Artes Mundi shortlists Welsh artist for £40k prize

It is the first time since 2006 a Welsh artist has made the cut

Welsh conceptual artist Bedwyr Williams is among seven shortlisted for the next Artes Mundi prize.

It is the first time since 2006 a Welsh artist has made the cut.

Mr Williams, based in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, draws on his own experiences to develop his sculptures.

In 2015, the prize was won by Theaster Gates who vowed to share his £40,000 prize with the other shortlisted artists. The next winner will be announced in 2017.

"It feels great to be part of an international exhibition like Artes Mundi with fantastic artists and to be doing it in Wales makes it even better," said Mr Williams.

"Artes Mundi brings artists from the rest of the world into a country and arts community that I'm really proud to be an artist in".

THE ARTES MUNDI SHORTLISTED ARTISTS

A performance by Bedwyr Williams called Trebuchet, last year at Tramway in Glasgow

ECHT - an installation by Bedwyr Williams in Glasgow last year

California-based artist Amy Franceschin - and the Futurefarmers collective is on the shortlist

Berlin-based artist and writer Hito Steyerl presents video work

Ghanaian-born British director John Akomfrah explores the legacy of African diaspora in Europe in film. Peripeteia from 2012

Lamia Joreige is a Lebanese artist and filmmaker inspired by her home city Beirut

Nástio Mosquito is a multimedia, performance and spoken word artist who explores global and Angolan politics - here live at Tate Modern, London

French-Algerian video artist Neïl Beloufa completes the shortlist - his subjects are as diverse as extra-terrestrials, nationalism and terrorism