Celebrated Uganda-born artist holds major show at Celf gallery

Works by celebrated Uganda-born artist Oliver Gaiger, who lives on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains, will feature in an exciting show at one of Wales’ leading galleries from this month.

Oliver Gaiger was born in Uganda in 1972 and throughout his childhood lived in Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Falkland Islands and Cornwall.

He studied Illustration at the University of Middlesex and graduated in 1994. 

Oliver now lives on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains, a landscape steeped in history and heritage.

His work is inspired by this Welsh landscape and his extensive travels through varying countries and cultures.

His paintings depict patterns and forms found in natural and man-made environments, with flat areas of colour contrasting with lines and symbols to depict both their beauty and bleakness.

Transience

He is influenced by the work of artists such as William Scott, Victor Pasmore and Cy Twombly, and draws clear parallels with artists such as Patrick Heron and Alexander Calder.

Oliver said: My work is often an attempt to capture the transient drifting state of things (with hopefully a touch of humour), to reflect life back towards us, to suggest a smidgen of its essence, and to emphasise the absurdity of it all.

Landscapes, shapes, motifs and colours are brought together from their dispersed locations in the world to form a kind of interrelated coincidence (myself) that may serve to reflect back the chaos, fragility and incongruity of the world around us.”

He added: “The work is about life, our place in the world, connections, disconnections, and paths; and offer an occasional glimpse of something more profound, and possibly even a kind of beauty.

“Perhaps a shape or form may imbue a latent underlying human connection to things.

“Here we are hurtling along: nothing is fixed, everything is in transit, even the earth itself and the stars around it.”

Cerys Billinge, one of Celf gallery’s co-owners, told Nation.Cymru: “We have been delighted at the response from people visiting the gallery since we opened late last year.

“Following on from the success of previous exhibitions by Kevin Sinnott and Richard Barrett, Oliver’s highly anticipated exhibition is already receiving a great deal of attention.

“We also have other works on show from Shani Rhys James, Mary Lloyd Jones and newcomer Angharad Pearce Jones and it’s set to be one of our most exciting exhibitions yet.”

Celf Gallery is located in Roath Park Hall, Cardiff close to the bustling Wellfield Road – consisting of over 100sqm of exhibition space set across three open plan rooms, all on ground floor level.

Oliver’s latest works will be on display from 13 April until 12 May and can also be viewed online here.