through the Welsh medium. Dafydd was awarded Saatchi/Telegraph Young Contemporary Artist of the Year 2012 for a portrait oil painting completed as part of his studies in 6th form at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and has more recently been shortlisted for the Sir Leslie Joseph Award with the Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea, for more recent photographic work.
Dafydd is the second of this year’s elysium gallery residency to exhibition programme where emerging artists are given studio and gallery space to expand their practice in preparation for a solo exhibition at the end of the residency.
www.elysiumgallery.com