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Teresa Margolles wins the £40,000 Artes Mundi 5 International Art prize

Nov 302012

The winner of the Artes Mundi 5 prize was announced in an evening ceremony at National Museum Cardiff. From a shortlist of 7, Teresa Margolles has been chosen as the winner of the prize by a panel of international curators and directors. With a first prize of £40,000, Artes Mundi is the largest cash prize awarded for the arts in the UK and one of the most significant in the world. The exhibition, which opened in October has already had 30,000 visitors.

The Panel of judges, chaired by curator and broadcaster Tim Marlow, commended the work of all seven nominated artists, but were particularly struck by “the visceral power and urgency as well as the sophistication of her work in confronting an on-going human tragedy”.

Teresa Margolles’ work focuses on Northern Mexican social experience where drug-related crime has resulted in widespread violence and murder. Since graduating with a diploma in forensic medicine, Margolles has examined the economics of death and her sculptural interventions and performances often bring the physical reality and materiality of death to the fore, exemplified in her artistic intervention during the 2009 Venice Biennale in which the floor of the Mexican pavilion was mopped with water used to wash dead bodies from a morgue in Mexico.

In both works chosen for Artes Mundi, death is a major theme. In Plancha, water which has been used to cleanse dead bodies in a morgue drips from the ceiling onto hotplates. Each drop evaporates on impact with a noticeable hiss. The work seeks to narrate the transition in death from present to absent, the processes of decomposition and ultimately honours anonymous lives that have been lost. 32 años Levantamiento y traslado donde cayo el cuerpo asesinado del artista Luis Miguel Suro for which Margolles has chosen to transport and exhibit the tiles from the floor on which Luis Miguel Suro, a close friend and a promising young artist, was murdered in Guadalajara, Mexico. The displacement of these tiles brings the crime and violence associated with them inside the museum itself.

The international judging panel comprises Ute Meta Bauer. Dean of Fine Art, Royal College of Art, London, Adam Budak, International Curator for Contemporary Art, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, Kathrin Becker, Head of Video Forum , nbk, Berlin, Karen MacKinnon, Curator, Glyn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Tim Marlow, Exhibitions Director, White Cube, London, Sabine Schaschl. Director, Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel.

Presenting the prize, First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said:

“I would like to congratulate Teresa Margolles on winning Artes Mundi 5. The competition continues to go from strength to strength, and is truly international in its reach. It is a great privilege to be able to host the event in Wales and it plays a major role in our nation’s vibrant cultural scene.”

In association with Artes Mundi, the Derek Williams Trust Purchase Award of £30,000, to acquire a work by one of the shortlisted artists for Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales contemporary art collection, will go to Tania Bruguera for Displacement, 1998-99.

Howard Evans, Executive Trustee from Derek Williams Trust said

“The Trust is delighted to support the Museum and its partnership with Artes Mundi by funding the Derek Williams Purchase Prize Award. Our long-term support of this initiative has been of real importance to the Museum and its development of an ambitious collection of international contemporary art. The Award ensures that the very best international art will be seen here in Wales in the years to come.”

2012 will be founding board member William Wilkin’s last year as chairman. William Wilkins conceived Artes Mundi 12 years ago and retires after helping to facilitate many great achievements for both Artes Mundi and the contemporary visual arts in Wales. It was announced tonight that Mathew Prichard would be the next Chair of the Artes Mundi Board. His wide experience of the arts in Wales and elsewhere will be a great asset in the future development of the Prize. It will also mark Ben Borthwick’s final Artes Mundi as Artistic Director and CEO. Borthwick joined the organization after seven years at Tate Modern and having delivered a successful Artes Mundi 5, will be leaving to pursue international curatorial projects.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is principal sponsor of the Artes Mundi 5 Exhibition and Prize which runs at National Museum Cardiff and Chapter until 13 January 2013. This year will also welcome the inclusion of an audience choice poll for the prize, allowing the public to vote for their favourite artist. The results of the poll will be revealed just before the close of the exhibition.

www.artesmundi.org
@ArtesMundi

‘Hiraeth: Longing for Home’, Bernard Kane

Music No Responses »

Nov 212012

Celebrating the release of their debut album, ‘Hiraeth: Longing for Home’, Bernard Kane and The Kane Players String Ensemble will perform all tracks in full at St John the Evangelist Church, Canton, Cardiff on November 30^th at 7.30pm. In addition, there will be a world premier of Bernard’s setting of Dylan Thomas’ ‘And Death Shall Have No Dominion’ for soprano and strings featuring special guest Helen-Jane Howells.

