On Home Ground

On Home Ground looks at the sense we all experience of having a home territory, whether literally in the home itself, around it, or anywhere where there develops a sense of personal ‘ownership’ of the space occupied.
There are scenes of charming domesticity such as Ceri Richards’ Tulips, while Shani Rhys James’ The Black Cot hints at the claustrophobia which can accompany the close ties and comfortable façade. Changing perceptions of the differences between acceptable public and private behavior are suggested by the contrast between the extrovert backyard sunbathers of Kevin Sinnott’s Public Lives, and the restrained demeanor of an earlier generation of chapel-goers in John Elwyn’s Bora Sul.
Relationships to home territory are, for the most part, implied through unconscious gesture rather than contrived pose, but fascinating counterpoints are provided in Gwen John’s classic portrait. A Girl in Profile, and the highly idealized portrayal of home and family in Vincent Evans’ extraordinary A Welsh Family Idyll.