Mariana Zentella
Place of Transit
22/02/25 – 31/05/25
‘I wanted to represent the station as a point of transit: somewhere between here and there, between home and work, between home and school, in-between the complex Welsh borderland and in the middle of the mountains.’ – Mariana Zentella
Our second Platfform 2 commission, Place of Transit, by Mariana (Zeta) Zentella is currently on display at Platfform 2, Y Fenni Station, until the end of May 2025. Zeta’s work is inspired by experiences of migration and explores how people inhabit and move through culturally complex environments in multi-layered maps, textile works and installations. We launched Zeta’s commission in early March with an artist talk, walk and mapping workshop led by Zeta and queer ecologist Izzy Mcleod.
Here’s Zeta to explain a bit more about her process: ‘Over the last year, I have spent a significant amount of time at Abergavenny Station, journeying back and forth from Cardiff and waiting under many weathers on platform 2. In developing this commission, I am thinking about borders, movement, and belonging. I want to record the experience of commuting on this train line by layering and intertwining observational drawings of passengers, collected over the last year, with imagery from maps of the area, sewn and painted on banners. I hope these will act as a small reminder or connection, for those in transit, to this landscape and wider context of the station.’
Limited-edition Print
To celebrate the commission and to harvest memories and reflections of travellers in the Welsh borderlands, Zeta has made an edition of 75 unique prints that we'd love to exchange with you. The etchings overlay different mappings of space along the train line, including contour lines, waterways and infrastructure maps. In their composition, each of the prints mixes memories of journeys along the trainline at different times of the day and year, in different weather conditions, and states of mind.
‘If you've ever been on a train running on this line, what memories stay with you from the journey? Who have you travelled with and what did you notice? How well did you get to know the landscape while travelling through?
I'd love to know and post you a memory of my own in return - a stop on the train line, a pause along the way.’ – Mariana Zentella.
Please share your reflection via info@peak.cymru with the subject line Place of Transit, we will be posting out prints in early May 2025 and collating responses to share as the commission draws to a close.
More about Mariana’s practice:
Mariana (Zeta) Zentella is an artist from Mexico City, now living and working in Cardiff; she studied at the Escuela de Diseño Altos de Chavón, in the Dominican Republic, and Cardiff School of Art and Design. Recent exhibitions and programmes include OPEN exhibition, g39 (2023, 2024), Peak Peers (2023) and HOT HOUSE, Cardiff M.A.D.E. (2023).
Platfform 2 Commissions 2024-25:
Between Autumn 2024 and Summer 2025, we’re hosting three commissions by young artists (18-30 years) in the windows of Peak’s Platfform 2 spaces at Y Fenni Station. Zeta was selected from a call-out shared amongst Young People who have applied to, or taken part in Peak’s annual autumn programme, Peak Peers. Thanks to Hannah, a young artist studying at Crickhowell High School, and filmmaker and artist Tina Pasotra for being on the selection panel, alongside Peak co-director Elen Roberts and Young People’s Curator Cerian Hedd.
This programme of commissions is funded by ACW Create and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Ardal Tramwy
22/02/25 – 31/05/25
Mae ail gomisiwn Platfform 2, Ardal Tramwy, gan Mariana (Zeta) Zentella i’w weld ar hyn o bryd ar Blatfform 2, Gorsaf Drenau’r Fenni, tan ddiwedd mis Mai 2025. Mae gwaith Zeta wedi’i ysbrydoli gan brofiadau mudo ac yn archwilio sut mae pobl yn byw ac yn symud trwy amgylchedd sy’n ddiwylliannol gymhleth mewn mapiau aml-haenog, gwaith tecstilau a gosodweithiau. Lansiwyd comisiwn Zeta ddechrau mis Mawrth gyda sgwrs artistiaid, taith gerdded a gweithdy mapio gan Mariana a’r ecolegydd cwiar Izzy Mcleod.