‘Hiraeth: Longing for Home’ is a collection of original compositions by Bernard Kane. They have all been inspired either by rivers, or the sea and that sense of Hiraeth which can strike when one is away from home for any extensive period of time. These works reflect that: from the shores of Bermuda, in the Sargasso Sea, to Bardsey Sound in North Wales; the river Taff in South Wales and the dramatic coast of New South Wales.

Tickets are available for £8 in advance from www.wegottickets.com (search ‘The Kane Players’) or £10 at the door (cash only). For further details, please contact Bernard on 07968 390518 or Bernard.kanejr@gmail.com or check out the website www.bernard-kane.co.uk

Friday, November 30th, 2012

7.30pm
St John the Evangelist Church
St John’s Crescent
Canton
Cardiff
CF5 1NX

Digital fine art prize puts Cardiff on world stage

Art, Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Oct 192012

The winners of the first competition for digitally-created fine art by artists from around the world were announced in Cardiff today.

Tommy Inberg from Upplands Väsby Sweden, won US$3000 for his evocative photomontage, Torn. Runner-up prize of US$1000 went to Patrick Van Roy, a Belgian artist, with his social commentary photomontage, the church, and third place went to Stephen Hilyard, artist and Associate Professor of Digital Arts at the University of Wisconsin, USA for a time-based work called One Life.

The Lumen Prize is based in the city of Cardiff as part of a three-year partnership with Cardiff Council. Ken Poole, the city’s head of economic development, said: “This partnership is another step forward as Cardiff generates a growing reputation for innovation and as a hub for creative industries. We are looking forward to working with the Lumen Prize during their world tour when the name of the capital of Wales will be associated with this far-sighted initiative. It will certainly help to showcase the city’s business credentials and encourage more digital investment into the city, which was recently boosted by a £11 million investment in superfast broadband.”

The winners were selected by an international jury panel from over 500 works submitted from over 30 countries globally, all of which were created with a wide range of cutting-edge tools, including tablets, smartphones, digital photography software and moving-image technology.

“The extraordinary high quality of the Lumen Prize winners show that this genre of fine art is coming of age,” says Professor Gaynor Kavanagh, Dean of the Cardiff School of Art and Design, who awarded the prizes at a ceremony at City Hall.

Today’s three winners will also feature as part of The Lumen Prize Exhibition that will travel to venues worldwide starting in January 2013.

Find out more www.lumenprize.com
@Lumenprize

Guest Post: David Mahoney on the Cardiff Music Festival

Music, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 152012

Cardiff has always been such an important place for me. Having grown up here, I returned to my home-town in 2010 after studying at Oxford and living in London where I worked at record label EMI Classics and artist management company IMG Artists.

The city has so much to offer, especially in the arts, and it seemed an ideal place to set up a music festival, especially given the wealth of musical talent, institutions and venues.

The festival wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the enormous good will of the Cardiff community. Their help and support have been fundamental in the success of the festival and I am so proud to live, work and come from the city.

It’s a place of inspiration and creativity, and can really stand up to the major European capitals.

Musically, we are very lucky to have institutions on our doorstep such as a world-class opera company, orchestra, conservatoire and numerous venues. Having lived in London, I firmly believe that we can compete with such places, and the vast array of cultural offerings, shopping, commercial entities and sport all contribute to this; not forgetting Cardiff’s social life, from the bars and restaurants of Cardiff Bay and the nightlife of the city centre, to the beautiful open spaces, cafés and boutique shops of Pontcanna where I now live!

In 2011 I set up the Cardiff Music Festival to promote young artists at the beginning of their careers, and give them a platform next to some of the biggest names in the industry. The festival has gone from strength to strength in its short history, with over 2500 audience members in 2012 in 4 venues across the city.

I have often been tempted to return to London, but Cardiff has always managed not to let me go. And I wouldn’t want it any other way…

Find out more:

@david_mahoney
Artistic Director of the Cardiff Music Festival www.cardiffmusicfestival.com
Artist Manager at Avanti Artists www.avantiartists.tv
Member of Only Men Aloud www.onlymenaloud.com

Creative Cardiff ready to forge ahead

Art, Cardiff Ambassador, Design, Digital, Film, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 102012

Cardiff struck a chord with members of the audience for the city’s Creative Exchange at the home of Bafta in London. The event was set up to show off the creative credentials of the capital of Wales with just one year to go until WOMEX, the leading world music showcase comes to the city.

