From 16th September, Ffotogallery will be showcasing photographic work produced by persons with lived experience of forced migration in collaboration with Oasis Cardiff.
The exhibition will run from the 16th to the 24th of September at Ffotogallery on Fanny Street in Roath (CF24 4EH) with an opening celebration on Thursday the 15th of September between 6pm and 8pm.
Gallery opening hours are Wednesday – Saturday between 12pm and 5pm
Restore – Photography Project with Oasis Cardiff
In 2022, Ffotogallery partnered with Oasis Cardiff to create Restore, a collaborative photography project with refugees and asylum seekers.
The project provided a platform for people with a range of abilities – from beginners to those looking to establish careers within digital media – to engage with photographic practice. Participants explored a range of photographic practices and techniques from photomontage, to photographically exploring Cardiff’s green spaces, professional portraiture, as well as developing their own projects. Project participants were led by photographer, Tudor Etchells, throughout the process.
The project was initiated in 2021 as a collaboration between Oasis Cardiff and Ffotogallery in order to design a holistic programme that empowers people whose voices are too often not heard, as well as building resilience through developing employable skills and digital literacy.
The first stage of the project was a collaboration with CADW and National Trust, which provided an opportunity for participants to experience areas of beauty, and historical importance in the Welsh landscape while being tutored by a professional photographer.
The final outcome of the project is a body of work created by photographers who have lived experience of forced migration and the asylum process; inexplicably the work explores isolation, identity, frustration and disappointment. However, some of the work begins to conceptualise broader themes such as community and communication, aspiration and the climate crisis.
Restore was initially shown at Oasis Cardiff during Refugee Week, and then displayed at Green Man Festival as part of an ongoing partnership between Oasis Cardiff and Green Man
Trust. The project was then displayed for the immediate community during NoFitSate’s Clifton Street Festival.
Change Makers Project
The Change Makers project is a collaborative approach to diversifying the workforce by providing opportunities for young people to access and progress in the creative industries in Wales.
Engage Cymru partnered with EYST, Newport Fusion, Unify Artists Collective, Wales Millennium Centre and Ffotogallery to support a group of young people from diverse backgrounds in Cardiff in working towards their Bronze Arts Award, a Level 1 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) open to young people aged 11 to 25.
The group of young individuals took part in a wide variety of experiences including practical workshops from leading local artists; visits to galleries and urban art sites; they were audience members at a leading musical; they learned how to present a radio show, and they explored their own preferred artforms over a six-month programme. They pursued their own interests in a variety of media and shared their knowledge with their peers.
They all passed their Bronze Arts Award with flying colours and Ffotogallery is proud to be able to share their creative outcomes with a broader audience in this exhibition of their final work.
Ffotogallery
Since its inception 43 years ago, Ffotogallery has played a pivotal role in developing contemporary photographic culture in Wales through our commissioning and presentation of new work in exhibitions and at international festivals and events (including the biennial Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography), our extensive print and online publishing, our support for emerging photographic and lens- based artists, new practices, and our pioneering education and outreach work providing opportunities for creative participation for a wide cross-section of the community.
Oasis Cardiff
Oasis Cardiff is a charity for refugees and asylum seekers. Oasis Cardiff help refugees and asylum seekers to settle into their new home in Wales and feel welcomed. This includes offering a number of services and activities to help with this process such as English classes, trips and advice sessions. Oasis Cardiff also offers a hub for the wider community, by running regular fundraising events that usually include food and live music and throughout the week our Global Eats food trailer, which serves street food lunch from around the globe. Oasis Cardiff is funded by independent organisations and charitable donations from the public and is not affiliated with the UK Government or the Home Office.