Dyma Zeta i egluro ychydig am ei phroses: ‘Yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, dw i wedi treulio llawer o amser yng Ngorsaf y Fenni, yn teithio ’nôl a ’mlaen o Gaerdydd ac yn sefyll mewn pob math o dywydd ar y platfform. Wrth ddatblygu’r gwaith comisiwn yma, dw i’n meddwl am ffiniau, symud, a pherthyn. Hoffwn gofnodi’r profiad o gymudo ar y llinell drên yma drwy haenu a rhyngblethu darluniau arsylwadol o deithwyr, a gasglwyd dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, gyda delweddau o fapiau’r ardal, wedi’u gwnïo a’u paentio ar faneri. Gobeithio bydd rhain yn ffordd o atgoffa, neu’n gysylltiad, i’r rhai sy’n teithio – gyda’r tirlun yma a chyd-destun ehangach yr orsaf.’
Print Cyfyngedig
I ddathlu’r comisiwn ac i gynaeafu atgofion a myfyrdodau teithwyr ar hyd y Gororau, mae Mariana wedi creu cyfres o 75 print unigryw y bydden ni’n hoffi eu cyfnewid gyda chi. Mae’r ysgythriadau yn troshaenu gwahanol fapiau o fannau ar hyd y rheilffordd, gan gynnwys cyfuchliniau, dyfrffyrdd a mapiau seilwaith. Yn eu cyfansoddiad, mae pob un o’r printiau’n cymysgu atgofion o deithiau ar hyd y rheilffordd ar wahanol adegau o’r dydd a’r flwyddyn, mewn gwahanol amodau tywydd, a chyflyrau meddwl.
‘Os ydych chi erioed wedi bod ar drên sy’n rhedeg ar hyd y rheilffordd yma, pa atgofion sy’n aros gyda chi o’r daith? Gyda phwy ydych chi wedi teithio ac ar beth sylwoch chi? Pa mor dda ddaethoch chi i nabod y tirlun wrth deithio drwyddo?
Bydden i’n falch iawn o gael gwybod, a phostio atgof gen i yn gyfnewid – gorsaf ar y lein, saib ar y daith.’ – Mariana Zentella.
Rhannwch eich myfyrdod drwy info@peak.cymru gyda’r pwnc Ardal Tramwy. Byddwn ni’n postio’r printiau ddechrau mis Mai 2025, ac yn casglu ymatebion i’w rhannu wrth i’r comisiwn ddod i ben.
Mwy am waith Mariana:
Artist o Ddinas Mecsico yw Mariana (Zeta) Zentella, sydd bellach yn byw ac yn gweithio yng Nghaerdydd; mae hi wedi astudio yn Escuela de Diseño Altos de Chavón, yn y Weriniaeth Ddominicaidd, ac Ysgol Gelf a Dylunio Caerdydd. Ymhlith ei harddangosfeydd a’i rhaglenni diweddar mae arddangosfa OPEN, g39 (2023, 2024), Cyfoedion Peak (2023) a HOT HOUSE, Cardiff M.A.D.E. (2023).
Gwaith Comisiwn Platfform 2 2024-25:
Rhwng hydref 2024 a haf 2025, rydyn ni’n cynnal tri gwaith comisiwn gan artistiaid ifanc (18-30 oed) yn ffenestri gofodau Platfform 2 Peak yng Ngorsaf y Fenni. Dewiswyd Zeta mewn galwad agored i Bobl Ifanc sydd wedi gwneud cais neu gymryd rhan yn rhaglen hydref flynyddol Peak, Cyfoedion Peak. Diolch i Hannah, artist ifanc sy’n astudio yn Ysgol Brenin Harri’r VIII Y Fenni, a’r artist a’r gwneuthurwr ffilm Tina Pasotra am fod ar y panel dethol, ochr yn ochr â chyd-gyfarwyddwr Peak Elen Roberts a’r Curadur Pobl Ifanc Cerian Hedd.
Ariennir gwaith comisiwn Platfform 2 gan gronfa Creu Cyngor y Celfyddydau a Sefydliad Paul Hamlyn.
