TA-RA

TA‑RA brings Sebastián Bruno back to Wales with an intimate portrait of a decade lived in South Wales

This February, Ffotogallery welcomes photographer Sebastián Bruno back to the place where his artistic journey began. TA‑RA presents the award‑winning project that earned Bruno the Premi Mallorca de Fotografía Contemporània 2022 for its powerful contribution to contemporary photography.

Between 2013 and 2022, Bruno immersed himself in the communities of South Wales, photographing the everyday rituals, gestures and encounters that shaped his life as a newcomer. His portraits capture the delicate interplay between identity and performance, revealing the moment when a social mask settles over the individual. The resulting images are both affectionate and incisive, offering a nuanced view of Welsh society through the eyes of someone learning to call it home.

The project spans towns and valleys across the region, including Porthcawl, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Barry Island, Nantyglo, Merthyr Vale, Cardiff, Newport, Abertillery, Caerleon, Pontypool, Brynmawr and Swffryd. After touring Palma, Rome, Madrid, Galicia and Paris, TA‑RA returns to Wales for the first time—closing a circle that began when Bruno enrolled in Ffotogallery’s photography courses in 2011.

This exhibition stands as both a homecoming and a farewell: a tribute to the people and places that shaped a decade of Bruno’s life and a celebration of a project that continues to resonate far beyond Wales.