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Manon Awst is a Welsh artist who creates sculptures, performances and site-specific artworks woven with ecological narratives. The ways in which materials stick to and transform locations and communities is at the forefront of her creative research. From the patterns of peatlands to the textures of the intertidal zone, she explores how we connect to more-than-human environments - what we notice, what we miss, and in what ways our coexistence might flourish.

Her interdisciplinary approach is moulded by her upbringing in North Wales, her academic studies in Architecture and Artistic Research, and ten years of collaborative practice in Berlin as part of artist-duo Awst & Walther.

She has exhibited widely in the UK and Germany including at Cass Sculpture Foundation, National Museum Wales, Mostyn, Boros Collection, Georg Kolbe Museum and Kunstverein Braunschweig.

Her work is part of the National Library of Wales, the UK Government and Welsh Parliament art collections and she has long-term installations on the Wales Coastal Path at Nant Gwrtheyrn and at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin.

She was recently granted a Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award and is currently a Future Wales Fellow, as part of Arts Council Wales and Natural Resources Wales’ Creative Nature programme. 



Awards and studies:

2023-25
Future Wales Fellowship

2023
Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award

2022
Up Projects Constellations Cohort
Public Art Practitioners Development Programme

2015   
Creative Wales Award, Arts Council of Wales

2014   
Artistic Research, RCA, London

2005   
Architecture (MA Cantab), University of Cambridge



Selected exhibitions and commissions:

2024 - 25
Theatr Clwyd 
Public spaces commission as part of the redevelopment 
by Haworth Tomkins Architects

2024
Earth Rising
Sculptures and performance lecture at IMMA, Dublin 

2024
Commission to respond to garden design by Studio Bristow
and Size of Wales at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
with subsequent exhibition at the Garden Museum, London

2023
Wetland Dreams
Solo exhibition at Oriel Brondanw, Llanfrothen

2023
Syfrdanol
Group exhibition at HAUS, a collaborative project between IKT and Mostyn  

2023
Agora
Group exhibition at The Turner House, Penarth

2022
Celf Coast Cymru 10
Commission to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Wales Coast Path

2022
Stone’s throw 
Solo exhibition at PSM, Berlin

2022
Temporary Atlas
Group exhibition at Mostyn

2022 
POWER! LIGHT!
Group exhibition at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg

2022
Casglu - Collecting
Group exhibition at The National Library of Wales

2021 
Anghysbell
Solo exhibition at Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Llanbedrog 

2021 
Talking Bout my Generation: Direkte Auktion
Group exhibition at Monopol, Berlin

2020 
Epona
Y Lle Celf virtual group exhibition

2019 
Haen Arall
Solo exhibition at Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda 

2018 
And I will take you to Paradise
Group exhibition at KUBE, Ålesund

2017
Be Water
Awst & Walther at Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin

2017   
Gap to Feed
Permanent public artwork at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin, commissioned by L40 Kunstverein (Awst & Walther)

2017   
Defence
Public artwork commissioned as part of BINGEN 2017, Skulpturen am Rheinkilometer, Germany (Awst & Walther)

2017   
Troelli
Outdoor installation and interdisciplinary forum commissioned by Y Lle Celf, The National Eisteddfod of Wales

2015
Ground Control
Awst & Walther at PSM, Berlin 

2014   
Far and Wide
Public sculpture and interdisciplinary forum at Barclodiad y Gawres funded by ACW and Cadw




Recent talks, lectures, workshops and teaching:

2024
Peak Peers
Contributor to Peak Cymru’s young people’s programme

2024
Coed / Coexist
Symposium at Glyn y Weddw

2024
HBK Braunschweig University of Art
Lecture, Q&A

2024
Swansea College of Art
BA Fine Art - lecture, workshop

2023
Coleg Menai
BA Fine Art - lecture, tutorials

2023
CAT Centre for Alternative Technology
M.Arch Sustainable Architecture - lecture, Q&A

2023  
Bangor University
BA Performance Studies - lecture, Q&A

2022
DAC Disability Arts Cymru
Presentation, Q&A



Residencies:

2022
Heuldro (Solstice) at Bryn Celli Ddu
hosted by Cadw, Tactile Bosch and Tinshed Theatre 

2022   
Sculplobe, Berlin
supported by Lobe Block and Wales Arts International

2021-22   
Summit to Sea Residency with Tair Collective
as part of the Endangered Landscapes Programme, Cambridge University

2014   
Segontium Roman Fort, Caernarfon
awarded by Cadw

2012   
CCA Andratx, Mallorca
supported by Wales Arts International

2010   
Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin
supported by The Henry Moore Foundation

2010   
MeetFactory, Prague
awarded by the Goethe Institute



Other selected projects: 

2020 - 24
Creative Coordinator of Public Spaces
Pontio Arts, Bangor University

2021
Cynfas 5: Habitat
Guest editor for National Museum Wales’ digital magazine

2021
Consultant artist on Theatr Clwyd redevelopment with Haworth Tomkins Architects

2021
Storws Enlli design and development project with PegwArchitects

2019
Curator of SAIN50 exhibition at The National Library, Aberystwyth and Storiel, Bangor

2018
Curator and project manager of STAMP Castell03: To The Sea, a public art project in partnership with Cadw, Gwynedd Council and Arts Council of Wales


Collaborations:

Awst & Walther
PSM, Berlin
Tair Collective
PegwArchitects
Studio Bristow


Publications:

Awst & Walther Monograph
Published by DISTANZ



Limestone glossary
Published by Torba Press
Order here