Arcangelo Sassolino and Victor Pasmore in Valletta
EXHIBITION RETHINKING THE GALLERY
Six artists in residency at R Gallery reimagine what a gallery can be
INTERVIEW
CELEBRATING
A CREATIVE LEGACY
The 25-year journey of Spazju Kreattiv
MILTON AVERY Icon of American painting
MICAS will now host Colour, Form and Composition: Milton Avery and his Enduring Influence on Contemporary Painting, starting 25th October, in which over 30 works of Avery’s will hang alongside responses by contemporary artists who credit him as an influence: Henni Alftan, Milton’s daughter March Avery, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, Gary Hume, Nicolas Party and Jonas Wood.
>> Read the full article on Page 10.
“…
painting holds space
for doubt, fragility, and revelation.”
Between Worlds and Layers
A Conversation with Mario Abela
Prisma Prize-winning artist Mario Abela speaks about emotion, erasure, and the evolving tension between the historical and the contemporary in his work. As his presence in Italy growsfrom Rome to Florence - we discuss what it means to make slow, contemplative art in a fast-paced world.
>> Read full interview: Page 27.
Milton Avery, Still Life with Skull, 1946, Oil on canvas
Eclipse InTrack. The Art of Illuminating
One spotlight system and 28,000 possibilities: with interchangeable darklight lenses and ultra-slim adapters
Oratory of the Confraternity of the B.V.M of Charity, St. Pauls Shipwreck Church, Valletta
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C Contents / Highlights
October - December 2025
SUNSET PICNIC A vertical performance and protest by artist Keit Bonnici - a picnic held up a ladder on the green wall of Marsa-Hamrun bypass, reimagining nature, visibility, and public space in urban Malta.
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MILTON AVERY: ICON OF AMERICAN PAINTING. MICAS presents a rare European survey of Milton Avery, whose work helped shape Abstract Expressionism and still inspires artists today. The exhibition features over 30 of his works shown alongside responses from contemporary painters.
BEYOND THE BASTIONS charts the transformation of Floriana’s fortified military site into MICAS — Malta’s national space for contemporary art. The exhibition features archival material, drawings, and scale models that trace the evolution of the site into a cultural landmark.
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Editor Lily Agius
Graphic Design Nicholas Cutajar
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BURNING WATERS is an exhibition by Arcangelo Sassolino in dialogue with the legacy of Victor Pasmore. Curated by Keith Sciberras, the show explores transformation, instability, and elemental force, presented as part of the RETOLD commemorative project commissioned by Arts Council Malta.
PROMISE LITTER. A photographic installation by Nigel Baldacchino developed during a residency at the Datz Museum of Art in South Korea, curated by Anne Immelé. The work meditates on buried connections, quiet energy, and the regenerative forces coursing through both urban and vegetal landscapes.
Artists:
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THINKING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES – BETWEEN PROCESS AND MATERIAL Explores Madeleine Fenwick’s multidisciplinary practice, where motion becomes matter through rhythm and material. The 2B Gallery exhibition features paintings, sculptures, drawings, and kinetic works shaped by Malta’s seascape and her development in Mexico City.
AZZOPARDI STUDIO DEBUTS INTERNATIONALLY. Luke Azzopardi presents THE BLACK GARMENT at Expo 2025 Osaka and launches his first New York Fashion Week collection, positioning his atelier at the crossroads of couture, cultural heritage, and global fashion.
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RETHINKING THE GALLERY follows six artists in residence at R Gallery as they transform the space into a shared studio. The R OPEN project reimagines what a gallery can be in Malta’s evolving art ecosystem — not just a site of display, but a living process of collaboration, memory, and material exploration.
SPAZJU KREATTIV: CELEBRATING A CREATIVE LEGACY. Artpaper speaks with Artistic Director Daniel Azzopardi on the 25-year journey of Malta’s National Centre for Creativity, the upcoming 2025–2026 season, and the institution’s evolving role in shaping the cultural fabric of the nation.
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MARIO ABELA: BETWEEN WORLDS AND LAYERS. A deep-dive interview with the Prisma Prize-winning artist whose emotionally charged, layered works are finding growing resonance in Italy’s contemporary art scene.
· Mario Abela · Harold Ancart · March Avery · Luke Azzopardi · Nigel Baldacchino · Laura Besançon · Aaron Bezzina
· Rachelle Bezzina · Keit Bonnici · Celia Borg Cardona · Andrew Cranston · Madeleine Fenwick · Stef Galea · Elizabeth Grech
· Gary Hume · Anne Immelé · Duška Maleševic · Sean Meilak · Nicolas Party · Arcangelo Sassolino · Jo Scicluna · Tom Van Malderen
· Julian Vassallo · Jonas Wood
Writers and contributors:
· Agostino Osio (Alto Piano) · Arcangelo Sassolino Studio · Daniel Azzopardi · Elisa Von Brockdorff · Lisa Attard · Max Glatzhofer
· Michelle Amato · Ondrej Piry · Sam Vassallo · Shaun Spiteri
Galleries:
· 1926 La Galerie · 2B Gallery · Christine X Art Gallery · Datz Museum of Art (South Korea) · Lily Agius Gallery
· Malta Society of Arts · Marie Gallery 5 · MICAS (Malta International Contemporary Art Space) · R Gallery
· Spazju Kreattiv · The Victor Pasmore Gallery
Lily Agius
SAĦĦARA | COMMODIFIED | 2023 | PHOTOGRAPH PRINTED ON HAHNEMÜHLE PHOTO RAG | 59.5CM X 42CM
News / Performance / Environment
Sunset Picnic
A vertical picnic for a vertical garden by
Keit Bonnici
Photos by Lisa Attard
Artist Keit Bonnici held an artistic demonstration last September, setting up a ladder by the green wall at the four-lane Marsa-Hamrun bypass and had a “vertical picnic.”
Bonnici posted the snapshots of his socalled “Sunset Picnic” on his Instagram page.
In his post, he wrote that “I wanted to have a picnic but I couldn’t find a horizontal green. I found a vertical green, so I made a vertical picnic.”
Bonnici was seated on an extended ladder step that was perched up against this green wall for hundreds of moving
“I wanted to have a picnic, but I couldn’t find a horizontal green. I found a vertical green, so I made a vertical picnic.”
cars passing by him to see. Dressed for the occasion, Bonnici fashioned a typical red and white chequered picnic garment while enjoying his “vertical picnic” on his wooden ladder.
“‘Sunset Picnic’ reimagines what being nature could look like,” Bonnici stated.
“The work displaces the quintessentially horizontal social practice of picnicking onto vertical architectural planes… This
act of vertical relocation problematises the scarcity of local ground-level green commons and suggests a relationship with verticality within the urban context defined by spatial fragmentation and environmental precarity.”
Bonnici is no stranger to using art as a means to stir public debate on thoughtprovoking discussions. In September last year, Bonnici accused the Malta
Biennale President, Mario Cutajar, of censorship after his artwork - a bubblewrapped British telephone booth in Republic Square, Valletta with a “return to sender” stuck on - was moved to an unknown location during Malta Biennale 2024 until the artistic event finished, without being communicated to Bonnici.
In May 2023, Bonnici walked barefoot across the barriers situated outside the Parliament of Malta.
Garment design by Maren Richter; transport/support by Zoe Camilleri. Sunset Picnic is a self-initiated and self-funded project, supported by fellow comrades.
