Aberystwyth School of Art to host exhibition in international photography festival

gwactod*

gwactod*

25 September 2026

Aberystwyth University will host an exhibition next month as part of Ffoto Cymru 2026, an international photography festival taking place across Wales.

Curated by Aberystwyth University Fine Art lecturer Dr Naomi Pearce, gwactod* brings together new work by Dylan Huw and Owain Train McGilvary with photographic albums by Angus McBean and Keith Vaughan from the School of Art Museum and Galleries collections at Aberystwyth University.

Through photography, film, collage and installation, the exhibition explores connections between Wales, Italy and queer histories, placing contemporary artworks alongside photographs and archival material.

Dr Pearce said:

“gwactod* invites us to look again at photographs from the past and to consider the people, places and histories represented in them. By placing these images alongside contemporary work, the exhibition encourages new ways of seeing and highlights connections between images from different periods.

“Presenting the exhibition at the School of Art, alongside photographs from its collections, is particularly meaningful. As part of Ffoto Cymru, it creates a dialogue between past and present, offering audiences a chance to engage with Welsh and queer archives in a fresh context and to consider how contemporary artists can respond to and reinterpret historical material.”

The exhibition includes the artists’ 30-minute film Fel gwacter (2024), originally commissioned by Mostyn and LUX, alongside new work by the artists.

The installation also reflects on both artists’ recent encounters in Italy – Owain Train McGilvary in residence at the British School at Rome researching Italian comic book culture, and Aberystwyth-born Dylan Huw jointly representing Wales at the 61st Venice Biennale – drawing these experiences into dialogue with McBean’s trips in Italy with his partner David Ball in the 1950s.

Led by Ffotogallery, Ffoto Cymru is held every two years and features exhibitions, events, talks and workshops.

The exhibition will be open from 5 October to 13 November, 10:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. More information is available on the Ffotogallery website.