Roger Pride, managing director of Cardiff & Co, who set up the event, said speakers had praised Cardiff as a forward-looking and innovative city.

He said: “I was struck by how enthusiastic both the speakers and the audience were at this event. The movement within Cardiff is now very much in the vanguard for the development of smaller cities.

“It is clear that there is more to attracting new business to a city than bricks and mortar, labour pool and the grants regime.

“Increasingly, people look beyond those hygiene factors and seek out the inner quality of a place.

“I was struck by how closely what we are doing in Cardiff matches the way academic writers are describing successful cities. It is basically that people make places – and the quality of life a city can offer is critical in attracting investment.

“Any number of cities have the basics but it will be the creative, innovative places that attract the people to build success. Cardiff looks to be well placed to take advantage of its quality of life and the Creative Exchange was a great opportunity to let a London audience share the city’s vision.”

View the Cardiff Creates video below or click here to see the Flickr Gallery from the evening.

Cardiff counts down to WOMEX, the world music event

Art, Business, Cardiff Ambassador, Design, Digital, Film, Literature, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 052012

With a year to go until Cardiff hosts WOMEX, the leading world music showcase, the city is taking the Cardiff Creative Exchange to London to show off the creative credentials of the capital of Wales.

The event, at BAFTA in Piccadilly on October 8, will attract a London-based media and creative services audience with a flavour of what’s in store at WOMEX and a panel discussion led by Cardiff-born radio presenter Huw Stephens, who also co-founded the city’s Sŵn Festival.

Cardiff is rapidly developing a strong international reputation as a cultural hub, boasting events and activities such as:

Artes Mundi – the UK’s largest international prize for contemporary visual artists, a biennial event which attracts artists from around the world, now in Cardiff for the fifth time

BBC Cymru Wales Roath Lock studios – drama village, home to Doctor Who, Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, Wizards vs Aliens, Sherlock?

Cardiff Contemporary – a visual arts exposé throughout the city in October and November 2012

Cardiff Design Festival – covering all forms of design, runs Sept 28 – Oct 14

Cardiff Music Festival – young classical singers showcased at various venues throughout Cardiff

Porth Teigr – a new Cardiff Bay development offering opportunities for businesses in the creative industries

Sŵn Festival – a city-wide contemporary music event, Oct 18-21 2012

Soundtrack Film and Music Festival – celebrating the powerful relationship between the two art forms, and has featured Danny Boyle and Gabriel Yared, Nov 14-18 2012

This burgeoning reputation provides the backdrop to Cardiff winning the bid over eight other cities to host WOMEX 13 (October 23 – 27 2013).

Adrian Clark, chairman of Cardiff & Co, the city’s marketing company, said: “Winning WOMEX for 2013 was a real coup for Cardiff. Cardiff is now one of the UK’s top centres for creative and media industries. It has shown it can attract established major international events such as Artes Mundi and has also become the city of choice for innovative awards such as the Lumen prize – the world’s first digital fine art prize.“

Daniela Teuber, WOMEX Director of Production has said: “The city offers a most favourable setting for our complex event and its 2500 delegates and many artists from all over the globe: truly professional, highly motivated local production partners; wonderful venues matching our multifaceted needs in close proximity; and Wales’ outstanding cultural wealth, hospitality and scenic beauty.”

Cardiff Creative Exchange is produced by Cardiff & Co, the body responsible for marketing the city, and takes place at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly from 6.30pm on Monday October 8.

Lineup for Welsh Music Prize gig announced

Music, Performance, Uncategorized, Welsh No Responses »

Sep 282012

Today the organisers of Welsh Music Prize are excited to be able to announce the lineup for the first ever Welsh Music Prize shortlist gig which will take place at the iconic Coal Exchange on Wednesday 17 October 2012.

Over the last year, they learnt a lot from other music prizes around the world and taking a note out of the Choice Music Prize in Ireland who found that running a concert of shortlisted acts added a lot of value to both the acts themselves and also the people who came to the gig.

Tickets are available for the gig from swnpresents.com and are priced at £10 advance. This is a 14+ show. Doors at 7pm.

Here is the list of acts who are playing the show (listed in alphabetical order):

Bright Light Bright Light
Cate Le Bon
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog
Exit_International
Huw M.
Jodie Marie
Kutosis
Truckers of Husk

That’s 8 of the best Welsh artists (as chosen by a jury of over 100 music industry experts in Wales) playing in the same place, at the same time and all for £10.