SALADS BY DAY
DRINKS BY NIGHT @ NO.43
43, MERCHANT STREET, VALLETTA
October - December 2025 News /Exhibition / MICAS / Press Release
MILTON AVERY
Icon
of American painting
MICAS hosts rare European survey of Milton Avery, inspiration for Rothko and Gottlieb, together with works from contemporary American and European artists Henni Alftan, March Avery, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, Gary Hume, Nicolas Party and Jonas Wood
The Malta International Contemporary Arts Space (MICAS) will once again play host to a rare, and unique showcase of modern and contemporary art in October 2025. Widely recognised as an important 20th American artist, Milton Avery’s (18851965) works are held in multitude of key institutional collections across America, but his first museum exhibition in Europe was only recently in 2022 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
MICAS will now host Colour, Form and Composition: Milton Avery and his Enduring Influence on Contemporary Painting, starting 25th October, in which over 30 works of Avery’s will hang alongside responses by contemporary artists who credit him as an influence: Henni Alftan, Milton’s daughter March Avery, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, Gary Hume, Nicolas Party and Jonas Wood.
“This is a significant, one-of-a-kind exhibition for Malta – MICAS is the second only European institution to hold a Milton Avery retrospective together with the participation of a stellar case
of contemporary artists, each with a conscious response to the Avery works to be shown,” said curator and MICAS Artistic Director Edith Devaney.
Avery has been widely credited to have influenced the younger protagonists of Abstract Expressionism, namely Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Adolph Gottlieb. “His early work came to play an influential role in that movement’s development. These three colour field artists expressed their deep admiration for, and debt to, Avery’s work and practice throughout their careers,” said Devaney.
“To an extent, he became the link between two significant 20th century national movements, American Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism – so this MICAS exhibition is exploring the
extent to which Avery and his oeuvre continues to be held in high regard by some of the leading contemporary artists of our time.”
Devaney is working with Paris-based designer Cécile Degos in this thematic exhibition that places Avery’s paintings alongside new works created decades later – an unexpected visual dialogue that will shift Avery’s work beyond its historical frame.
MICAS executive chairperson Phyllis Muscat said the museum’s foundation year, starting with an exhibition by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, and showcases for Maltese artists Ray Pitrè, Caesar Attard, Vince Briffa, Austin Camilleri, Joyce Camilleri, Anton Grech, and Pierre Portelli, will be ending on a high with the Milton Avery exhibition.
“MICAS is a platform for the excellence of the island’s contemporary artists, as well as a destination for international contemporary art. This Avery exhibition is a high-water mark for our very young ambitions, hosting the work of an American master of colour and responses from seven painters,” Muscat said.
About the exhibition
This exhibition explores the artistic legacy of Milton Avery and how aspects of his work remain detectable in some of today’s most celebrated artists.
Effectively a survey of Avery’s entire career, it covers Avery’s mid-career subjects from the mid- to late 1940s, as well as his late work from the 1950s through to the early 1960s, demonstrating the continuing influence of
Andrew Cranston, Cornwall 1979, 2021, Rabbit skin glue and pigment on bleached canvas
Starting from top left, clockwise: March Avery, Seated Blue, 1972, Oil on canvas; Milton Avery, Boathouse by the Sea, 1959, Oil on canvas; Andrew Cranston, Afternoon of a Faun, 2025, Oil on canvas; Henni Alftan, Yellow Top, Purple Leggings 2025, Oil on linen; Jonas Wood, French Open 7, 2015, Oil and acrylic on canvas; Harold Ancart, Fruit Tree, 2025, Oil on canvas; Gary Hume, La Plage, 2021, Enamel paint on aluminium; Milton Avery, Thoughtful Swimmer, 1943, Watercolour on paper; Nicolas Party, Still Life, 2020, Soft pastel on linen
October - December 2025 News / MICAS / Press Release
European Modernism on his work, particularly Matisse; as well as the profound influence Avery had on the emerging colour field Abstract Expressionist painters, and what he took from them, with his works becoming less dependent on the figurative content.
“We intend to recontextualise not only Avery’s work, but that of all the contemporary participants, and in doing so, acknowledging the notion of art history not always linear,” said Edith Devaney.
The writer and art historian Dore Ashton commented during Avery’s lifetime that he was a ‘painters’ painter’ – this MICAS exhibition will explore the extent to which that characterisation of him remains true to this day, with the participating artists revealing their personal relationship with Avery’s work, each tapping into very differing aspects of his practice.
Each participating contemporary artist selected their works based on the Avery checklist. The lineup includes Henni Alftan (Finnish, b.1979), who will present a solo exhibition in New York City in 2025; March Avery (American, b.1932), daughter of March Avery and an accomplished painter; Harold Ancart (Belgian, b.1980), celebrated for his 2024 solo exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in Paris; Andrew Cranston (Scottish, b.1969), who recently exhibited at Karma Gallery in Los Angeles; Gary Hume (British, b.1962), a YBA and Royal Academician with a recent solo show at Sprüth Magers in London; Nicolas Party (Swiss, b.1980), who held a major solo exhibition at Hoam Museum of Art, South Korea in 2023 and exhibited at the Frick Collection, NYC the same year; and Jonas Wood (American, b.1977), who was featured in a solo exhibition at Gagosian, London in 2024.
MICAS LAUNCHES
“BEYOND THE BASTIONS” EXHIBITION EXPLORING MALTA’S CULTURAL
TRANSFORMATION
The Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS) has officially opened Beyond The Bastions, a landmark exhibition tracing the evolution of the Floriana fortifications into a modern cultural destination.
Running until 4 April 2026, the exhibition showcases rare historical documents from the National Archives and the Bibliotheca, alongside photography, audiovisual material, architectural plans, and scale models of the MICAS site.
Hosted in MICAS’s first-floor gallery, the exhibition reflects on the site’s transformation from a former military stronghold into a dynamic public space for contemporary art. It also marks Malta’s growing presence on the global cultural stage.
Minister for Culture Owen Bonnici described the project as “a cradle for a future shaped through the power of artistic vision,” emphasising its role in Malta’s cultural development.
MICAS Executive Chairperson Phyllis Muscat noted: “This exhibition honours the vision that turned a place of defence into a space for imagination and creativity.”
Deputy Chairperson Dr Georgina Portelli added that MICAS’s design - led by Carlo Terpolilli of IPO Studio - respects the site’s military past while embracing contemporary architecture, merging glass and steel with historic limestone.
For visitor information and opening times, visit: www. micas.art/visit-us
Milton Avery, Still Life with Skull, 1946, Oil on canvas
Architect Konrad Buhagiar, Executive Director of AP Projects, with Hon. Owen Bonnici.
Photo by Clifton FenechDOI
News / Exhibition / Press Release
October - December 2025
TBurning Waters
Arcangelo Sassolino exhibits at The Victor Pasmore Gallery
he Victor Pasmore Gallery is proud to present Burning Waters, a striking new exhibition by contemporary artist Arcangelo Sassolino, curated by Keith Sciberras in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, and presented as part of the RETOLD commemorative project commissioned by Arts Council Malta.
In direct dialogue with the legacy of Victor Pasmore, and through contrasting materials, methods, and eras, this exhibition explores themes of transformation, instability, and the elemental forces that shape both nature and human experience.
At the heart of the exhibition are Sassolino’s works on paper, created using molten steel as both medium and mark. These pieces emerge from his acclaimed 2022 installation Diplomazija Astuta for the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Biennale;
an immersive work inspired by Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St John. In this latest series, Sassolino continues his exploration of matter in flux. Molten steel collides with paper, burning through its surface in unpredictable patterns, each work capturing a moment where destruction becomes form, and chaos becomes composition.
