Mostyn in Llandudno opens Jonathan Baldock's Held and hosts winter craft fairs

There is a giant bear waiting for a hug in Llandudno this winter. Mostyn, the town's centre for contemporary arts on Vaughan Street, has opened Held, a solo exhibition by the critically acclaimed British artist Jonathan Baldock, which runs until 13 February 2027.

Held brings together textiles, sculpture, sound and scent. It was developed by Arnolfini in Bristol, which also commissioned Bear Hug, a monumental wild bear sculpture that invites visitors into a direct physical encounter, to be held in the arms of the bear.

Baldock's work draws on the natural world in all its complexity. The gallery walls are adorned with appliquéd textiles showing flowering plants and a mother bear tending her cubs, alongside fantastical part-human, part-animal, part-plant creatures. He is known for using traditional skills such as sewing and appliqué, which connect him to his mother and grandmother. The touring exhibition has been supported by the Henry Moore Foundation.

Mostyn is also a place to shop for handmade gifts. Its Pop-up North Wales Contemporary Craft Fair returns on Saturday 14 November, with 13 stalls of artists, designers and makers from Wales and the rest of the UK selling jewellery, textiles, glassware, homewares, pottery, prints and artworks, plus a free drop-in workshop. A December fair follows on Saturday 12 December, and entry to both is free.

The building itself has quite a history. Lady Augusta Mostyn recognised that Llandudno needed a gallery and a space for art and technical classes, and the galleries were completed in 1901. Over the years the building has been a chemist, a grocery store, a furniture shop, a rifle club, a drill hall in the First World War and Wagstaff's music shop, before Oriel Mostyn Gallery opened in 1979. A major redesign that began in 2007 extended and refurbished the galleries, and the building has won awards including the National Eisteddfod Gold Medal for Architecture and a RIBA award.

Today Mostyn hosts a year-round programme of exhibitions, events, films, workshops and performances, and its Siop sells hand-crafted, design-led gifts made in Wales and beyond.

Entry is free. The shop and gallery are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and the café from 9am to 4pm. Find out more at mostyn.org.