James Vassallo
In 2021 I moved from Cardiff to the outskirts of Ebbw Vale in the Welsh Valleys. I still remember how impressed I was by the steepness of the hills here. Driving up with the car full of stuff I looked up through the windscreen at what I thought were stars only to realise those were street lights and houses. The skyline is often high above you and the steep hills are covered with the dense green of trees. A landscape with many signs of its prehistoric, industrial and postindustrial past. A landscape I find beautiful but also harsh and melancholic.
My love for this landscape hasn't diminished but it has gradually been informed by its history of mining and reclamation, through documentation and journalism of the time. But also, through art works, tales, film about/from The Valleys and stories by friends and acquaintances which though not necessarily factually correct underline the ties and impact it has/had on people.
How green is my valley. A statement of wonder but also one that implies questions. A statement made in all honesty when I moved here because of all the trees and Bracken undergrowth, but gradually as stated above my understanding stated changing. A landscape greatly changed by human agency bringing up questions about how the valleys came to be so green? How green/healthy environmentally The Valleys were and are now? But also, do I have the right to say MY valley? I personally believe I do because I use MY more in terms of endearment/ love for the place rather than ownership. This question is relevant as well because the valleys were a place of mass immigration because of the workforce needed for mining.
Moss tree 1 and 2 (115 x 150cm) were inspired by a tree I walk past every day whilst walking the dog. Last autumn/winter I noticed how the tree, one of a row of similar trees, despite having no leaves was still green, the golden green of moss. It seemed like the tree had put on a velvety, intricate coat of moss for the winter. With the aim of capturing/representing this detail I couldn't make a small drawing or try to draw the whole tree so I choose to focus on where the trunk split into a goblet shape of branches. In the usual way I work I started making a detailed pencil drawing on a base of charcoal but after a few days of hard work I got frustrated and dissatisfied with what I achieved and started erasing leaving bits that I thought were relevant/interesting. This process of drawing, erasing and redrawing often brings up surprises, unintended marks that I work with.
I often make work in groups, working around an idea. I do this because I feel I can never say and address all I want around a topic in one 'masterpiece'. It also allows me less pressure to produce 'the piece'. The group of works A thousand and one lines is inspired by the forests found in The Valleys landscape and thoughts around the role trees played during the reclamation, when thousands of non indigenous trees were planted, and the role they play now. How successful or not the reclamation has been. The group, currently made up of 29 drawings, in contrast to the larger monochrome drawings are much smaller, around 10 x 7.5cm, and much more colourful. I'm trying to create something that feels precious like a jewel but also ironically make them feel less precious whilst making them and easier to use colour as sometimes I can be overwhelmed. In these works I'm trying to capture a feeling, a memory. I often take photos with my mobile on a walk or run only to find that they rarely capture what I thought I saw/ I experienced. I use these photos as a reference but also the discrepancy between documentation and memory informs the drawings.
"Is being an artist like being on a continuous journey?" Yes in the sense that like a journey one goes somewhere expecting and wanting too see and experience something, but like the best journeys end up finding the experience different to the one anticipated and seeing unplanned things that spark new interests. There's no planned endpoint. For me it's more about drawing from the experience and through the process of making trying to understand a bit more.
from The Daily Cardiff
https://thedailycardiff.com/james-vassallo
C.V
Born Attard, Malta
Works and lives Ebbw Vale, Wales
Education
2015, MA Fine Art, University of the West of England, Bristol
2012, BA (Hons) Fine Art, Metropolitan University Cardiff
Exhibitions
2026, Sydney Nolan Art Prize, Sydney Nolan Trust, Presteigne
2026, OM Open 2026, Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen
2025, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, London
2025, Stage II, Bay Art, Cardiff
2025, Summer Art Prize Exhibition, Cardiff Made, Cardiff
2025, Arcadia, Cardiff Made, Cardiff
2024, Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary, The Mall Galleries, London
2023-2024, Inside/Out, Oriel y Bont, University of South Wales, Treforest
2022, The Derwent Art Prize, The gallery@oxo, London
2021, The line of least resistance, The Create Centre, Bristol
2019, Wales Contemporary, Waterfront Gallery, Milford Haven
& Mall Galleries, London
2019, Downstream, The Crypt, St Paul's Church, Bristol
2018, SPACEs reimagined, Kosar Contemporary, Bristol
2018, Bona fide, Walcot Chapel, Bath
2017, Winter Wall, Cardiff Made, Cardiff
2017, Presence, Centrespace, Bristol
2016, Al che my, The Island, Bristol
2016, (two artists) SEEMS, Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
2015, Vent, University of the West of England, Bristol
2015, White Hole, Spike Open, Spike Island, Bristol
2014, Stay, Walcot Chapel, Bath
2014, Deceive/ Disclose, The Galleries, Bristol
2013, The Emerging artist award, Clarke Willmott, Bristol
2012, Output, Howard Gardens, Cardiff
2011, Made in Roath, Cardiff
2004, (two artists) Rencontre, Couvre Porte, Birgu, Malta
2003, (solo) Grand Harbour, Notte Bianca, Malta
1998, (solo) Nomad, The National Museum of Fine Art, Malta
Residencies
2016, Stiwdio Maelor, Corris
2016, Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Public Collections
The National Museum of Fine Art, Valletta, Malta
Bank of Valletta plc., Malta
The Council of Birgu, Malta
Published
2025, THE DAILY CARDIFF, https://thedailycardiff.com/james-vassallo
2022, The Jackdaw, May/June, No. 163