Presented alongside these recent works are a selection of prints by Victor
Pasmore, including a limited-edition book with Pasmore’s prints and poetic writings, Burning Waters, which lends the exhibition its title. While Pasmore’s approach leans toward structured abstraction and poetic reflection, his fascination with elemental tensionbetween movement and stillness, fire and water - resonates strongly with Sassolino’s more volatile process.
Together, these works invite viewers
into a space where contrasts meet violence and grace, permanence and ephemerality, past and present. The exhibition not only highlights the material intensity of both artists’ practices but also opens up broader reflections on perception, process, and transformation - whether physical, historical, or spiritual.
Burning Waters, opened on the 9th of October, runs until the 3rd of January 2026. The gallery’s opening hours are Mondays to Thursdays between 10am and 5pm (last entry at 4pm), Fridays between 2 and 7pm (last entry at 6pm), and Saturdays between 10am and 3pm (last entry at 2pm). Tickets can be purchased at the door. The Victor Pasmore Gallery is located at APS House, 275, St Paul Street, Valletta. This exhibition is commissioned by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti.
Diplomazija Astuta by Arcangelo Sassolino for the 59th edition of the Venice Biennale Malta Pavilion. Photo by Agostino Osio, Alto Piano
Space, Life and Time, Victor Pasmore, signed, 1991, oil paint, spray paint and graphite on canvas, 183 x 188 cm, Private Collection. Photo by Lisa Attard
Untitled, Arcangelo Sassolino, unsigned, 2024, Molten Steel on Paper, 70 X 70 cm, Private Collection.
Photo by Arcangelo Sassolino Studio
News / Exhibition / Photography / Nigel Baldacchino
October - December 2025
PROMISE LITTER
Datz Museum of Art’s FRAME program presents PROMISE LITTER by Malta-based artist Nigel Baldacchino. Organised as part of the museum’s residency program, the exhibition is curated by French curator and photographer Anne Immelé.
Nigel Baldacchino is an artist and designer based in Malta whose practice spans photography, sound, text, and spatial design. With Anne Immelé and Bénédicte Blondeau, he co-founded the photography-centred itinerant exhibition project those eyes - these eyes - they fade, which exhibits photographers whose work tends to highlight the looking over the looked-at, and is often driven by personal reflections on witnessing and relating to one’s immediate and extended surroundings. Baldacchino also forms part of the core team behind the Biennale de la Photographie de Mulhouse (BPM).
Anne Immelé is a French photographer and curator whose work explores the connections between memory, territory, and hospitality. In her recent series Melita, Refuge, she weaves a visual narrative between the ancient Phoenician routes and contemporary migratory trajectories across the Mediterranean. Her images, both poetic and politically engaged, question notions of refuge and displacement. Since 2013, she has been directing the BPM, a festival she co-founded. For this edition of the FRAME exhibition, she participated on behalf of the BPM as the curator, furthering her exploration of associative dialogue in photographic presentation, as well as the idea of exhibition as a space of encounter.
“PROMISE LITTER is an installation drawing from Nigel Baldacchino’s photographic series carrying the same name, conceived specifically for the FRAME exhibition space at the Datz Museum of Art. It explores sparks of off-kilter energy embroidered into the nature of the photographer’s own world, indiscriminately across vegetation and urban fabric alike. The series reflected on the cardinal regenerative and degenerative forces at play in nature as being synonymous, lending them the same impartial eye. The photographs have their footing in the fringes of the observable, bubbling with a chaotic energy of fertility, germination, decay, stillness, calm, movement, and scatter. With a felt emphasis on photographs looking downward, “PROMISE LITTER” seems to suggest buried lines connecting distant forms of life, accenting the physical ground beneath as if to feel its pulse.” - Anne Immelé
The artist’s month-long residency at Datz Museum of Art was aided by the International Participation Scheme
through Arts Council Malta, and by Datz Museum of Art, working with, supporting and accommodating the artist throughout his stay. The project was made in collaboration with the Biennale de la Photo de Mulhouse (BPM). The exhibition runs until the 28th of December.
Interview / Exhibition / Madeleine Fenwick
October - December 2025
Madeleine Fenwick: Thinking in Different Languages – Between Process and Material
2B Gallery presents Thinking in Different Languages – Between Process and Material this October, the first solo exhibition in Malta by Madeleine Fenwick, a London-born, Malta-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice moves fluidly between painting, sculpture, drawing, and kinetic installation.
Madeleine Fenwick (b. London, 1988) explores gesture, rhythm, and cycles through an interdisciplinary practice examining how the body and mind experience motion, both in the present and through memory. Her works oscillate between balance and tension, precision and unpredictability, gesture and structure. As Dr Joanna Delia reflects, “Madeleine’s work is meditative, meticulous, and steeped in its materiality. She experiments by observing movement and transcending it physically - her process feels alive, in constant dialogue with energy and emotion.”
Since relocating to Malta in 2014, the artist’s relationship with the Grand Harbour has deeply informed her material language. “The limestone city of Valletta and the Grand Harbour shifted my focus from image to system,” she says. “They made me think more about how things are made and held together.” The rhythm of Malta’s
maritime landscape and its mastery of engineering inform her sense of structure, balance, and light.
Her artistic journey extends beyond Malta to an extended sculptural development program in Mexico City, where she refined her sculptural and metalworking techniques under the guidance of international engineers and artisans.
Thinking in Different Languagesthe core concept of this exhibition - lies an idea of translation of thought into form, and motion into matter. Madeleine invites us to “think in different languages”, not through words, but through rhythm, gesture, vibration, and transformation. Each material becomes a site of communication: copper, paper, pigment, or metal hum with residue and reflection. Sculptures suspend invisible architectures of balance and relation, drawings trace movement as memory. These works are not objects of observation, but instruments of resonance, tuned to the frequencies that shape perception and emotion.
Your practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, and kinetic installation. How do you determine which medium is best suited to express a particular idea?
I test the idea against the behaviour of materials and see what carries it best. Each medium is a surface of translation. If it’s about trace and gesture, I draw or make monotypes that retain motion’s residue. For light and time, I work on smooth, polished metal — movement appears and disappears as you move. Printmaking taught me to work forwards and backwards; gestures can be pressed, lifted, and re-impressed until the idea finds its form.
Copper has become a central element in your recent work. What initially attracted you to this material?
It began with copper etching plates — I found the plates more compelling than the prints. The means of production
became the subject. During the pandemic, I started painting on large copper sheets, which led me to learn metalworking to cut and form them. Copper conducts heat, electricity, and information. It records touch, oxidises like a slow memory, and turns light into a reflective rhythm, changing with angle, air, and hour
How has Malta influenced your artistic language?
The limestone and architecture of Valletta and the world of knowledge I found within the Grand Harbour made me think differently, shifting my focus from image to system - how things are made and held together. Collaboration in local workshops, alongside that luminous landscape, grounded my practice in processes.
You’ve collaborated with dancers, choreographers, and artisans. What do you gain from those exchanges?
New ways of listening. From dancers, I learn how gesture becomes pattern; from engineers and artisans, how process becomes mechanism. These collaborations calibrate my attention. The exchange is genuinely alchemicalmore than the sum of its parts.
What excites you about showing this work in Malta?
