Machen photographer David Barnes has won the Photography Prize in this year’s Welsh Artist of the Year.
The 39-year-old, who grew up in Machen, was selected out of more than 400 artworks as some of the best contemporary art in Wales.
He has spent the last eight years documenting the lives of communities around South Wales, and last year was highly commended in the same competition for ‘Dog’, a photograph of a white and brown mongrel dog sitting in an armchair.
The prize was awarded by arts broadcaster Nicola Heywood-Thomas.
On winning the photography prize, Mr Barnes said: “It’s a real honour. It is a particularly high standard and it’s exciting to see my photographs ranked alongside artists like Anthony Stokes and Aled Rhys Hughes, who is such a force in Welsh photography.”
He added: “Documentary photography is at the core of my practice, which is loosely centered around my experiences of families and communities. They are in some way a reflection on home, the passing of time, and our own relation to memory and history. They are built on trust and understanding and friendship.
“I appreciate that ‘Swan’ is more likely to misinterpretation than ‘Dog’ – especially out of context.”
The winning entries will form part of the Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition 2012, which runs at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, until Monday, August 6.
The exhibition features the work of more than 80 of Wales’ highly acclaimed and emerging artists. The Welsh Artist of the Year was founded during the Millennium year to promote and celebrate the wealth of artistic ability in Wales.
Originally intended as a one-off event, it is now in its 12th year and is supported by Cardiff Council.
The competition was open to any artists over the age of 18, living and working in Wales, and any Welsh artists living in the UK.
The winner receives a prize of £2,000.