Any questions please e-mail Marc on info@welshmusicprize or call on 07762919466.

Find out more www.welshmusicprize.com
@welshmusicprize

Orchard up for National Live Music Award

Business, Digital, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Sep 182012

Orchard is the only Welsh company in the running for the Regional Promoter of the Year award in the National Live Music Industry Awards being held on October 10 in London – after a great year which has seen performances by the likes of Dionne Warwick, Olly Murs, and Damon Albarn and Africa Express amongst some 300 concerts that Orchard has brought to Wales.

The Regional Promoter of the Year Award rewards the company which “staged the most impressive – whether it be for impact or ticket sales – regional dates of the year”, and it is the second consecutive year that the Orchard Media and Events Group has been in the frame for the honour. As Wales’ largest independent music promoter, Orchard stages concerts in a range of venues across Wales – from Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Eirias Stadium in the north, to clubs like the capital’s Clwb Ifor Bach, and this year has also seen the company installed as operator of the world famous Brecon Jazz festival.

The award is open to online public vote on www.awards.livemusicawards.co.uk before September 21. The awards will then be staged on October 10 at London’s Radisson Blu Portman hotel before a music industry audience.

Pablo Janczur, who heads up Orchard’s entertainment division said: “It’s great to be the only Welsh nominee in this category after another great year for Orchard. We’ve got a very creative and dynamic team here, and all of us are keen to bring more business into Wales, and to give Welsh people access to the biggest touring acts. We’re up against some good names, but hope to bring some great success back to Wales, and show the potential of the live music scene here.”

Now in its third year, this is the only event dedicated to presenting awards to the business people who drive the country’s contemporary live music industry.

The £4m plus turnover, Cardiff based Orchard Media and Events Group offers a unique and comprehensive range of creative communications services in Wales and across the world, with clients such as Tata Steel, Principality Building Society, Johnson & Johnson, and the Welsh Government.

Orchard services include event management; production of TV commercials and corporate videos; online and print production; media planning and buying; PR; digital media; mobile and viral marketing; audio visual equipment hire; and consultancy.

Find out more www.thinkorchard.com
@thinkorchard

Further Artes Mundi Exhibition details announced

Art, Digital, Film, New Media, Performance No Responses »

Sep 142012

Artes Mundi 5 is delighted to announce further details about the 2012 exhibition, including new works created especially for this year’s edition by shortlisted artists Miriam Bäckström, Tania Bruguera, Darius Mikšys and Apolonija Šušteršič, as well as a range of additional works by shortlisted artists, Phil Collins, Sheela Gowda and Teresa Margolles. Artes Mundi 5 will also feature a strong programme of artist performances and participatory events which represents a major new focus for this year’s exhibition and prize.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION AND PRIZE

Taking place from 6 October 2012, Artes Mundi 5 will feature the work of seven ground-breaking contemporary artists of growing international importance whose practices engage with social reality, lived experience and the human condition. The exhibition will take place at the National Museum of Art under the roof of National Museum Cardiff. For the first time Artes Mundi will also be in partnership with organisations such as Cardiff-based multidisciplinary arts centre Chapter, who will provide an additional venue for some of the works. The winner of the prize will be announced at a special award ceremony taking place on 29 November 2012 at National Museum Cardiff. With a first prize of £40,0000, Artes Mundi is the largest cash prize awarded for the arts in theUKand one of the most significant in the world. For Artes Mundi 5, each shortlisted artist will receive £4,000 and one of the artists will be selected for a solo exhibition, to be presented in 2014 in the lead up to Artes Mundi 6, at the recently refurbished Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno,Wales. This year will also welcome the inclusion of an audience choice poll for the prize, allowing the public to vote for their favourite artist and work in the exhibition. The results of the poll will be revealed at the close of the exhibition in January 2013.

NEW WORKS

Swedish artist Miriam Bäckström will present a new large scale tapestry Smile as if we have already won. Reflecting her practice which explores the processes of creating and recreating memory using photography, text, theatre and video, Smile as if we have already won mixes cotton, wool, silk and lurex, woven into a massive 3 meter high and 12 meter wide scene. Hung in an arc across the gallery space, the tapestry will depict figures in a room composed of mirror fragments, creating the sense that the work is simultaneously claustrophobic and infinitely expanding.