Sharing the journey, from painting to object-making, from Malta to Mexico City and back. I’m excited to open a dialogue and show the works that have evolved quietly in the studio, shaped by material and time.
What do you hope visitors will take away?
A felt sense of the unseen, not as absence, but as the field from which matter, memory, and movement arise. If people leave more attuned to the pauses and intervals that connect experience, I’d be happy. Here, thinking can become a form of listening.
Interview by Michelle Amato, 2B Gallery PR, exclusively for The Malta Artpaper.
Madeleine Fenwick: Thinking in Different Languages – Between Process and Material, exhibited at 2B Gallery in St Julian’s in collaboration with Dr Joanna Delia. 16–30 October 2025. Open by invitation:www.2b.mt/rsvp Press & Sales Enquiries: pr@2b.mt
Madeleine Fenwick, The Whirling Dervish, 2024, Kinetic Copper installation, Salon ACME Edition 12, Mexico City
Madeleine Fenwick, Apollos Discus
News / Exhibition / Press Release
October - December 2025
WE SIT IN ROWS
A Solo Exhibition by Celia Borg Cardona at 1926 La Galerie, Valletta curated by Christine X Art
926 La Galerie and Christine X Art Gallery present We Sit in Rows, a solo exhibition by celebrated Maltese artist Celia Borg Cardona, marking her much-anticipated return to the art world after a three-year hiatus. The exhibition, her debut at 1926 La Galerie in Old Theatre Street Valletta (opposite Manoel Theatre), will be on view until 25 October 2025.
We Sit in Rows features a compelling new body of work that captures the quiet drama and intimate tension of theatre audiences as seen from above. With characteristic sensitivity and painterly precision, Borg Cardona explores the collective experience of spectatorship - rows of individuals, physically aligned yet emotionally distinct, each immersed in their own anticipation of performance.
The exhibition’s location - directly opposite the historic Manoel Theatre, one of Europe’s oldest working theatres - adds a resonant layer to the experience. This setting bridges the conceptual space between viewer and viewed, stage and seat, artist and audience.
Born in Oxford in 1957 and based in Malta, Celia Borg Cardona studied at the University of Malta and later received formal training at the Malta School of Art. She further honed her craft under the guidance of artist Anton Calleja. Her expressive brushwork, fascination with light and shadow, and a keen observational eye are influenced by masters such as Delacroix and Whistler.
Working predominantly in oil but also experimenting with acrylics, oil pastels, and mixed media, Borg Cardona brings an unorthodox yet deeply human perspective to her subjects. She has even been known to reach for burnt matchsticks or spilt coffee in moments of creative spontaneity. In recent years, her work has focused on how people gather in shared spaces — physically, emotionally, and socially — with a particular interest in how ‘personal space’ plays out in these groupings. Often, this leads her to adopt unusual or elevated viewpoints, as showcased in We Sit in Rows
This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the act of watching - and being watched - and the unspoken narratives that unfold in public and private assembly.
We Sit in Rows is open until the 25th of October between 3 and 8pm Tuesday to Saturday. For more information email info@christinexart.com
of the artist
“ANYONE WHO FEEDS ON MAJESTY BECOMES ELOQUENT”
This autumn, Spazju Kreattiv, Malta’s national centre for creativity, proudly presents Anyone Who Feeds on Majesty Becomes Eloquent, an ambitious and deeply resonant collective exhibition of contemporary African art, running until the 9th of November.
Curated by Ethiopian curator and writer Sarah Abdu Bushra and co-curated & project-managed by Christine Xuereb Seidu, the exhibition features nine groundbreaking artists from across the African continent: six from Ethiopia (Berhanu Ashagrie, Tamrat Gezahegne, Miriam Hillawi Abraham, Eyoeal Kefyalew, Kirubel Melke, and Helen Zeru), two from South Africa (the artist collective Rural Futurisms and multidisciplinary artist Fatima Tayob Moosa), and one from Kenya (photographer and curator James Muriuki).
Informed by a curatorial vision that asks: Why is it important to speak about land and water, light and time, a system at work? This exhibition draws together artistic practices that navigate indigenous knowledge systems, material and immaterial inheritances, and complex ecological, spiritual, and political entanglements.
Through experimental media, interdisciplinary approaches, and aesthetic ruptures, the artists engage with the natural world as a metaphorical and literal collaborator. Their works explore “epistemologies of the South” – embodied ways of knowing that emerge from subaltern landscapes and fugitive histories. The exhibition becomes a site of conversation – a sohbet – a mystical dialogue, where the ineffable is approached through time, grief, light, decay, and collective memory.
The title Anyone Who Feeds on Majesty Becomes Eloquent is borrowed from a poem that considers the transformative force of friendship. As such, the exhibition becomes a horizontal alliance – a communion of artists and their situated practices, offering viewers a rare and vital encounter with the multiplicity of contemporary African artistic expression.
Who Feeds on Majesty Becomes Eloquent opened on the 19th of September and is commissioned by Spazju Kreattiv and is part of ongoing efforts to expand the visibility of African contemporary art within the Mediterranean cultural space.
SiGMA Auction raises €103,500 for Foundation at Euro-Med Awards
The SiGMA Euro-Med Charity Auction at the Hilton Malta raised €103,500 in support of the SiGMA Foundation’s global humanitarian projects. Hosted by auctioneer Goddard, the evening saw fierce bidding over six standout items. Highlights included Fallen Angel 2 by Etienne Farrell, sold for €35,000 to Xgenia; The Maltese
Falcon by EDO, bought for €20,000 by Vegas Legends founders Alex Tomic and Bylian Balinoff; a signed Messi shirt purchased by ADWA Consult for €24,000; a rare Pelé photo acquired by Betsson Group for €11,000; and Dead Man’s Hand by Emre Tuna, which went to CSB Group for €5,000. Lucienne Spiteri’s charming Where the Heck is Alice? was sold to Alea Gaming for €8,000.
Proceeds from the auction will help fund vital Foundation initiatives, including a hospital extension in rural Peru and a youth-focused MMA learning centre in São Paulo. In 2026, the Foundation will expand its reach through new projects across Ethiopia, Uganda, the Philippines, and beyond - focused on clean water, education, and sustainable community development.
A Landmark Exhibition of Contemporary African Art at Spazju Kreattiv
Helen Zeru’s Institutionization of the Informal.
Photo by Elisa von Brockdorff
Watching in Rows 2024 by Celia Borg Cardona. Image courtesy
Fallen Angel 2 by Etienne Farrell
October - December 2025
HEARTLANDS M
AN EXHIBITION BY SEAN MEILAK AND DR JO SCICLUNA
arie Gallery 5 presents Heartlands, until the 22nd of November, bringing together Melbourne-based artists Jo Scicluna and Sean Meilak. Both artists share Maltese heritage, and through their distinct yet connected practices they explore how land, architecture, and memory shape identity across shifting geographies.
Malta sits at the centre of this dialogue, not only as an ancestral homeland carried through generations of migration, but also as a place layered by centuries of settlementand transformation. Its limestone cliffs, carved harbours, and baroque streets stand as silent witnesses to histories of departure and return. For Scicluna and Meilak, working in Malta means entering this charged landscape and reconfiguring what belonging might mean today.
Scicluna turns to the terrain of landscape. Her new series, Where the Land Remembers You, combines photographs of Australian coastlines and Maltese rock formations, producing collages that resist fixed orientation. These works suggest that land is not merely a backdrop but an active
participant in identity, capable of carrying memory, longing, and fracture. Dedicated to her late father’s yearning for Malta, the series positions landscape as a living archive of belonging.
