Witnessing Wales, Mohamed Hassan (Bilingual)

Witnessing Wales
Mohamed Hassan

CYNNWYS | CONTENTS
RHAGAIR | FOREWORD 02
CYFLWYNIAD | INTRODUCTION 05
GWAITH | WORK 08
DIOLCHIADAU | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 28
Clawr | Cover: Marloes Rock, 2022
MOHAMED HASSAN - Witnessing Wales 01

RHAGAIR
FOREWORD
Mae Witnessing Wales yn ddogfennaeth hudolus o’r llu o
brofiadau sy’n cynrychioli diwylliant a hunaniaeth Cymru.
Mae’n datguddio cysylltiadau cryf â’i thirwedd glogyrnog
ond hardd ac yn rhoi cipolwg personol a gonest i ni ar y
bobl sy’n ystyried Cymru yn gartref iddynt.
Witnessing Wales is a captivating documentation of the
multitude of experiences which make up Welsh culture and
identity. It uncovers strong connections to a rugged yet
beautiful landscape and grants us an intimate and honest
look at the people who call Wales home.
Mae gwaith Mohamed Hussan yn bwysig am ei fod yn amlygu
persbectifau unigryw ac amgen ar ddiwylliant Cymru, gan fyfyrio
ar y pethau sy’n ein rhannu a’r pethau sy’n ein clymu wrth
ein gilydd fel cenedl a hil ddynol. Rydym yn falch ac yn llawn
cynnwrf o gael cyflwyno’r delweddau trawiadol hyn gan un o’r
ffotograffwyr gorau a mwyaf diddorol sy’n gweithio yng Nghymru
heddiw. Yn ddiamau bydd yr arddangosfa hon yn ysgogi
ymatebion emosiynol personol. Gobeithiwn y bydd yn sbarduno
sgyrsiau, yn gwella dealltwriaeth, ac yn ein herio i fyfyrio ar ein
canfyddiadau ninnau o ‘Gymreictod’.
Mohamed Hussan’s work is critical in highlighting unique and
alternative perspectives of Welsh culture, reflecting on what
divides us and what ties us together as a nation and as a
human race. We are proud and excited to present these striking
images by one the best and most interesting photographers
working in Wales today. There is no doubt that this exhibition will
evoke individual emotional responses. We hope that it inspires
conversations, improves understanding, and challenges us to
contemplate our own perceptions of ‘Welshness’.
Louise Jones-Williams
Cyfarwyddwr
Llantarnam Grange
Louise Jones-Williams
Director
Llantarnam Grange
Dde | Right: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri | Snowdonia National Park, 2019
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MOHAMED HASSAN - Witnessing Wales 03

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CYFLWYNIAD
INTRODUCTION
Mae Witnessing Wales yn gorff tymor hir o waith gan yr artist
ffotograffig Mohamed Hassan. Gan ddefnyddio’r dull rhaglen
ddogfen, mae Mohamed yn cymysgu portreadau trawiadol â
delweddau o’r tir ac eiconau diwylliannol, er mwyn cwestiynu
syniadau o hunaniaeth, cenedligrwydd a pherthyn.
Witnessing Wales is a long-term body of work by
photographic artists Mohamed Hassan. Through using a
documentary approach, Mohamed intersperses striking
portraits with images of the land, and cultural icons, to
question ideas of identity, nationhood, and belonging.
Gan weithio mewn du a gwyn, a lliw, mae Mohamed yn
canolbwyntio ar y naws a’r golau ym mhob golygfa, gan
greu delweddau cynnil a llwydaidd sy’n eich atynnu ac yn
ysgogi emosiynau. Trwy bortreadu pobl yn eu tirweddau
a’u hamgylchedd naturiol, mae Mohamed yn archwilio’r
cyffelybiaethau a rennir rhwng pobl a’r tir.
Working in both black and white, and colour, Mohamed focuses
on the mood and light of each scene, creating subtle and
subdued images that both draw you in and draws out emotions.
By portraying people in their natural environment and landscapes,
Mohamed explores the similarities that are shared between
people and the land.
Fel newydd-ddyfodiad cymharol, cafodd Mohamed ei swyno
gan iaith a diwylliant artistig cyfoethog Cymru, sydd wedi’i
thrwytho mewn cân a llên gwerin hynafol. Pan ddaeth yma’n
gyntaf, dywedodd ei fod yn teimlo fel pe bai mewn breuddwyd
ac mae wedi parhau i ddod o hyd i ysbrydoliaeth yn y tirweddau
clogyrnog sy’n ei amgylchynu.
Gan fod yr oes hon yn un o’r cyfnodau mwyaf ansefydlog yn ein
hanes diweddar, mae Witnessing Wales yn darparu ciplun o bobl
sy’n byw yng Ngorllewin Cymru fodern, gan archwilio’r cysyniad
o hunaniaeth genedlaethol Cymru drwy ddangos pobl o wahanol
gefndiroedd sydd ag ymdeimlad diysgog o ddinasyddiaeth
Gymreig.
As a relative newcomer, Mohamed became captivated with
Wales’s rich, artistic culture and language, steeped in ancient
folklore and song. When he first arrived, he has said it felt as if
he was in a dream and has continued to find inspiration in the
rugged landscapes that surrounds him.
With the present time being one of the most unsettled periods in
recent history, Witnessing Wales provides a snapshot of people
living in modern West Wales, exploring the concept of Welsh
national identity by showing people from different backgrounds
who have an unwavering sense of Welsh citizenship.
Chwith | Left: Portrait of Sarah, 2020
MOHAMED HASSAN - Witnessing Wales 05