Cuban artist Tania Bruguera will be presenting Immigrant Respect Campaign, as part of her long-term art project, Immigrant Movement International (2010-2015). The work is an artist-initiated socio-political movement exploring what defines an ‘immigrant’. The campaign will feature the symbol of the Immigrant Respect ribbon and include a projection of the artist’s work on the front of National Museum Cardiff on Thursday 4 October, alongside a poster campaign throughout centralCardiff. Visitors to the exhibition at the National Museum of Art will also be invited to sign a Moral Commitment Contract promoting immigrants’ rights.

Lithuanian artist Darius Mikšys will present a new work The Code. Taking Eglė Obcarskaitė’s essay about Mikšys for the Artes Mundi 5 exhibition catalogue, the text has been deconstructed into ‘search terms’. These have then been fed into the National Museum Wales’ seven collection databases and the results of which will create a unique installation that forms a portrait of the artist and his practice through objects in the Museum’s collection. Mikšys’ practice is known to explore installation as a means to experiment, conceptualise and re-imagine the processes of making, displaying and engaging with art.

Architect and visual artist Apolonija Šušteršič will present her new work Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project, which looks at the development of the Cardiff Bay area following the completion of the barrage. This project will expand on her practice which responds to contemporary urban regeneration and the social, political, economic and environmental issues surrounding it. Presented in the form of a video installation, Šušteršič has engaged with a variety of individuals and organisations involved with and opposed to the development, to explore its past, present and future.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ART WORKS

Additional highlights to be displayed include British artist Phil Collins will be presenting his work free fotolab which offers the viewer a glimpse into the lives of strangers. Collins offered individuals, in several European cities, free processing and prints from their undeveloped rolls of films in return for the rights to use them. The result is a nine-minute slideshow including holiday snaps, weddings, pets and other private moments. Using performance-based and conceptual approaches to video and photography Collins’ work often explores the very essence of what it is to be human.

Indian artist Sheela Gowda’s large-scale abstract sculpture, Kagebangara, comprising tar drums, sourced from Indian road workers, alongside yellow and blue plastic tarpaulin. This is exemplary of Gowda’s sculptural and installation practice insofar as it explores how materials can make specific reference to the social and cultural context ofIndia. In this work Gowda subtly references the source materials original use, which in this case brings shelters like those built by the migrant construction workers along the roadside into the gallery space.

Having trained in forensic medicine, Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, examines the economics of death through sculptural interventions and performances. In this exhibition she will present one of her ‘multisensory’ sculptures. In Plancha, water which has been used to cleanse dead bodies in the morgue drips from the ceiling onto hotplates. Each drop evaporates on impact with a noticeable hiss. The work will seek to narrate the transition in death from present to absent, the processes of decomposition and ultimately honours anonymous lives that have been lost.

PERFORMANCE WORKS AND OFFSITE PROJECTS

Performances and offsite projects to be featured as part of Artes Mundi 5 include Phil Collins’ This Unfortunate Thing Between Us.Split in two broadcasts to be screened in retro caravans on the forecourt of Chapter Arts Centre, this work takes the format of a teleshopping channel, but instead of commodities for sale viewers have a choice of ‘fantasies at promotional prices’. Hosted by a cast of actors from a range of professions including stand up, teleshopping and pornography with a live soundtrack by Gruff Rhys and Y Niwl, viewers are invited to watch both the sale and the fulfilment of these experiences.

Miriam Bäckström will be presenting two performances of her play Motherfucker at Chapter Arts Centre. Exploring the complex roles, positions and perspectives within a relationship, a female director asks a male actor to forge a character whom she wants to meet in order to be able to leave. The use of performance mixed with live video feed will create a paradox between the real and mediated video that is simultaneously being projected.

Other artist projects include Live Talk Show, a public panel discussion as part of Apolonija Šušteršič’s Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project. It will discuss the redevelopment ofCardiffBay aiming to draw out and add to the debates raised in Šušteršič’s installation. During the five days of Experimentica 12, Chapter’s annual live art festival, 1x1x1 will feature one film, by one artist, for one day each. Screened in Chapter Gallery it will include films by Teresa Margolles, Phil Collins, Tania Bruguera, Miriam Bäckström and Apolonija Šušteršič.

