Ernest Zobole was born into a family of Italian immigrants in Ystrad, Rhondda, Wales on 25 April 1927. Deeply influenced by the industrial landscape of the Rhondda Valley, his art evolved from gritty realism to abstract expressionism, further shaped by the influence of emigre artist, Heinz Koppel, whom he met in 1952. A member of the informal Rhondda Group of painters, Zobole's works merge vivid memory with landscape, creating distinctively surreal and emotive visual narratives.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/ernest-zobole