Canvas’ of Cardiff
PWSH “creates radical and joyful public art in Cardiff that celebrates difference and re-imagines public spaces”. The project centres around inclusion whilst creating safe spaces for artists and other creatives. First brought to life in August 2021, the ever-evolving project has worked with fifteen local artists to date. PWSH creatives have breathed new life into the corners of the city centre, armed with their paint brushes and vibrant ideas. The project enables Cardiff-based artists to decorate their city with artwork. This summer, a new cohort of artists have been working their magic at Aubergine Cafe, Womanby Street, Cardiff Indoor Market and a non-public mural at Llanishen High School. Rachel Kinchin, the artistic director, carefully curated the list of talent by selecting artists who have been in touch with PWSH, along with suggestions from the previous cohort. We spoke with Rachel about their latest, exciting project.
Meet the Artists
Matt Joyce created a mural at the back of Bar Revolution on Womanby Street. Matt’s mural combines a handful of themes, “losing yourself in nature, a love of plants, exploring, adventure and fun”. Outside of creating colourful murals, Matt is a freelance illustrator based in Cardiff. His signature style combines bold lines and bright colours with “humour and a playful aesthetic”. During his time with PWSH, Matt also worked with Nikolett Kovacas. Together, they created a mural for the students at the Hearing Impaired Resource Base at Llanishen High School.
Cardiff-based, award-winning international artist and designer, Sahar Saki, enjoys working in the form of mural art, with her current mural upstairs in Cardiff Indoor Market. Saki’s most recent mural draws inspiration from old Persian rugs, using Persian pattern design but in contemporary bold colours. Last year, Sahar held a mural festival to amplify the feminist movement in Iran, where she is originally from.
Multidisciplinary artist Regan, embraces “the playful, youthful spirit that resides within us all”. Her mural is “a young boy wielding a slingshot, evoking memories of a time when dreams knew no limits”. You can find her ‘Dream Bigger’ piece upstairs in Cardiff Indoor Market. Regan’s piece celebrates diversity and sheds light on the challenges of marginalised communities.
Queer Welsh artist and absurdist, Hunk Williams, explores pop culture and counterculture. Throughout his work, he draws on his experience growing up queer and autistic in the Valleys, as well as artist-style kitschy and camp icons of the past. Another thing Hunk often uses in his work is satire, as he feels it invites the public to ask, “But what does it all mean, like?”. Hunk’s mural in Aubergine Cafe “is an ode to long struggles now overcome, solidarity, freedom and good luck”.
Ren Wolfe explores how we can use “play and imagination to understand ourselves, our communities, and the world around us”. Her art draws inspiration from various things, from medieval illustrations to childhood memories, from costumes to puppetry. The mural in Aubergine Cafe explores “masking, imagination, and the relationship between the diversity in both the natural world and the human world”.
PWSH has also worked with two hearing impaired A-Level Art and Photography students, Hamzah Ahmed and Maisarah Bodor. The students supported PWSH artists and the creative team, helping install the murals and learning career skills such as project management and curation. PWSH aims to continue to amplify voices and drive social change through their murals, all while putting a smile on the faces of their fellow Cardiffians.
Find out more about other artworks PWSH artists have created to re-energise our city:
https://www.pwshcardiff.co.uk/artists
