Cardiff International Festival of Photography

Diffusion 2015’s chosen theme is Looking for America, a cross-disciplinary investigation of the status and meaning of the ‘American Dream’ in relation to experience in Wales, contemporary America and the rest of the world.

Taking place in venues across Cardiff and beyond, the festival sees a month long programme of exhibitions, interventions, screenings, performances, events and celebrations in both physical and virtual spaces and places. The festival will use both traditional and new media to create a strong visual presence across existing venues and found spaces.

Festival highlights include And Now It’s Dark, an exhibition of American night photography featuring three important contemporary American photographers – Jeff Brouws, Todd Hido and Will Steacy. Serge Clément’s Dépaysé offers a psycho-geographical tour of his native Montreal drawing on various bodies of work spanning forty years. The powerful exhibition As It was Give(n) to Me by Kentucky born artist Stacy Kranitz’s invites comparisons between the economic struggles of mining communities in Wales and in central Appalachia. Welsh photographer Jack Latham‘s A Pink Flamingo takes us on a journey along the Oregon Trail – a route that has become part of American history and embedded itself in the dreams of those looking for something better on the horizon of somewhere else.

Clémentine Schneidermann’s I called her Lisa Marie poignantly celebrates Elvis mythologies and obsessions as found in Porthcawl and Memphis. In High School and Right photographer Jona Frank captures the hopes, fears and aspirations of young Americans from different class and cultural backgrounds. The husband and wife artistic team of Hillerbrand+Magsamen incorporate humour, performance, video and everyday objects from their personal family life into a contemporary art conversation about family dynamics, suburban life and American consumer excess.

The festival will also explore links between Wales and the Caribbean. The work arising from artist Julian Germain’s commission for the Hidden Presence project will be premiered at Diffusion 2015.

The Caravan Gallery will present their national touring Pride of Place Project, which includes their mobile exhibition venue, at the festival in order to look for America in Cardiff.

Having built a wide base of partnerships in Wales and internationally, Diffusion is about bringing new international art to Wales whilst showcasing Welsh talent.