Meilak’s practice turns to architecture and archetypal form. His ceramic and plaster works, together with drawings, reference familial craft traditions and the hybrid architectures of Malta, Melbourne, and antiquity. Through these works he develops a language of forms that bind together the personal and the collective, the intimate and the monumental, asking how the structures we build, from homes to cities to cultural myths, shape our sense of place and self.
Together, the artists’ practices intersect to create a shared meditation on diaspora, displacement, and identity. Rather than relying on nostalgia or offering easy resolution, Heartlands opens a space where place is understood as layered, unstable, and continually remade through memory, migration, and cultural exchange. Visitors will encounter collages in which horizons collapse and reform, sculptures that carry craft and cultural history, and drawings that trace new paths between the known and the imagined. As a proposition, Heartlands asks how we might locate ourselves within places shaped by centuries of movement and change. It considers what ancestral homelands mean today, and how artists, audiences, and communities might continue to shape their significance into the future.
Marie Gallery 5, Tigne, Sliema www.mariegallery5.com
BODIES OF WATER
A new photobook by Stef Galea exploring identity and migration through the metaphor of water.
Stef Galea is a photographer whose work bridges fashion, fine art, and cultural storytelling. Drawing inspiration from her Mediterranean heritage, she often explores themes of mythology, femininity, and place. Stef has been commissioned to shoot for numerous editorial and her work has been exhibited internationally.
Photographer Stef Galea presents Bodies of Water / Hallini Nsir ilBahar, a deeply personal photobook that uses the metaphor of water to explore identity, memory, and the invisible currents that shape our lives.
Shot between London and Malta, the work moves fluidly between the physical and the emotional, the personal and the universal. It traces a narrative of displacement and return, examining how geography, heritage, and the body intersect in a contemporary Mediterranean context.
The Maltese title Hallini Nsir il-Bahar translates as “Let Me Become the Sea”, reflecting the book’s central theme: a yearning to dissolve boundaries and merge with something larger, freer, and eternal. The book also includes a collaboration with Maltese poet
Elizabeth Grech as a foreword to the works.
Through cinematic and symbolic imagery, Stef explores water as a liminal space - a site of transformation, danger, and rebirth. The project’s narrative reflects the experience of migration, belonging, and dual identity, echoing Stef’s own journey between her Maltese roots and her life in the UK. Each copy includes a genuine stamp from the Melita issue (issued between 1922-1926 by the Crown Colony of Malta) as a central design element.
The photographs weave together landscapes, intimate portraits, and stilllife details to form a visual poem. They evoke both the serenity and turbulence of the sea, mirroring the complexities of personal and collective histories. The book also includes original poetry Elizabeth Grech.
Both book launches will include a book signing. Copies of Bodies of Water / Hallini Nsir il-Bahar will be available for purchase on the night and online from 6th November 2025.
Event details: London Launch, 30th October 2025, 6:30pm Tenderbooks, 6 Cecil Court. Malta Launch, 5th November 2025, 6:00pm Malta Society of Arts, Valletta
Sean Meilak
Jo Scicluna - Where The Land Holds You #2 (digital mock up)
News / Edwards Lowell / Press Release
October - December 2025
GSAM VASSALLO
EDWARDS LOWELL
There really are few things as timeless as a timeless watch.
irard Perregaux as one of the world’s most exclusive watch-makers is a true testimony to time - past, present and future. Besides attention to the ephemeral design, it comes down to the delicate rigour of craftsmanship - something they do in house - which is a boat few of the world’s most alluring watch brands can say.
Indeed, Girard-Perregaux’s mastery lies not just in observing the passage of time, but in capturing its very essence within a wearable masterpiece. This new Legacy Edition Deep Diver is a profound exercise in horological resonance, a conversation across decades where the past informs a distinctly contemporary statement. It is a piece that acknowledges its heritage not through mere replication, but through thoughtful re-interpretation, proving that true legacy is a living, breathing entity.
The collaboration with Bamford Watch Department adds a layer of modern, sartorial boldness to the endeavour. It is a partnership that understands the assignment completely: to infuse the watch with a playful yet sophisticated energy, ensuring its historical gravitas is balanced with a distinctive, wristready charisma.
The choice of Grade 5 titanium for the cushion-shaped case is a masterstroke, marrying the robust, utilitarian silhouette of the 1969 original with a featherlight, contemporary feel on the wrist. The dimensions - a nuanced 40.3 mm x 38 mm - speak to a considered approach to wearability, offering substantial presence without heft.
This is a design that feels as good as it looks, a testament to the brand’s ergonomic intelligence. The 14-facet internal rotating bezel, a signature of the original, remains a captivating and technically intriguing alternative to conventional designs, operated with satisfying precision via its dedicated crown.
Design and colour: An heirloom for the years
Here is where the soul of the 1970s truly comes alive. The pop palette of blue, orange, and white is not simply a retro gesture; it is a confident, joyful celebration of an era defined by bold optimism. This vibrancy, however, is
underpinned by impeccable technical execution. The Super-LumiNova on the hands and indices ensures legibility is never compromised, casting an ethereal blue glow in the dark. Every numeral, every stroke of the typography, has been carefully curated to echo the retro-futuristic charm of the ‘Space Race’ era, while the subtle co-branding with Bamford signifies a respectful and forwardlooking partnership.
Beneath the playful exterior beats the heart of serious haute horlogerie. The in-house GP03300 calibre is the engine of this machine - a slim, automatic movement renowned for its reliability and refined finishing. This is where Girard-Perregaux’s “delicate rigour” is fully displayed. Adorned with circular and linear Côtes de Genève, polished bevels, and mirror-finished screws, the movement is a spectacle in itself, visible through a specially adorned sapphire caseback. It is a firm reminder that, regardless of its sporty character, this timepiece is born of the highest echelons of watchmaking art.
Straps: Engineered for Life
Understanding the modern connoisseur’s desire for versatility, the Deep Diver is presented with a quick-release blue rubber strap and an additional vibrant orange option. This system allows for instantaneous transformation of its character, from a serious diving instrument to a bold style accessory, all without the need for tools. With a water resistance of 200 meters, it is a timepiece built not for the display case alone, but for the adventures of contemporary life.
Capped at a mere 350 pieces globally, this Legacy Edition Deep Diver is as exclusive as it is compelling. It is a proposition for the discerning collector who seeks a watch with a story, a soul, and the unimpeachable pedigree of a top-tier manufacture. Available through Girard-Perregaux retailers and Bamford Watch Department, it is a rare opportunity to own a piece of history, reinterpreted for today and destined to become a classic of tomorrow.
October - December 2025
AZZOPARDI STUDIO DEBUTS AT EXPO 2025 OSAKA AND NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
Azzopardi Studio, under the creative direction of Luke Azzopardi, has marked an extraordinary milestone on the global stage with two landmark presentations: THE BLACK GARMENT at Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan, and the studio’s first official appearance at New York Fashion Week (SS26 season).
At Expo 2025, Azzopardi Studio unveiled THE BLACK GARMENT, a collection inspired by the Ghonnella, Malta’s enigmatic traditional garment. The project merged art history, costume research, and artisanal craftsmanship into a striking live fashion installation that reimagined Malta’s cultural heritage through the lens of contemporary couture.
