THE WREXHAM Open is celebrating its most successful ever opening night.

Hundreds of eager art fans made their way to Undegun and Tŷ Pawb to see the unveiling of a collection of works, mostly by local artists with a few from further afield.

The Wrexham Open is North East Wales’ biggest open art exhibition. Any artist, amateur or professional, is able to enter. Any medium of art is accepted, from film to painting, photography and sculpture.

Close to 300 works by a total of 180 different artists were entered this year and are now on display across both venues.

At Friday opening night, £3,000 worth of prizes were also awarded to artists in four categories.

Entries were judged by Thomas Dukes, curator of Open Eye Gallery at Liverpool; Rabab Gazoul, founding co-director of Gentle/Radical, Cardiff; and Simon Job, winner of the 2017 Wrexham Open.

The Judges Prize went to Lesley James for Opposing Views and the Socially Engaged Prize went to Louise Short for Sunset Over Stanlow.

The Lens-based Media Prize went to Alan Whitfield for Marram Grass House while Gideo Vass was the winner of the Young Person Prize.

Marja Bonada, co-director at Undegun, said: “We were absolutely delighted and overwhelmed by the standard of the work in this year’s Wrexham Open, and also by the amazing turnout at the opening night.

“Undegun was packed with visitors, and the atmosphere was buzzing. It just goes to show how many creative people there are in the area, who deserve the chance to showcase their talents. We sincerely hope that people return to share their art with us, and enjoy the exhibitions we put on. The next one will be our Studio Holders Exhibition, which will be the first one of 2019.

“Huge thanks to all staff and volunteers at Undegun and Ty Pawb for working so hard to make it all such a huge success."

Jo Marsh, creative director at Tŷ Pawb, said: “We’ve been blown away by the wonderful support we’ve had tonight. The crowds just kept coming. We counted close to 300 people at Tŷ Pawb and there may well have been more who joined us at Undegun. It’s the most successful opening event we can recall for the Wrexham Open.

“It’s so important to make sure our exhibitions are accessible and enjoyable for everyone who visits. The Wrexham Open is a great showcase for the magnificent talent we have in the local area so it’s been brilliant for us to see so many new faces at both venues. We’d love to see as many people as possible coming to enjoy the show over the next couple of months.

“A huge amount of work goes into organising an exhibition on this scale and we are so delighted for the staff and volunteers at both venues. All the galleries look sensational.”