A talented
Coleg Menai student graduated on the 6 July with a first-class degree in Fine
Art, the culmination of years of hard work.
However, Dion Hamer’s artistic flair had been spotted long before
he achieved his degree, and his growing reputation has meant that his feet have
hardly touched the ground over the last few years. In 2011, Dion’s work was exhibited at the World Skills event in London, and he also organised
and was curator of Arddangosfa Mawr
Theatr Fach which took placein
Llanberis. As if this was not enough, Dion’s work was then selected to take part
in the exhibition for Welsh Artist of the
Year 2012, and one of his films was screened inside Adain Avion, the mobile art space created from the fuselage of a DC-9 airplane
which has recently travelled around Wales, celebrating the countdown to the
Olympics. Earlier this month, Dion took
part in Gŵyl Arall in Caernarfon, exhibiting a short film called ‘Occupied,’ and
his work is also currently being exhibited at the Gwynedd Museum
& Art Gallery, Bangor as part of the Fine Art Graduates Exhibition 2012 alongside his fellow Coleg Menai students.
Dion commented: “I thoroughly enjoyed the course at Coleg
Menai - the experimentation of the first year was intense yet exciting, and
shaped me as an artist. I honestly
believe that the guidance and opportunities available in the 2nd and
3rd years of the course allowed me to develop in the arts
nationwide, and led to me travelling the length and breadth of the country,
showing off my work!”
The future
looks just as busy for the Llanrug-born artist.
Following the success of Arddangosfa
Mawr Theatr Fach in December 2011, Dion and the other participating artists
were invited to exhibit at the recently converted Old Tannery, in the Museum of
Modern Art (MOMA) in Machynlleth later this year. Dion is also in talks with bocs, a support network for young
artists encompassing visual arts, music and performance, and is currently
discussing the possibility of putting on a solo show.
Dion said: “I was on my way down to Cardiff to take part in the Welsh
Artist of the Year event when I got the news that I’d been awarded a first-class
degree. It was my birthday as well, so it was all quite surreal. The encouragement
I received from my tutors was fantastic – they were the ones who recognised my
potential and helped me achieve it. I’ve been offered a scholarship to study an
MPhil (Master of Philosophy) qualification at Glyndŵr University in September. It came as a bit of a surprise, but I’m
delighted and really looking forward to a new challenge!”
BA Fine Art Joint programme co-ordinator Helen Jones said: “Dion
has been a fantastic student, embracing all that the Fine Art course offered
him and making some truly exceptional works that have been recognised as unique
and relevant to the contemporary art scene in Wales. He was awarded the scholarship
by Glyndŵr for having the highest grade averages throughout the school
of creative industries. We are sure that
he will go on to be an influential artist and wish him well for the future."
Coleg Menai offers a range of qualifications in Art & Design,
ranging from Level 1 to BA (Hons). For
more information, visit the website www.menai.ac.uk/courses or contact the course advice line on 01248 38 33 33.
A talented Coleg Menai student graduated on the 6 July with a first-class degree....