Exhibitions
The See Wall
East Quay Gallery is delighted to present The See Wall, a new solo exhibition by Welsh artist Bedwyr Williams.
Displayed across both galleries, this exhibition features film, painting, and installation, all exploring the life, compulsions and foibles of a fictional older artist, wryly delivered through Williams’ autobiographical lens. Set within the grey, stormy, seaside town of Watchet in winter, Bedwyr draws from his personal experience as an artist who grew up in a seaside town in North Wales.
The title of the exhibition reflects the main character’s unorthodox preoccupation with Watchet’s sea defences. As residents of Watchet know only too well, sea walls are symbols of resilience but they also need maintenance and care. They protect us; they keep us safe, but they are also symbols of erosion and decay. In late 2019, following a particularly stormy night, a large hole developed in the sea wall at the northern end of the quayside in Watchet. Witnessed by Williams on a visit to the town, the sea wall and its fallibility has become a metaphor for our artist. Just as the wall will eventually succumb to the sea, so he will succumb to his own mortality.
The title of the exhibition reflects the main character’s unorthodox preoccupation with Watchet’s sea defences. As residents of Watchet know only too well, sea walls are symbols of resilience but they also need maintenance and care. They protect us; they keep us safe, but they are also symbols of erosion and decay. In late 2019, following a particularly stormy night, a large hole developed in the sea wall at the northern end of the quayside in Watchet. Witnessed by Williams on a visit to the town, the sea wall and its fallibility has become a metaphor for our artist. Just as the wall will eventually succumb to the sea, so he will succumb to his own mortality.
