Shortly after being told that my work had not been selected for this year’s ‘Y Lle Self’ (the art place) at the National Eisteddfod in Wales,  I received an invitation to show my rejected film at the Aberystwyth Art Centre as part of their Salon des Refusés exhibition.

The original Salon des Refusés was set up in the mid 19th Century by artists that had been rejected by the annual Paris Salon and decided to show their work in an alternative venue. The salon soon became a space where the many of the early impressionists could get their work seen by the public.

The Palais de l’Industrie, where the Salon des Refusés took place. Photo by Édouard Baldus.

Despite not making it to the Eisteddfod itself, the work in the exhibition was of a high standard. I was proud to have my film shown in such a great venue alongside a wide range of work produced by over a 100 highly accomplished Welsh artists.

Ffion Rhys, the exhibition’s curator selected Passing trade (Masnach sy’n Pasio) for the show. This work was screened at the John Ruskin Prize and the Small Axe Film Festival in 2019 but hasn’t been out much since so it was great for it to get an airing again in Aberystwyth.

Still image from Passing Trade

I have also included some images of other artist’s work from the exhibition.

‘Cranky’ by Peter Stevenson

Weeping, by David Garner

Gallery 2, Aberystwyth Art Centre