Comic-Con enthusiast, street corner, Penarth. Picture by Nick Treharne.

Comic-Con enthusiast, street corner, Penarth. Picture by Nick Treharne.

Comic-Con enthusiast, street corner, Penarth. Picture by Nick Treharne.

Comic-Con enthusiast, street corner, Penarth. Picture by Nick Treharne.

The usual and the unusual: A Portrait of Wales

Published 06/09/2022   |   Last Updated 06/09/2022   |   Reading Time minutes

A Portrait of Wales, an exhibition of images showcasing contemporary Wales by photographer Nick Treharne, is coming to the Senedd next week.

The exhibition, which runs from 13 September – 9 November, is a series of photographs observing people across Wales and is open to the public at the Senedd in partnership with the National Library of Wales.

The images capture the usual and the unusual; events and traditions that are an integral part of Welsh life as well as portraits of inspirational and interesting characters.

Guto Roberts, Groundsman, Caernarfon Harbour. Picture by Nick Treharne.

Nick Treharne, who started the projected in 2018, travelled throughout Wales and chatted with people he saw along the way and asked to take their picture. He describes his ongoing project as “The People I Meet, The Things I See”.

The National Library of Wales have added the photographer’s images to the People’s Collection Wales, a free website dedicated to bringing together Wales's heritage. The National Library of Wales is home to nearly 1 million photographs connected to Wales. These range from works by pioneering photographers from the early days of photography to portfolios by contemporary photographers. 

Speaking of his upcoming exhibition, Nick Treharne said, “I’ve always been interested in people and in the things I see around me which might lend themselves to an interesting image.

“It is wonderful that both the Senedd and the National Library of Wales are working in partnership to display images from the project, giving as many people as possible the chance to view the work.”

Finalists in Miss Transgender UK, The Angel Hotel, Cardiff. Picture by Nick Treharne.

Pedr ap Llwyd, Chief Executive and Librarian of the National Library of Wales, said, “I am delighted that we are able to hold photographer Nick Treharne's exhibition ‘A Portrait of Wales’ at the Senedd building in Cardiff.

“Connecting and collaborating with communities throughout the country and providing spaces to interpret and discuss aspects of modern Wales is a key part of our work at The National Library of Wales. Being able to do that in our Senedd is an exciting opportunity.”