Annwn | A solo show by Iwan Lewis

About

"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." - Iwan Lewis, February 2020.