UWTSD Celebrates Emerging Talent in Ffoto Cymru: Wales International Festival of Photography

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is proud to be a key participant in the first-ever Ffoto Cymru: Wales International Festival of Photography, which launches across Wales in October 2024.

As a new biennial photography festival led by Ffotogallery, Ffoto Cymru builds on the success of its predecessor, Diffusion Festival. It promises to offer a unique platform for both established and emerging photographers.

This year’s festival highlights both Wales-based artists and international talent, with UWTSD’s involvement underscoring its commitment to fostering creativity and championing the arts. Ffoto Cymru is an opportunity to reflect on the power of visual storytelling and its ability to challenge perceptions, foster dialogue, and celebrate diversity.

This year, the festival places a special emphasis on celebrating the contributions of female photographers under the theme “What You See is What You Get?”. The festival challenges how we view and interpret images and their role in shaping culture and identity, from historical archives to modern AI technologies.

Chloe Davies, a UWTSD photography graduate, will be among the featured artists at Ffoto Cymru, presenting her first major solo exhibition, If You Kiss Him, You Won’t Dream About Him, at Stiwdio Griffith, part of UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art Dynevor Campus, from October 1-24. The exhibition is a deep exploration of transgenerational trauma through the mediums of photography, moving image, and performance.

The Guardian recently ranked the Film Production & Photography department at UWTSD 7th in the UK out of 67, 1st in Wales.

Ryan Moule, UWTSD’s Head of Photography, said:

“It’s a pleasure to be hosting Chloe Davies’s solo exhibition ‘If you kiss him, you won’t dream about him’, as part of the inaugural Ffoto Cymru 2024 international festival of photography with Ffotogallery. As an alumni of our photography programme, it’s a pleasure to be working with Chloe on her first major solo exhibition, which explores transgenerational trauma through photography, moving image and performance.”

In addition to Chloe Davies’ exhibition, UWTSD celebrates the wider Ffoto Cymru programme, which features works by a range of emerging and established female photographers:

• UWTSD BA Documentary Photography and Visual Activism alumni, Ada Marino at Wrexham University & Womanby Street, Cardiff. October 1-31.
• Jessie Edwards-Thomas at Cemetery Chapel, Penarth. October 1-31.
• Adéọlá Dewis at Cyfartha Castle, Merthyr. From October 11.
• Holly Davey at Amgueddfa Cymru, Cardiff. October 1-31.
• Foto Féminas (an organisation developed by UWTSD’s Documentary Photography alumni Veronica Sanchez Bencomo) artists Julieta Anaut, Luiza Possamai Kons, and Lorena Marchetti at Elysium Gallery, Swansea. October 5-31.
• Marian Delyth, one of Wales’ most respected photographers, at Yr Hen Lys, Ruthin. October 3-31.