Wales Millennium Centre is reopening its doors as a massive art gallery.
Having closed the doors in March 2020, the Centre is transforming the building into a large-scale art exhibition, with works of all shapes and sizes created by the local and national community.
During the first lockdown the Centre invited people of all ages to share their stories and experiences during this challenging time through art.
The call out captured the imagination of the nation, and hundreds of pieces that responded to lived experiences over the past year –were submitted from lockdown to Black Lives Matter, to reclaiming the environment and hopes for the future.
Artworks were sent from all parts of Wales – from Pembrokeshire to Newport, Builth Wells to Caernarfon, and by artists aged 4 to 90 years old. The pieces include paintings, spoken word recordings, digital art, photography, installation, mixed media and film.
Conceived by the Centre’s community team led by Senior Producer Gemma Hicks and visually curated by Brad Caleb Lee, Your Voice tells the story of 2020-21. It pays tribute to the challenges and looks with optimism to the future.
At the heart of the exhibition is a giant, four-storey crochet tree installation, embellished with crochet flowers, animals and poetry.
The tree seeks to represent us all, much like an ancestral or family tree, uplifting and inspiring as it grows on the stage of our Donald Gordon Theatre, placing the community at the centre.