Press Releases

Amgueddfa Cymru has acquired Garry Fabian Miller’s seminal project, The Sea Horizon, thanks to support from Art Fund and Derek Williams Trust. The Sea Horizon comprises forty cibachrome prints, all of which were made between 1976-77 from the rooftop of Fabian Miller’s home in Clevedon. Overlooking the waters of the Severn Estuary towards Wales, the photographs were taken from the same place but at different times of day and under different weather conditions. 

All of the photographs have the same square format with the line of the horizon dividing the sea and the sky. The result is a group of portraits, all technically identical, yet all representationally unique. It is a perspective of Wales that is unusual and unfamiliar, and is a powerful meditation on time, place and belonging. Almost fifty years after they were made, the photographs have now taken on a new meaning against the backdrop of the climate crisis, rising sea levels and the increasing vulnerability of coastal communities. 

Known for his cameraless photography, The Sea Horizon is one of Fabian Miller’s earliest and only projects made using a camera, and inspired a way of working that has shaped his entire career. The whole series was shown together for the first time in the exhibition, Môrwelion/The Sea Horizon, at National Museum Cardiff from 18 February – 10 September 2023. 

2023 marks a celebration of Garry Fabian Miller’s life and work. A career-spanning exhibition, ADORE, was presented at Arnolfini from 18 February – 28 May, and his memoir, The Dark Room, was published as part of his Honorary Fellowship with the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. 

Garry Fabian Miller said:

“The Sea Horizon pictures were the first thing I made and they helped me find my way into the world. They helped me understand that looking across a large expanse of water to a horizon could be a bridge to finding out where I was meant to go. For me, this acquisition is a hopeful story of how life can be shaped. It also feels as if it’s all come to resolution, that this body of work has found its home in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. The first thing I ever made is existing in the place that it was made about.”

Bronwen Colquhoun, Senior Curator of Photography at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, said:

“We are overjoyed to be acquiring The Sea Horizon for Amgueddfa Cymru’s permanent collection following its presentation in the photography gallery at National Museum Cardiff earlier this year. The exhibition was moving, thought-provoking and captured the imagination of so many of our visitors. It is a significant work in many ways, and we’re hugely grateful to Art Fund and the Derek Williams Trust whose generous support has made this acquisition possible.”

Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, said: 

“This remarkable series of 40 photographs from Garry Fabian Miller presents a perspective of Wales that is both meditative and captivating. I’m delighted that Art Fund has been able to support Amgueddfa Cymru to acquire The Sea Horizon for its permanent collection, where it will inspire wonder in visitors from Wales and beyond”.

Amgueddfa Cymru belongs to everyone and is here for everyone to use. We are a charity and a family of seven national museums and a collections centre, located across the country. Our aim is to inspire everyone through Wales’ story, at our museums, in communities and digitally.  

Our welcome is free thanks to funding from the Welsh Government and extends to people from all communities. 

Play your part in Wales’ story: by visiting, volunteering, by joining, by donating.  

www.museum.wales  

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About Art Fund

Art Fund is the national charity for art, helping museums and people to share in great art and culture for 120 years. Art Fund raises millions of pounds every year to help the UK’s museums, galleries and historic houses. The charity funds art, enabling the UK’s museums to buy and share exciting works, connect with their communities, and inspire the next generation. It builds audiences, with its National Art Pass opening doors to great culture. And it amplifies the museum sector through the world’s largest museum prize, Museum of the Year, and creative events that bring the UK’s museums together. Art Fund is people-powered by 135,000 members who buy a National Art Pass, and the donors, trusts and foundations who support the charity. 

The National Art Pass provides free or discounted entry to over 850 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and Art Quarterly magazine. 

www.artfund.org