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Artists in Residence: Elen Bonner

Elen Bonner is an early career artist who graduated from the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury in 2006 with a first class degree in Fine Art. Shortly afterwards she returned to Ceredigion where she now lives and works.

Elen navigates the cultural geography of contemporary rural Wales, using as content the customs she is witness to in order to dissect her own identity and that of those around her. By appropriating the most suitable discipline such as text, poetry and skits along with film and installation, her work acts as a discussion as to who is most powerful in assigning a place its character and value. Is it the inhabitants themselves that are responsible for their own cultural demarcation, or could it be the outside and it’s projections that are most influential when determining how Wales is understood?

Wild Wales, one of Elen’s most recent works, is currently on show at the in Focus space at Oriel Daviesuntil April 25th.

Mae Elen Bonner yn llywio’i ffordd trwy ddaearyddiaeth ddiwylliannol y Gymru wledig gyfoes, gan ddefnyddio fel cynnwys y traddodiadau y bu’n dyst iddynt er mwyn trafod ei hunaniaeth ei hun a’r rheini o’i chwmpas. Drwy adfeddu’r ddisgyblaeth fwyaf addas o destun a barddoniaeth i sgitiau, ynghyd â ffilm a gosodwaith, mae ei gwaith yn codi cwestiynau ynglŷn â chynrychiolaeth, gan weithredu fel trafodaeth ynglŷn â phwy yw’r mwyaf pwerus wrth aseinio cymeriad a gwerth i le. Ai’r trigolion eu hunain sy’n gyfrifol am eu ffiniau diwylliannol eu hunain, ynteu’r byd y tu allan, efallai, a’r hyn mae’n ei daflunio sy’n cael y dylanwad mwyaf wrth bennu sut mae deall Cymru?

Artist yn gynnar yn ei gyrfa yw Elen Bonner a raddiodd o Goleg Prifysgol Caergaint i’r Celfyddydau Creadigol yn 2006 gyda gradd mewn Celf Gain. Yn fuan ar ôl hynny, dychwelodd i Geredigion lle mae bellach yn byw ac yn gweithio.

Mae Cymru Wyllt, un o weithiau diweddaraf Elen, ar hyn o bryd ar ddangos yng ngofod inFocus yn Oriel Davies tan 25 Ebrill.