Review of MEWNrhwng
by Amy Briscoe
MEWNrhwng is an intimate, multidisciplinary exhibition at Oriel CARN in Caernarfon, led by Najia Bagi, Jenny Cashmore, Rebecca F. Hardy, and Gemma Lowe. A collective of innovative artists based across Wales and England. MEWNrhwng is a fusion of mewn “inside” and rhwng “between'' in the Welsh language. The exhibition was born at a time of great uncertainty and internal contemplation during the pandemic. Fragility seeps out of every piece. Universal threads of human experience come through in each work.
The origins of the MEWNrhwng exhibition began as meetings across the digital space and viewers can learn more about the development of MEWNrhwng on its social media channels. MEWNrhwng’s tour began at CARN gallery, based in the castle walls of Caernarfon and has now taken root in Elysium Gallery, Swansea, for its second life.
The exhibition takes on wild forms. Bold artist statements coming through at every turn. The artists cover many topics from breastfeeding, broken hearts, self-contemplation to mental health. They explore work in our domestic spaces through many artistic forms across digital and physical exhibition spaces. The choice of choral music is an aspect I enjoyed, adding a haunting and distinctly female dimension to the video art created for the exhibition.
Gemma Lowe uses oils and acrylics on canvas to produce bold and dramatic paintings with a dream-like, lived-in element. I was instantly drawn to Imagined Mountains because the idea of exploration and being outdoors was an imaginary affair for most of us during the lockdown. Morning Light is a lovely portrait using strong acrylics and soft pink watercolour, evoking a feeling of child-like wonder.
Jenny Cashmore’s Not Much Room involves a printer set up at the height of a human mouth. Every day a daily visual text is printed from home, exploring the connection between home, technology and the gallery space. I felt like a magpie locating visual texts on window sills.
The videos of her home have a big brother element. They are videos of mundane life we take for granted, such as holding a cup. One of the most striking images in MEWNrhwng is Pan Moon, a 72-page printout of a remarkable time of motherhood and breastfeeding. A transition time when time loses track of light and dark. This work was an exquisite depiction of a universal experience of motherhood that I have not seen in a gallery space before.
Rebecca F Hardy, who is currently exhibiting in A Breath of Welsh Air, at 48h NK in Berlin, brings her bold sculptures and visual statements to MEWNrhwng. The brain sculpture in its various forms resonated with me. It is an exploration of fluctuating mental health over the lockdown period. Fractures uses a variety of mediums: photography; vinyl. It made me ponder my identity and whether we are all fractured in some way now. The brain sculpture made from a garden fence was inventive.
Najia Bagi weaves vulnerability into her work especially with the heart-breaking, I loved you, but you loved her. The textile is unravelling, the stitching unfinished evoking a feeling of a deep emotional loss. Another piece, Loved You set on gold vinyl reflects a steely determination to viewers. The spoken word poems read like a stream of consciousness describing moments while drawing you into a mysterious internal world of the unspoken.
An overwhelming sense of contemplation and state of being exudes out of every piece in MEWNrhwng. It made me feel like a voyeur, standing in their shadow, in the corner of the room, listening in on a private moment of self-talk. MEWNrhwng is a time capsule of raw human emotion and leaves you contemplating your journey during this transitional time as well as theirs.
