From LA to Barry – A Photographer’s Homecoming Exhibition

20 April 2026

What does it mean to have a space in the heart of your community where creativity can grow and be shared? 

At the Art Central Gallery in Barry Library, that question is being answered in a powerful way through Otrovert, the new exhibition by photographer Lloyd Pursall.

Marking his first UK solo show, Otrovert is a homecoming. After leaving Barry at 18 and spending nearly a decade in Los Angeles building a successful career in fashion photography and celebrity portraiture, Lloyd has returned to where it all began.

“It's been a very, very rewarding and actually healing experience for me – and coming back to Barry, it's been very exciting and just very beautiful to connect with my roots and actually be able to bring my work back home and work with local people.”

Exploring The ‘In-Between’

The exhibition’s title draws from the Spanish otro (other) and the Latin vert (to turn), describing those who don’t sit neatly as either introverts or extroverts. It’s a space Lloyd feels most at home exploring — and one that comes to life through a carefully curated mix of images.

While elements of his high-profile work – such as a collection of portraits of ‘Wicked’ actor Cynthia Erivo - are present in the gallery, it’s the more personal pieces that give Otrovert its emotional depth. 

Portraits of people from Barry sit alongside landscapes and editorial-style imagery, all treated with the same level of care and intention.

Accessible Art

For Lloyd, bringing this exhibition back to Barry was about more than showcasing work — it was about opening doors.

“I think having these spaces within the community - for girls and boys out there right now that would have been me when I was their age - and if they can come to a space within their community and see the work knowing I've come from the same place as them and if that inspires them to go after their dreams and chase what they want to do, then I feel like I would have achieved what I wanted to with this project.

“I think it's really important to inspire the next generation and support dreams and make people believe that it is possible to have a career in something you want to do - like for me, that was photography.”

He added: “I think art needs to be accessible and I think it should be approachable for all of the community.

“I think a space like Art Central in the heart of the town, was the right place and had the right energy.”

Creating Space for New Voices

That commitment to accessibility and inspiration is reflected in one of the exhibition’s most powerful elements - a dedicated showcase of work by students from Cardiff and Vale College — where Lloyd himself first began his artistic journey.

“Working with the students, it was incredible.

“I sat with them and mentored them over a few weeks and they went off and photographed their own work to the same title – Otrovert - and I've been able to include their work in the show.

“I think those moments, being able to feel seen or recognised at that age is so important because it can be confusing and you can feel a lot of pressure to go in a certain direction or you might not feel like this is a realistic path.

“But again, I come from here and this is where I started. So to be able to come back there and bring them in has been a very rewarding experience.”

Otrovert also highlights something worth celebrating as an organisation - the role our council spaces play in enabling opportunities like this.

Art Central Gallery, located within Barry Library, is more than just a venue. It’s a free, accessible cultural space embedded in the community — a place where residents can encounter high-quality work, where emerging artists can be supported, and where stories like Lloyd’s can come full circle.

Otrovert runs from 20 April to 4 July 2026 at Art Central Gallery, Barry Library.

Opening hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9:30am – 4:30pm
• Saturday: 9:30am – 4:00pm