Models presented both reconstructed and reinterpreted versions of the Ghonnella, accompanied by an immersive video and sound installation. A limited-edition catalogue documented the collection’s historical and creative journey. Beyond its aesthetic impact, the project offered a curatorial exploration of Malta’s folklore and intercultural history, revealing how the Ghonnella reflects centuries of exchange between cultures. By transforming this traditional garment into a contemporary art object, Azzopardi Studio both honoured Malta’s past and projected its cultural identity into the future.
The project was commissioned by Arts Council Malta and supported by Malta Enterprise, The Malta Crafts Foundation, and Heritage Malta.
This collection was brought to life through project management by Tamara Burr, Video Installation by Sam Chetcuti, Words by Maria Theuma, Voiceover by Anthony Bonnici; Makeup by Adriana Scicluna and Models by Wildflower1998 Osaka. The evening was captured by Ondrej Piry.
Following the success in Japan, Azzopardi Studio made its highly
anticipated New York Fashion Week debut on September 12th, 2025, presenting the SS2025/2026 Hotel collection through private journalist appointments managed by international PR agency DORN Communications. Azzopardi Studio was listed on the official CFDA Calendar of events.
Blending operatic inspiration with 1970s glamour, the collection explored themes of memory, craftsmanship, and slow fashion, reinforcing the studio’s commitment to sustainability and longevity. The presentation received critical acclaim and coverage in leading
fashion publications, including Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.
Set against the atmosphere of the world’s most intimate and opulent destinations, the collection unfolded as a narrative of romance, ambition, and reinvention. Sharp androgynous tailoring gave way to sweeping evening gowns, punctuated by extravagant statement hats. Rich with intricate hand embroidery and jewellike embellishments, the collection stood as a testament to artisanal excellence—honouring tradition while boldly propelling fashion forward.
The SS26 campaign was captured by photographer Max Glatzhofer with art direction and production by ANCC Studio. Styling was led by Lily Rimmer, with makeup by Tom Easto and hair by Lara Theuma. Styling assistants Enrica Miller and Lily Hopkins supported the process. Models Aneta (Body London) and Jemma (PRM Agency) brought the collection to life. The collection was presented at the Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations in New York.
Together, these two global debuts position Azzopardi Studio as one of Malta’s most visionary cultural exports, bridging history and modernity, tradition and innovation, with a distinctly operatic sense of drama.
News / Exhibition / R Gallery
October - December 2025
Rethinking the Gallery
Six artists take residency at R Gallery for six weeks
Ihad always entered R Gallery as a visitor. Now, for the first time, I am entering as an artist. Over the next six weeks, I will be working alongside five other artists within the gallery as part of the R OPEN residency.
In Malta, galleries occupy a curious place. They exist in a small, tightly knit ecosystem where institutions are limited, commercial galleries are often expected to function as shopfronts, and the line between art space and event space is thin. Unlike in larger art capitals, where galleries are plugged into vast circuits of
collectors, art fairs, and global markets, Malta’s galleries are driven by something else: survival, experimentation, and community. Around the world, gallery models are shifting from traditional white cubes towards more hybrid forms such as project spaces, residencies, and nomadic platforms. In Malta, this shift feels even more urgent and experimental, precisely because the ecosystem is so small.
Here, galleries rarely represent artists in the way we see abroad. There isn’t the same infrastructure of long-term contracts, collector networks, or art fairs that sustain representation in bigger markets. Instead, galleries often operate on short-term exhibitions, rented spaces, or function as event venues rather than institutions invested in an artist’s long-term trajectory. Part of this comes down to scale. Malta’s art ecosystem is small, the collector base is limited, state funding is patchy, and private investment in contemporary art is cautious. Representation, as it exists internationally, relies on consistent sales and visibility, both of which are difficult to sustain locally. This creates both limitations and freedoms. Artists do not benefit from the protection, promotion, or international reach that representation can offer, but they are also less bound to commercial demands, free to experiment, and often work collectively or across disciplines in ways that challenge traditional gallery systems.
R Gallery’s decision to open itself as a residency touches this nerve directly.
It recognises that in Malta, the gallery cannot yet function like a commercial powerhouse. Instead, it can become something else: a space of trust, process, and encounter.
When I first thought about what it means to be an artist in this space, the question felt bigger than just my work. I grew up in Zejtun, spent some time in Isla, and now live in Zurrieq. Sliema, however, was never a place I felt connected to. The only link I could find was through my grandmother. She used to leave home at five in the morning to beat
the traffic and come here, working as a housekeeper for a family and their shop.
Since her passing, I have been collecting her things almost without knowing why. Maybe this residency is the time to find out. My work will focus on bodily memory, silence, shame, and matriarchal lineage. One thread I am following is my grandmother’s mastectomy. I still have her prosthetics, which she found too heavy to wear. At home she would fold a dishcloth into her bra instead. Her hugs changed after that surgery, and yet her resilience has stayed with me.
RACHELLE BEZZINA
Photos by Kim Sammut
During the residency I will be working with these objects and memories, casting, carving, and speculating through sculpture. The process is part sculptural, part autobiographical, and part archival. It is also open-ended, which is exactly the point. Unlike preparing for a final show, this residency is about the in-between: the research, the mess, the conversations with visitors who wander to see what is happening.
R Gallery has chosen to align with this spirit of experimentation. By transforming itself into a working studio, it has shifted from being only a place of display to becoming a place of process. This shift opens the door to new kinds of encounters.
I am not alone in this process. Five other artists are also inhabiting the gallery during the R OPEN, each approaching the space through their own lens. Laura Besançon brings her playful investigations into communication and social behaviour through souvenirs. Aaron Bezzina continues his practice of sculptural forms that flirt with both humour and risk, now inviting prompts that will be answered via Artist Intelligence. Duška Maleševic explores the S-L-M transformation in comparison to the Sliema we inhabit today. Tom Van Malderen interrogates structures and design with his sharp, architectural eye. Julian Vassallo navigates spatial and bodily narratives through photography and installation. Together, our practices overlap and diverge, creating a living ecosystem inside the gallery: six artists,
six entry points, and one experiment in trust.
To reiterate, my research revolves around matriarchal lineage, bodily memory, and the silences that shape family archives. I have been gathering fragments of my grandmother’s life, her objects, her prosthetics, her quiet resilience, and letting them guide me into new sculptural forms. But the work is not only about my story. It is also about how our stories echo each other. I am interested in how other people carry their maternal lineage. How do you keep or resist what gets passed down? What do you hold onto from mothers, grandmothers, or great-grandmothers? Objects, habits, silences? What do you choose to archive, and what do you let slip away?
If you would like to share fragments of your own lineage or archival practices, I would love to hear from you. These stories will not just sit beside my work; they have the power to shift how I understand my own archive, to influence the way I see, remember, and create.
If you feel called to contribute, please reach out. Your story might become part of the sculptural work, woven into the larger process unfolding here at R Gallery. This residency is therefore more than just time and space to produce. It is also a test of what a gallery can mean here, in Malta, where the art ecosystem is small and resources are scarce. Instead of playing it safe, R Gallery chose trust: trust in the artists, trust in the process, and trust that audiences would be curious enough to meet us
where we are. In that choice, they created not just an exhibition space, but a living one, which you can visit during the opening hours published weekly on their pages.
R OPEN, participating artists: Laura Besançon, Aaron Bezzina, Rachelle Bezzina, Duška Maleševic, Tom Van Malderen, and Julian Vassallo. Dates: Opening I: 26.09.2025 7pm; Opening II: 06.11.2025 7pm; Finissage: 13.11.2025. Opening hours: WedThur 4pm-8pm; Fri 5pm-9pm; Sat – varies. R OPEN is produced and curated by R Gallery, 26 Tigné Street, Sliema.
