Artist home from Venice adventure

Bedwyr Williams' latest work can be seen in Llandudno next month

A Welsh multi-media artist has returned home to launch a book inspired by his time at the Venice Biennale of Art.

Bedwyr Williams, from Rhostryfan near Caernarfon, spent three months this year at the major modern art event.

The book, entitled Basta, draws on his "lonely" experience in Venice, but also highlights the humour of his stay, he said.

Mr Williams will peform his work Albatross in Caernarfon on Friday as part of Gwynedd Arts Week.

The artist told the BBC News website he thought things were "definitely happening for me now".

He said: "I don't worry if people don't understand what I'm trying to do, in fact I consider explaining my work part of what I do."

Mr Williams uses videos, photography, performance, drawing, text and the occasional stand-up comedy and karaoke to illustrate his work.

Williams will show his work in Italy, London and back in Wales

He is showing his work at an art fair in Miami next month and later in the year at a gallery in London.

And from 18 November to 7 January 2006 his work will be on show in a group exhibition at the Mostyn gallery in Llandudno.

Entitled Bard Attitude, the artist took his inspiration from The Bard - a painting at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff by J Harrison after P J Loutherbourg.

He said his inspiration came from all sorts of different places, like childhood experiences or "less than ideal" life situations.

He once returned to a village in the Lake District to host a stand-up comic night to say "thank you" after villagers helped him when his car broke down.

In 2004 he won the Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Art.

Mr Williams said he was "surprised" when he was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Award. The £30,000 prize is spread over three years.

Gwynedd Arts Week runs from 24-30 October 2005, with events including opera, performance, exhibitions, as well as pottery and jewellery workshops. Albatross will be performed at the book launch on 28 October at Galeri, Caernarfon.