Ben Borthwick, Artistic Director, Artes Mundi said:

“It is a really exciting development for Artes Mundi that so many of the international artists are creating new work for the exhibition. Through these commissions there is a direct engagement with the social and economic context ofCardiff, a reconsideration of National Museum Wales’ collections, and reflection on the complexities of individual and collective identity. And for the first time a number of projects will be presented outside the museum, accessing new audiences and activating the relationship between the artwork and public space.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is principal sponsor of the Artes Mundi 5 Exhibition and Prize this year. As a company serving clients in more than 90 countries, it is committed to a diverse programme of cultural support. The company’s art and culture platform is a key element of its broader corporate responsibility strategy which seeks to develop substantive solutions for social and environmental challenges.

Find out more www.artesmundi.org
@ArtesMundi

Welsh Music Prize 2011-12 shortlist announced

Music, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Aug 292012

Today, the organisers of Welsh Music Prize are very excited to announce the shortlist for the 2011-12 Welsh Music Prize which is now in its second year. The shortlist which was voted on by a jury of Welsh music industry experts, journalists, bloggers and DJs reflects the diversity of music in Wales with a mixture of male/female, Welsh speaking/English speaking and geographical location.

This year, we will be holding a concert featuring as many of the shortlisted acts as possible on 17 October 2012 at the Coal Exchange (more details below) to celebrate the talent and craftmanship that is currently happening in Wales.

Without further ado, here is the list of shortlisted acts:

Bright Light Bright Light – Make Me Believe in Hope
Cate Le Bon – CYRK
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog – Draw Dros Y Mynydd
Exit_International – Black Junk
Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense
Huw M. – Gathering Dusk
Islet – Illuminated People
Jodie Marie – Mountain Echo
Kids in Glass Houses – In Gold Blood
Kutosis – Fanatical Love
Los Campesinos! – Hello Sadness
Truckers of Husk – Accelerated Learning

Huw Stephens, Radio 1 DJ as well as one of the founders of Welsh Music Prize said: “The success of the Welsh Music Prize in 2011 meant we had strong foundations for this years prize. The shortlist is full of varied Welsh albums with rock, folk and experimental music all featuring, and we see the Prize as a celebration of the great talent commiting to create memorable albums in Wales. The artists benefitted from the Welsh Music Prize in 2011, and this year we hope to build on its success.”

Co-organiser John Rostron and Senior Manager of Welsh Music Foundation added: “It’s so exciting to see this year’s Welsh Music Prize Shortlist. It’s a brilliant collection of albums which demonstrate just how strong the Welsh Music scene is. Now I just hope the Judges can find a way to pick a winner from such a strong shortlist! Over the past year I’ve met with the organisers of other National Music Prizes – such as Canada, Scotland, Ireland and Australia – who have all kindly helped us build and shape the delivery of the Welsh Music Prize. It was from encouragement by the Choice Meteor Music Prize in Ireland that we decided to add something new this year, with a concert on the eve of the Welsh Music Prize ceremony with as many of the shortlisted acts playing as possible. That will be an almighty gig! It will be a great place to support your favourites and hear some of the bands who are new to you. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Announcing: Welsh Music Prize concert
Having learnt lessons from the success of last year’s prize which was won by Gruff Rhys for his album ‘Hotel Shampoo’ and learning from our conversations with other national music prizes around the world, this year we have decided to hold a concert on October 17, the night before the announcement of the winner, at the Coal Exchange.

The iconic welsh music venue will play host to as many of the shortlisted acts as possible and will be open to the public for £10 per ticket available on the swnpresents.com website.

On October 18, we will announce the winner of the Prize. Details on this to follow as soon as they become available.

Here are some of the reactions from shortlisted artists:

Huw M: I’m really chuffed to be honest. If you think about what being nominated for the Welsh Music Prize actually means – to have produced an album that some people consider to be one of their favourites of the past year – is a real honour.

Rod Thomas aka Bright Light Bright Light: When I heard about the award being set up, I was so happy that something like this existed recognising the music emerging from Wales. There are so many great musicians, and wonderful people working in the music industry in Wales. I’m so honoured and excited to be shortlisted for the prize. However far you travel, and whatever you do, support from home is the best feeling in the world.

Cate Le Bon: Wales is teeming with exciting and unique talent, which this award has served to illuminate, so it is an absolute honour to be shortlisted for this prize.

Kutosis: There have been some unbelievably good records released by Welsh artists this year and we’re very happy to be nominated alongside them. Gruff Rhys won the award last year, and he’s a bit of a hero of ours, so that makes it even more special.Fanatical Love is our debut album and the first album Barely Regal Records have released, so to be shortlisted is a real boost for us and the label. The prize is a great idea and hopefully it will become a well established way of introducing Welsh music to a wider audience.