Mae’r delweddau hyn yn ystyried beth sy’n ein rhannu a beth sy’n
ein clymu wrth ein gilydd, beth yw Cymreictod heddiw, ac yn y
cyfnod o newid cyflym hwn, beth fydd bod yn Gymry yn ei olygu yn
y dyfodol.
Mae Mohamed yn artist Cymreig-Eifftaidd sydd wedi byw a gweithio
yn Sir Benfro ers 2007. Mae byw ac astudio yng Nghymru wedi bod
yn ganolog i’w daith fel artist, gan ffurfio’i gysylltiad dwfn â phobl,
cymunedau a thir Cymru.
Mae delweddau o Witnessing Wales wedi cael eu harddangos ar
draws Cymru, y DU ac yn rhyngwladol ac maent wedi ymddangos
mewn nifer o erthyglau cylchgrawn, erthyglau nodwedd ar-lein a
chyhoeddiadau celf.
These images consider what divides us and what ties us together,
what is Welshness today, and what, in these rapidly changing
times, will being Welsh mean in the future.
Mohamed is a Welsh-Egyptian artist who has been living and
working in Pembrokeshire since 2007. Living and studying in
Wales has been pivotal in his journey as an artist, forming his deep
connection with the people, communities, and land of Wales.
Images from Witnessing Wales have been exhibited across Wales,
the UK and internationally and have been the focus of several
magazine articles, online features, and art publications.
Dde | Right: Portrait of Ben, 2019
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Uchod | Above: Ginst Point, Carmarthenshire 2018
Dde | Right: Portrait of Stranger “untitled”, 2022
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Uchod | Above: Mid Wales, 2019; North Wales, shot from inside the car, 2021
Chwith | Left: Portrait of Stranger “untitled”, 2020
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Uchod | Above: Portrait of Omar, 2023; Portrait of Richard, 2019
Dde | Right: North Wales, shot from inside the car, 2019
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Uchod | Above: Newgale Beach, 2020
Dde | Right: Portrait of Andy, 2019
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Uchod | Above: Cardigan, 2020
Chwith | Left: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri | Snowdonia National Park, 2019
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Uchod | Above: Multiple Exposure, 2020
Dde | Right: Portrait of Stranger “untitled”, 2021
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Uchod | Above: Laugharne, 2019
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Chwith | Left: Salt Marsh South of Laugharne, 2019
Dde | Right: Milford Haven, 2021
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Uchod | Above: North Wales, shot from inside the car, 2019
Dde | Right: Home, 2020
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Uchod | Above: Pembrokeshire Mountains, 2019
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Chwith | Left: Portrait of Jasmine, 2020
Dde | Right: Marloes Rock, 2022
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Chwith | Left: View From a Window, 2019
Dde | Right: Phyllis, 2019
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Uchod | Above: Bannau Brycheiniog | Brecon Beacons, 2017
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DIOLCHIADAU |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MOHAMED HASSAN - Witnessing Wales
Arddangosfa gan | A Llantarnam Grange Exhibition
Cyhoeddwyd gan | Published by Llantarnam Grange ©LG 2023
Mae Llantarnam Grange yn rhan o ‘Bortffolio Celfyddydol Cymru’ Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. Elusen
Gofrestredig rhif: 1006933. Cwmni Preifat a Gyfyngir drwy Warant: 2616241 | Llantarnam Grange is a
part of Arts Council Wales ‘Arts Portfolio Wales’. Registered Charity no: 1006933.
Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2616241
Ariennir Llantarnam Grange gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a Chyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Torfaen |
Llantarnam Grange is funded by the Arts Council of Wales and Torfaen County Borough Council.
Ni chaniateir atgynhyrchu’r cyhoeddiad hwn fel cyfanwaith neu’n rhannol ar unrhyw ffurf heb gydsyniad
ysgrifenedig gan y cyhoeddwr | This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form
without written permission from the publisher
Llantarnam Grange, Heol Dewi Sant | St David’s Road, Cwmbrân, Torfaen, NP44 1PD
01633 483321 | llantarnamgrange.com
Gyda diolch i | With thanks to:
Llantarnam Grange am eu cymorth, ynghyd ag Ysgol Gelf Caerfyrddin a’r MA mewn Ffotograffiaeth ym
Mhrifysgol De Cymru | Llantarnam Grange for their support, as well as to Carmarthen School of Art and
the University of South Wales Photography MA.
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