A darkened room, a model of a white domed observatory, the twittering of bird song and the sound of a man quietly weeping all feature in Bedwyr Williams’ Wales in Venice exhibition, The Starry Messenger – billed as a homage to amateur astronomers.
Williams’ presentation at Ludoteca Santa Maria Ausiliatrice reference’s Galileo’s short treatise, Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger). Written in Venice and published in 1610, it detailed Galileo’s early observations of the night sky when he first looked through a telescope.
The Caernarfon-based artist has combined the domesticity of a back garden stargazer with the mysteries of the vast, unknowable universe in his typically curious installation. In doing so, he offers both an affectionate tribute to star-struck hobbyists and explores the place of the amateur in a professional world.
Jointly curated by Welsh galleries MOSTYN and Oriel Davies and supported by Arts Council Wales, The Starry Messenger marks the tenth anniversary of a Welsh collateral event at the Venice Biennale.
The Starry Messenger runs from 1 June – 24 November. www.walesvenicebiennale.org.uk
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Bedwyr Williams introduces his Venice show
