50Fifty showcased 50 artists who either studied or taught at Swansea College of Art over the last half-century. Curated by two students of Swansea College of Art, Alicia Hughes and Alice Oliver.
The chosen artists and artworks explore the impact that Swansea has had on them, whether the artists were born and raised in Swansea, or moved to the city to be a part of Swansea College of Art. 50Fifty helps to celebrate this exciting mixture of artists who have been inspired by our city.
Alicia Hughes who is studying BA Photojournalism and Alice Oliver who's studying BA Photography in the Arts were awarded an internship from Swansea College of Art and Elysium Gallery to curate this special exhibition to celebrate Swansea's 50th Anniversary. Together they have carefully selected fifty artists who have either studied or taught at SCA in the past 50 years. Alumni from 1969 to 2019.
Alice said: "Being awarded this internship has been a great honour and I am extremely grateful to be able to celebrate SCA and Swansea as a city whilst working with Elysium Gallery. Curating 50Fifty, alongside Alicia, has taught me invaluable lessons and given me great experience of working beyond my degree."
Professor Emeritus Howard Riley PhD MA(RCA) CertDes FRSA FHEA
Swansea College of Art 1991-2015
Swansea College of Art is the oldest in Wales (1853). The city is the youngest in Wales (1969). How fitting that an exhibition celebrating the city’s 50th anniversary should be curated by two of the College’s present students, Alice Oliver and Alicia Hughes. These two had the onerous task of selecting fifty participants working across the wide range of media representing fifty years of visual culture in the city: the 50fifty exhibition, 4-11 October 2019, on display in two venues: the College, and the Elysium gallery spaces facilitated by Jon Powell and his co-directors.
Alicia and Alice’s choices emphasised the work of recent graduates beginning to make their mark in the contemporary art world, leavened with examples from lecturers past and present. A visually-intriguing mix, evidence of the curators’ joint ‘eye’ for quality, their administrative skills, not to mention their capacity for patience and tactfulness!
