Celtic connections: Meinir Mathias heads to Brittany with her defiant Welsh paintings

Stephen Price

Meinir Mathias has quickly established herself as one of the most sought-after artists working in Wales today – and her bold and defiantly Welsh paintings are set to join her on a journey across the Channel to the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany next month.

In advance of her visit to the celebrated cultural event, we sat down with Meinir and discussed Wales’ connections with Brittany, her latest project and some of the themes of her work, including her much-sought-after paintings of Merched Beca.

Heritage

In the vibrant city of Lorient, where the echoes of Celtic heritage resonate through the streets, a tale of artistic brilliance is set to unfold at the prestigious Palais des Congrès this August.

This year’s international exhibition promises to be a captivating showcase of diverse talents with artists chosen to represent various countries across Europe.

Included will be some of Meinir’s latest works – works exploring themes of identity, social changes, and historical narratives.

Stepping onto the global stage at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Meinir’s arresting works highlight the rich tapestry of Welsh history, often made contemporary, and always resonating deeply with audiences in Wales and, indeed, the rest of the world.

Resilience

Through a harmonious blend of figurative art, symbolic motifs from Welsh folklore, and political themes, Meinir’s portraits boldly tell stories of centuries of the people of Wales and their ongoing resilience and defiance in the face of colonisation.

Imbued with the richness of oil paint, Meinir’s pieces come alive with vibrant colours and carefully crafted compositions that draw viewers into a world where history and imagination intertwine seamlessly.

Meinir Mathias’ reputation has grown at lightning quick speed, and the demand for her paintings continues to rise.

The National Library of Wales has acquired several of her paintings for the National Collection, and Meinir recently became a member of The Royal Cambrian Academy of Fine Art and received the People’s Choice award there.

She has secured public commissions with various institutions over the past few years, and her work will be showcased at the ‘Lle Celf’ at the National Eisteddfod of Wales this year.

Demand

Upon returning from Brittany this summer, Ffin-y-Parc Gallery in Llandudno will host her next highly anticipated solo exhibition in November.

Additionally, a collection of publicly commissioned portraits will be unveiled and featured at the Senedd early next year.

Resistance and rebellion

Taking time from her preparations, she told us: “The body of work that is going to be exhibited in Lorient is a cross-section of current themes I have been working on.

“The pieces use a number of Welsh historical cultural figures such as the ‘Merched Beca’ – a symbol of resistance and rebellion, along with narrative landscapes and objects.”

Meinir added: “Recent pieces have been reflecting on the impact of social changes such as migration of younger generations from rural wales due to lack of housing.

“The social impact of colonialisation and events such as the treachery of the blue books and the ‘welsh not’ that continue to have a ripple effect on our language and sense of identity to this day, and they appear in some of the latest works and are portrayed through figurative work; strong women who also challenge the viewer to look at them and the roles that they play with a different perspective.”

Connections

Meinir shared: “For the exhibition in Lorient, I have also been exploring themes that connect us with Brittany.

”It’s been fascinating to learn about some of the 5th century Welsh saints that settled in Brittany.

“Having visited friends there last year, I explored our cultural and linguistic connections, and it is amazing to find that our languages are still so similar.

“There has been seafaring and travel between the Celtic nations for centuries.

“Having been brought up on the rural and rugged coast of west Wales, it is something that resonates deeply; the connection to land, sea, nature and it has definitely seeped into this latest work.”

Struggles

“Many of the other Celtic nations also share our struggle, as a minority group in a much larger country, trying to defend their rights to speak their ancient language and to preserve their unique customs.

“That stubbornness and the refusal to ‘give in’ is something I think they share with the Welsh!”

Discussing her language skills, she told us: “I have been sprucing up my French in preparation for my trip. I have also got some limited knowledge of Breton and it is something I’m keen to develop and learn more.

“I have heard that Breton has officially been added to Google Translate – that is a great step forward for their language.

“My hope is that it can also be added to Duolingo one day as many people have been able to have access and learn Welsh through this app.”

The festival

Meinir will be busy supporting other artists she admires while there too.

She said: “Whilst I am out in Brittany, I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the concerts held
in the festival and will be watching Lleuwen Steffan perform; she is a Welsh artist who moved to Brittany and is fluent in both Welsh and Breton.

“We worked on a project together last year when she came over to work on ‘Fair Elen’ in Llandysul which was a celebration of Owain Glyndwr’s mother who was born in the village.

“I worked with the community and on a large mural in commemoration of the historical significance.

“Llandysul is twinned with Plogonnec and so will visit there along with some other sites such as the the standing stones in Carnac and the Valley of the Saints in Carnoët.”

Much of Meinir’s art has an air of protest or defiance, and we asked her why she believes these themes are so resonant right now.

She told us: “It is hard to know why the work resonates with some people.

“I can understand that many people in Wales in particular would share some of the ideas and feelings portrayed in the work, but I have also sold to collectors in London, Australia and America over the past couple of years.

“Art is so subjective and my hope is that although they are somewhat political and bring in personal and explorative themes for myself, that there is still room for people to connect to the the work whatever their background.

“At the end of the day, self portraiture and figurative painting is always about the universal human experience; our fears, anxieties, hopes and dreams, our connection to each other, to our surroundings, the land, objects, animals, memories and sense of identity.

“I try to bring all these personal experiences into my work and they underpin whatever narrative I’m trying to portray.”

Tensions

“I think it feels like a slightly unstable time at the moment with tensions happening throughout the world such as wars, change in political leaderships, shifts to the far right in some countries, but also many more minority or under-represented peoples protesting and speaking up for their rights.

“Most notably during and following the Covid pandemic period has been ‘Black lives matter’ movement and ‘me too’.

“In Wales we also saw marches and protests for ‘Hawl i fyw adre’ ( the right to live locally ); due to rising house prices and holiday homes in rural areas, making it near impossible  for the younger generations to afford to buy or rent locally.

“Local wages are just not in balance with everyday living costs. I think these themes resonate with many people which may be why some of them can connect to this part of my work.”

This year, Meinir has been selected to show her work at the Lle Celf, at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Pontypridd.

She will also be showing at her next solo show at Ffin-y-Parc, Llandudno in November following her Exhibition in France.

She shared: “I also feel incredibly lucky to be working on an exhibition of publicly commissioned  historical portraits.

“It is still top secret at the moment so I can’t reveal too much but I can say that they will be revealed and exhibited at The Senedd in Cardiff next year which I’m incredibly excited about!”

Like so many other Welsh artists, Meinir doesn’t limit herself to hiding away in her studio – lending her brush to the Cranogwen celebrations, murals, outreach at schools and much more.

She told us: “As well as working in my studio ; I love collaborating with other creatives and bouncing ideas off each other for community arts projects which always in turn inspires me back in the studio.

“I have worked on a number of creative school scheme projects and some arts council funded work with other artists, musicians , performers and historians in the community.

“Most recently, I worked on celebrations such as the Cranogwen project in Llangrannog, the Fair Elen mural and an outdoor theatre project.

‘Cware’ was the most recent which was a creative research project exploring the history of a small rural Welsh speaking community in Ceredigion.”

“I think this sort of work is really important, as an artist I think it is a responsibility to share and inspire others to be creative too, it allows them to have a voice and to project that in way that may be impossible otherwise.

“It’s also inspiring to work with people of all ages.

“I love working with children and their energy always brings something else to the table, as does working with some of the most elderly in the community; wisdom and experience is so so special.”