A profoundly self-reflective exploration of how identity is intimately connected to a sense of place, National Museum Cardiff’s new exhibition The Valleys is a heartfelt love letter to the communities that have lived and worked in this south Wales region for generations. Preserving the cultural history and legacy of these communities, the exhibition is a testimony to the survival of Valleys voices.
With a focus on local artists and communities, The Valleys is a cohesive and powerful reflection of how people make a place, paying homage to the formation of culture through community and shared experience. Profiling work by over 60 artists, featured pieces include paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, film, models, ceramics and historical artefacts, and showcases several works that have not been displayed to the public before.
Showcasing diverse artistic responses to the economic and social impact on Valleys communities, the exhibition highlights first-hand representations of working-class experience, reflecting how in the midst of rapid industrialisation a steadfastly close-knit community has endured. The juxtaposition between this landscape’s natural and manmade beauty, and its rapidly evolving and shapeshifting form, is a central thread. Pieces by artists such as Perry Williams (1802-1885) portray the picturesque landscapes and sublime beauty of the pre-industrial era, whilst also depicting how the Valleys were transformed by iron and coal; while Thomas Hornor reflects the sights and sounds of the 1760-1840 industrial revolution in urban centres such as Merthyr Tydfil.
Other mid-20th-century exhibits emphasise how processes of industrialisation saw the infiltration of brutalist structures on the landscape. The exhibition navigates a balance between the spectacle of industrial furnaces and modern technology, with the everyday hardship of working-class workers and families.
A standout is Jeremy Deller’s So Many Ways To Hurt You, a film portrait of Adrian Street (1940-2023) – who grew up in Brynmawr but refused to follow his father into the mines, instead becoming a professional wrestler famed for his flamboyant wrestling persona and glam rock style. Accompanying the 31-minute film is a theatrical wall mural painted by Will Roberts, depicting a poised Street sitting atop a miner’s helmet against a characteristically colourful rainbow backdrop adorned with peacocks and chains of flowers.
Despite the raw depiction of hard-felt austerity and crisis of a post-industrial economy, the pieces also convey triumph and hope. Curator Dr Bronwen Colquhoun says, “We wanted the exhibition to be really positive about the valleys, the area and the landscape. We spoke with the communities who we were working with to ask them what they want to see and how they would want to be represented.”
Indeed, the exhibition honours the merit of self-taught artists: many displays feature pieces created during free time or in retirement, using whatever daily household and inexpensive mediums available. Spotlighting artists who grew up in coalfield communities such as Harry Rogers, the exhibition captures an essence of homemade authenticity whilst emphasising the significance of complete control over artistic self-representation.
The Valleys, National Museum Cardiff, until Sun 3 Nov.
Admission: FREE. Info: here
words JULIA BOTTOMS
