‘Annwn’, Sid Motion Gallery, London, 13 March – 11 April 2020

Annwn or Annwfn comes from the Welsh for Otherworld, appearing in native mythology as a place of milk and honey, a place free from afiechyd or disease. Unlike the Christian Otherworld, Annwn can appear in specific locations. I recognise my bilingual tongue as opposites similar to that of the real and the other. For me my mother tongue has become a time machine or a key to otherworldly portholes fixed to a specific region where dialect and class create nuances, where nation becomes irrelevant and where civilisation sits precariously on a pitted landscape. This linguistic porthole becomes a tool to escape and explore the other. The epic landscape can’t be reasoned with rationally over canvas instead it becomes a backdrop where narratives play out. Often the wet grey is exchanged with a hot sticky humidity; this is where Annwn truly exists as a sanctuary to keep nature’s true intentions at bay. Annwn serves as respite to the living not as a retreat for the dead.

All photographs credit Luke Fullalove.

Mango Syrup and Proboscis, 2016, Oil on canvas, 195 × 163cm

Invading Doggerland, 2018, Oil on canvas, 45 × 39cm

Afallon, 2018, Oil on canvas, 144 × 125cm

Inland Sea, 2020, Oil on canvas, 31 × 31cm

Orenau, 2018, Oil on canvas, 102 × 102cm

Catch, 2017–18, Oil on canvas, 51 × 61cm

The Marquess, The Mog and The Marauding Mob, 2020, Oil on canvas, 153 × 122cm

Gwyddal, 2020, Acrylic on wood carving, 21 × 18 × 12cm

Saint Seiriol, 2020, Oil on canvas, 25.5 × 25.5cm

Citrus Sun, 2020, Oil on canvas, 46 × 38cm

L Knight and Rook, 2020, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 40 × 30cm

R The Cat Collects His Tears in a Paper Cup for a Future Moment of Sincerity, 2020, Oil on canvas, 51 × 41cm

Cont y Môr, 2020, Oil on canvas, 51 × 60cm

Doggerman, 2018, Oil on canvas, 79 × 70cm