A TALENTED photographer is holding an exhibition in Newport later this month.

Aberystwyth-born, Usk-based Mansel Davies created the exhibition to showcase the lives of those living in Patagonia. The Argentinian region is the only other place in the world where Welsh is widely spoken.

Mr Davies travelled to the region alongside his companion Simon. They spent a month in February exploring the region.

South Wales Argus:

(Mansel Davies and his travel partner Simon in Patagonia)

Before travelling to Patagonia, Mr Davies was drawn to the region due to its Welsh heritage. He thought that it was a small area that the Welsh settled in during the 19th century.

But he was greeted by a vast wasteland that he found captivating.

Speaking of the exhibition, Mr Davies said: “The main aim of this exhibition is to enlighten, to give the viewer a sense of the place and of its scale.

“There is nothing that deep and meaningful in these images, but hopefully they are respectful to the Patagonian people and their way of life”.

The pair encountered a few hiccups on their journey. They left Wales knowing only a bit of Spanish – Argentina’s main language – but knew lots of Welsh. Their travels included 10 flights and two weeks of travelling by car. They had some luggage misplaced, were the victims of pickpocketing, suffered extreme fatigue and stomach illness.

Despite this, they truly enjoyed their journey and experiencing the Patagonian way of life. They spoke to some lovely and generous people, tried to speak in Spanish but did have some conversations in Welsh.

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Part of their travels saw them stay in some of the most basic accommodation and while Mr Davies explained to their host about his phone being stolen on their second day in the region, received the reply of ‘That’s the best thing that could have happened to you – we haven’t got any signal here anyway.”

Mr Mansel said: “That is what Patagonia is. Wild, basic, and honest.

“Having directed us to an unspoilt seal colony a short hike down the coast we left El Cabo Rasa thinking we wouldn’t have changed a thing about this accommodation. This was an emotion that was repeated with each location along the way.”

South Wales Argus:

(An example of the scenery in Patagonia, photos including this one will be on display in The Riverfront in Newport)

The exhibition begins on Tuesday, September 24 and runs until Friday, October 18 at the Riverfront, Newport.

It is primarily an exhibition of landscape photography, it represents the scruffiness as well as the natural inherent beauty of the southernmost area of South America.

Mr Davies has been a professional photographer since 2001 and received a first class honours in photographic art at UWCN. Most of his work is in the commercial and wedding sectors, but he has never forgotten his art roots.

This is the first time Mr Davies will have shown Postcard from Patagonia and it is also his first exhibition for several years.