Newtown exhibition brings Powys past to life in photographs

Powys County Times

03-05-2025

An evolving exhibition beginning on the streets of Newtown before moving into the gallery and developing over the summer months has been launched.
The exhibition is opening with a selection of images by Geoff Charles.
Geoff Charles' contribution to Welsh photography is unique. His approach is characterised by both an innate talent and an empathy for his subjects. He worked as a photojournalist in Wales from the 1930s to the 1970s and was the photographer of record in Welsh-speaking Wales for most of that period.
Today his archive is one of the treasures of The National Library of Wales.
As part of the CELF development the gallery commissioned photographer Mohamed Hassan to take portraits of people in Newtown today.
This process was documented in a short film by Ellie Orrell. The work provides an interesting document of the everyday lives of people in the town.
As the exhibition develops it will also feature work from John Thomas (1838-1905), PB Abery (1876-1948), Don 'The Flash' Griffiths, and more.
Oriel Davies director Steffan Jones-Hughes said: 'The title for the exhibition comes from a statement by the French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, who in 1849 wrote 'plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose' – the more things change, the more they stay the same. This statement suggests a passive approach, indicating that we either opt not to change, believing that our actions won't make a difference, or we embrace change, understanding that without it, nothing will ever improve.
'I thought that the concept of Everything Changes / Everything Stays The Same was worth exploring in the context of the gallery being shut for improvements, only to reopen and look exactly the same.'
It is an exciting time for the gallery with its partnership with its National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales collaboration promising to make Wales' national contemporary art collections more accessible.
As part of the CELF partnership the gallery aims to bring works from the Davies Sisters Collections back to Newtown to allow us art lovers to celebrate the unique contribution two women from mid Wales made on the art world and explore how their legacy continues to influence future generations of artists.
Oriel Davies was built originally in 1967 as the Davies Memorial Gallery designed by RIBA President Alex Gordon, with a bequest from Margaret Davies, one of the Davies Sisters of Gregynog.
Margaret and Gwendoline collected art in the early to mid-20th Century. When the sisters' collections were given to the nation they raised the profile of the National Museum in Cardiff to an international level, including important works by Turner, Monet, Cezanne, and Renoir, alongside significant British modernist painters such as Vanessa Bell and Christopher Wood.
Oriel Davies, was originally called Oriel 31 (named after the premises at 31, High Street, Welshpool) and was established in 1982, before moving to the Davies Memorial Gallery in 1985 and was renamed Oriel Davies Gallery in 2003.
The gallery underwent two phases of redevelopment in 2002-2004 including the new cafe and reflective facias introduced by B3Burgess.
Over the winter months work has been carried out and completed on a new roof system, with additional insulation that makes it more energy efficient.
Steffan said: 'We've replaced some of the glazed units which had failed, we've increased security across the site, and we've installed new air handling systems. To most people, the gallery will look the same, but the work has been extensive and we hope to show more as the year progresses.
'The main change will be that we now have an established relationship for ongoing work with the National Library and The National Museum.'
The gallery is interested in working with contemporary artists whose work connects with historical art, as could be seen in past National Gallery partnerships between 2021-2023 when historical pieces by Verrocchio, Rembrandt and Chardin were showcased.