Students join team assisting Wales’ entry into prestigious Venice Biennale

An artist chosen to represent Wales at one of Europe’s most prestigious art festivals will be assisted by two Wrexham Glyndwr University Fine Art students.

The students, Hannah Doran and Zoe Harty, will be working alongside Sean Edwards, the artist chosen to represent Wales, as student invigilators at the Venice Biennale this summer.

They applied to invigilate after answering a call for participants organised by Wrexham Glyndwr University’s Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology and Arts Council Wales.

After each student completed a competitive application process and successful interview, they were selected to spend a month supporting the festival.

Hannah, who is originally from Bridgend in South Wales, said: “We’re excited to be the first students from Wrexham Glyndŵr University to attend the festival.

“We’ve already enjoyed getting an insight for what’s to come and met other people from across Wales who will attend over the summer, during a training day at the Ty Pawb arts hub in Wrexham.”

Zoe, originally from Chorley in Lancashire, added: “We’re really looking forward to taking part in the event and meeting everyone else taking part – as well as learning more about the international arts industry.

“This opportunity comes at an ideal time, as we finish our degree courses- it’s a great chance to further explore what the future might have in store for us once we graduate.”

While they are in Venice, Hannah and Zoe will work as invigilators four days a week and support the Welsh exhibition. This is being created by Sean Edwards, an artist well known for his work which investigates the sculptural potential of the everyday, often incorporating film, video, photography and performance.

When they are not invigilating, the students will have three days a week to work on a project of their choosing, with the support of an experienced mentor. At the end of the festival they will be given the opportunity to exhibit their project.

Lecturer in Fine Art at Wrexham Glyndwr University, Paul Jones, said: “This is a fantastic chance for both students to explore their work further – and to display something that they have created.

“Our course is designed to give students the confidence to explore collaborations through establishing connections, and it’s great to see Hannah and Zoe take their studies to the European stage. We will be watching closely this summer!”

Find out more about Wrexham Glyndwr University’s BA (Hons) Fine Art course – first in Wales for overall satisfaction, here.