Interview / Spazju Kreattiv / Daniel Azzopardi
October - December 2025
Celebrating a Creative Legacy
As Spazju Kreattiv, Malta’s National Centre for Creativity, unveils its 2025–2026 programme this September, the occasion carries particular weight: it coincides with the Centre’s 25th anniversary, a milestone that invites both reflection and renewal. Since its founding in 2000, the institution has stood at the heart of Malta’s cultural life, shaping the creative landscape through its evolving role as a hub for artists, audiences, and ideas. Artpaper speaks with Daniel Azzopardi, Spazju Kreattiv’s Artistic Director, to explore the legacy of the past quarter-century, the challenges and opportunities facing the arts sector today, and the vision underpinning the season ahead.
As the Malta National Centre for Creativity marks its 25th anniversary, how would you define the significance of this milestone for both the institution and Malta’s cultural landscape? It is, in no small way, a momentous occasion, not only for the organisation but also for the country, highlighting the significance of Spazju Kreattiv and its ever-important role in the ongoing development of the creative sector.
It is an evolving story shaped by countless artists, collaborators, employees, and audiences - a celebration not only of the work done by those associated with us, but also a testament to the nation’s policy and aspirations in placing the arts at the very core of public discourse.
Anyone Who Feeds On Majesty Becomes Eloquent – An Exhibition of Contemporary African Art
Photo by Elisa von Brockdorff
Reflecting on the past quarter-century, which achievements or landmark moments best illustrate the Centre’s impact on the arts sector?
What stands out in both the history and the present strategy is the freedom afforded to artists to reach their full creative potential - not only in terms of artistic concepts and production quality, but also as instigators of bold voices and meaningful conversations that address issues highly pertinent to the public’s socio-political interests.
Spazju Kreattiv has, from the outset been at the core of promoting creative development and freedom of
expression, and this remains a cornerstone of our work with the creative community and beyond.
How has the role of the Centre evolved since its inception, particularly in response to shifts within the local and international arts scenes?
The remit of the organisation has evolved alongside the country’s progress and shifting priorities. While economic growth has brought increased investment in the arts, much still remains to be done - particularly in empowering the role of the artist, amplifying minority voices, and addressing global conflicts.
Spazju Kreattiv continues to stand at the forefront of these encounters, championing dialogue and exchange, while also driving key agendas such as professionalisation, artistic quality, and placing the arts at the heart of national policy. Both historically and today, it stands as an agent of positive change through art and creativity.
In what ways has the Centre remained true to its original mission while adapting to the needs of today’s creative community?
From the outset the Centre has been a home both for aspiring creatives seeking to build a career in the sector and for established practitioners
Interview
/ Spazju Kreattiv / Daniel Azzopardi
October - December 2025
In all this, Spazju Kreattiv continues to play a vital role in facilitating the space for creatives and the public to meet, connect, and nurture the growing importance of the arts.
wishing to showcase and experiment with their work. Spazju Kreattiv remains a hub for creative empowerment, not only through the diversity of its programming but also through its organisational structure, which provides artists with the tools to enhance their output and engage with the wider public. It is also a space for exchanges and encounters that transcend the creative community, encouraging different communities to participate more directly and to be part of a movement for social dialogue and creative expression that is deeply embedded in our cultural fabric.
The upcoming 2025–2026 season coincides with this important anniversary. How does the new programme encapsulate both the legacy and the forward-looking vision of the organisation?
This newly unveiled programme - our most diverse yet, with over 550 events, 18 creative forms, and more than 400 artists - underscores the institution’s legacy as a mainstay of contemporary artistic expression. It reflects the contributions of hundreds of collaborators who have shaped the recent history of the arts sector. Recognition of their work is evident not only in the new branding, which showcases many of the projects presented over the years, but also through a series of initiatives that shine a light on these collaborations and their lasting impact on contemporary practice.
At the same time, Spazju Kreattiv is about being a catalyst. Our programme brings to the fore a number of highly pertinent subject matters while fostering new collaborations and an evergrowing diversity of practices. These works are not only designed to engage with sensitive issues, but most importantly, to give voice to a
wide range of people from different walks of life.
Could you highlight some of the central themes or artistic directions audiences can expect from the forthcoming season?
This year’s programme once again sits at the forefront of creative expression and public engagement. Key themes include industrial pollution, the evolving role of media, the repercussions of social deprivation, women’s empowerment, questions of identity and integration, and polarised ideologies.
Through collective exhibitions, theatre shows, films, and artist residencies, among other initiatives, the programme also explores identity and desire—from traditions reimagined in contemporary contexts to cross-cultural dialogues, societal pressures, and geopolitical conflict. In this context, the season aims to encourage full visitors’ participation, not only in terms of attendance but also by fostering meaningful discussion around highly topical issues that shape our shared experience.
How will the September programme launch incorporate and celebrate the Centre’s 25th anniversary?
While the celebrations will continue throughout the season, the September launch will showcase the organisation’s core attributes as an inclusive hub for the creative community - one that engages with highly pertinent subjects across a wide array of artistic mediums and practices.
The season will feature performances by past and current theatre makers, discussions on the organisation’s past endeavours and its role at a broader policy level, and commissioned artworks to become part of the permanent collection.
For Want of (not) Measuring curated by Vince Briffa
Spazju Kreattiv 2025-26 Programme Launch. Photo by Shaun Spiteri
Spazju Kreattiv 2025-26 Programme Launch. Photo by Shaun Spiteri
Nostalgic anecdotes from earlier times will be shared, alongside an opportunity for all attendees to contribute their aspirations for the Centre as it embarks on this exciting new phase of its journey.
What are the key challenges currently facing the Centre within the wider cultural and creative industries, and how is the organisation responding to them?
The creative sector in Malta has made huge strides in recent years, but there is still much to be done. The status of the artist needs to be safeguarded and promoted to the wider public, especially to upcoming generations, within the context of greater knowledge and awareness of the benefits that arts and culture bring to the overall well-being of society. This also requires adequate budgets and resources that allow creatives to nurture their work and reach out to broader audiences. However, I believe the greatest challenge we face moving forward is fostering openness to diversity: creating a trustworthy environment where all voices can be heard without discrimination or exclusion.
I wholeheartedly believe that the arts have a pivotal diplomatic role to play in this regard, by creating platforms for dialogue and exchange, and by instigating positive change for a better future.
In all this, Spazju Kreattiv continues to play a vital role in facilitating the space for creatives and the public to meet, connect, and nurture the growing importance of the arts.
How do you see the Centre’s role in fostering international collaborations while maintaining a strong local presence?
I believe this is completely possible, and it is
evident through the multiple initiatives we have undertaken in recent years, as well as the new programme we are now unveiling. We are committed to ensuring that the selected artists are provided with a professional environment in which to showcase their work, while also facilitating collaborations with international networks through the exposure we are offering. This allows them to continue developing their practice beyond our shores.
Such international exchange is pivotal for the sector to continue flourishing, while maintaining a high level of artistic quality and strengthening Malta’s role in the wider cultural policy landscape.
What message would you like to give to audiences as they join in celebrating both the new programme and the 25th anniversary?
My message is a simple one: support and champion the arts by participating in the many events on offer, where there is something for everyone to relate to and contribute, while also encouraging friends and family to join in. Only through such participation and shared commitment can we ensure that the arts continue to flourish and take their rightful place at the heart of public discourse.
Within this movement, may Spazju Kreattiv remain at the centre of this exchange - a home for many, where curiosity is nurtured, bold voices find resonance, and creativity continues to serve as a catalyst for dialogue, growth, and hope for generations to come.
Spazju Kreattiv 2025-26 Programme Launch. Photo by Shaun Spiteri
Desire by Lawrence Buttigieg. Curated by Gloria Lauri-Lucente
Interview / Mario Abela
October - December 2025
Mario Abela: Between Worlds and Layers
In conversation with the Prisma Prize-winning artist exploring emotion, materiality, and his growing dialogue with Italy
In an era saturated with immediacy and visual noise, Mario Abela’s work insists on a slower gaze — one that rewards contemplation and invites psychological immersion. His paintings often exist in tension: between control and chaos, visibility and erasure, solitude and exposure. Over the past year, Abela’s presence on the international stage has expanded significantly, especially within Italy, where his recent accolades and exhibitions have positioned him as a compelling voice in contemporary fine art. We spoke with the artist about his evolving technique, how place and audience shape his practice, and why — even in today’s digitally driven landscape — the material language of painting remains vital.
Interview / Mario Abela
October - December 2025
Your technique is highly distinctive - could you walk us through your creative process? What materials, tools, or methods do you consistently work with, and how has your technique evolved over time?
Usually the process begins with observation; studying an image, gesture, or fragment from art history that carries tension. I approach painting as an investigation, exploring doubt, belief, and perception through form and material.
With a background in graphic design, reworking the image is second nature. Sketching and collage are essential starting points, often moving between physical and digital forms as I test how fragments interact and evolve.
I work primarily with oils on canvas and charcoal on paper. However, the technique developed from charcoal drawing; where tone and gesture dominate; into painting. Along the way I tried to preserve that same immediacy and sensitivity. Over time, the process has become more distilled, focused on how an image can shift between clarity and uncertainty while still holding emotional weight.
What kind of training or background has shaped your approach to art? Did you follow a formal academic path, or was your development more self-directed or experimental? Were there any mentors or pivotal moments early on?
My academic path was quite self-directed and exploratory. I moved across different disciplines, experimenting until I found a space where they could all intersect. I hold a Bachelor of Education in Art and History, and later pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts. These two fields might seem distinct, but together they form the foundation of how I think and create.
Studying art and history gave me a strong understanding of visual language, narrative, and the importance of context - how every image carries layers of meaning shaped by time and culture. The transition to digital arts opened a different kind of awareness: it taught me to think about process, manipulation, and the fluidity of the image in contemporary visual culture.
This blend of traditional and digital sensibilities continues to define my approach. My current work merges painterly technique with conceptual precision, balancing the tactile immediacy of paint with an analytical understanding of how images function today. In many ways, my style is a culmination of all these experiences - experimental, layered, and always questioning the space between the historical and the contemporary.
You’ve participated in several international group exhibitions recently. Which of these experiences stand out most, and how did showing your work to diverse global audiences impact your perspective as an artist? What stands out most from these recent international exhibitions is the dialogue that unfolds when my work encounters new audiences and contexts. Each exhibition brings a different kind of reading. People approach the paintings with their own cultural and emotional frameworks, often seeing aspects I hadn’t consciously considered. That exchange is invaluable.
Showing work internationally has also expanded my sense of responsibility as an artist. It made me aware that the themes I explore usually, of doubt, fragility, belief, and transformation, are not confined to a specific place or tradition. They resonate universally, though interpreted differently.
You’re set to exhibit this November at B.EAST Gallery in Florence. Could you share a preview of the show - the concept behind it, the works you’ll present, and what you hope visitors in Florence take away from it?
The upcoming exhibition at B.EAST Gallery in Florence coincides with the major Beato Angelico exhibition taking place at Palazzo Strozzi and the Convento di San Marco. Conceived as a parallel event, it invites thirteen contemporary artists, including myself, to reinterpret the legacy of this Renaissance master through diverse visual languages, ranging from abstraction to figuration and urban-inspired approaches.
For this occasion, I will be presenting The Annunciation of Collapse alongside a series of six charcoal drawings titled On What Judgement?, inspired by one of Fra Angelico’s Last Judgements. Together, these works reflect on the delicate threshold between revelation and uncertainty, faith and collapse. While The Annunciation of Collapse reimagines divine illumination through a contemporary lens, the drawing series confronts the moral and existential weight of judgement; both personal and collective.
Exhibiting these works in Florence, in direct dialogue with Angelico’s enduring presence, feels deeply resonant. It’s not only a conversation across time, but also
an invitation for viewers to reflect on how belief, doubt, and transformation continue to shape our own moment in history.
Your presence in Italy has been growing steadily - from winning the 17th Prisma Art Prize in Rome, to exhibiting at CREA in Venice, and now in Florence. How has Italy influenced your artistic journey? Do you feel a unique connection to the Italian audience, or see your style aligning with particular movements or themes in the Italian art scene? Italy has always felt close. Almost like an extension of home. My generation, and the one before me in Malta, grew up immersed in Italian television, cinema,
and music. The visual and auditory rhythm of Italian culture shaped us from a very young age, creating an instinctive connection that remains part of who I am today. Even our names reflect that connection. My wife Angela and I, both bear names that trace their roots to the shared history and spirit of Italian culture.
Italians and Maltese have always shared a natural affinity. As Mediterranean neighbours, we mirror one another in traditions, religion, and sensibility - in our contrasts, our food, our smells, our gestures. So when I exhibit in Italy, it doesn’t feel foreign at all; it feels like a continuation of something familiar. The Italian audience’s way of seeing is very
Interview / Mario Abela
October - December 2025
similar to Malta’s, only broader, more layered, and deeply responsive to the visual.
I don’t see myself fitting into a specific art movement, but I do relate to artists who use history as the foundation of their language; those who revisit the past to question and reinterpret it through the present. For this reason, I feel naturally at ease competing in Italy; both my work and I feel at home within that cultural and historical context.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you? How do you balance hands-on creation with research, reflection, and the demands of exhibiting or promoting your work?
A typical day in the studio begins with a pause - time to observe what’s already there - to look closely at the works resting on the easel or hanging on the walls. That moment of stillness is essential; often the paintings themselves indicate what needs to happen next. From there, the day unfolds in shifting rhythms - periods of concentrated work followed by moments of distance and reflection. I might spend an hour deeply engaged with a surface, then step back to let the image settle, allowing space for both doubt and discovery.
The studio itself is simple but alive with presence of unfinished canvases, drawings, brushes, and pigments scattered across tables. It carries a sense of both order and chaos, mirroring the process itself. Some days are about continuing a painting already in progress; others begin with sketches or new ideas in charcoal. My approach is fluid rather than fixed, guided more by intuition than schedule.
Balancing creation with research and exhibition work is part of the rhythm. Reading, writing, and reflecting often feed directly into the visual process – obviously one sustains the other. I also dedicate time to sharing my work online, treating that not as promotion but as an extension of dialogue, a way to open the quiet space of the studio to a wider audience while keeping the core of the practice grounded and sincere.
How do you view the current state of fine art? With the rise of digital mediums, social media, and cross-genre experimentation, where do you feel traditional fine art fits — and how do you position your work within that landscape?
AI and technology are undoubtedly transforming the way we create, perceive, and share images and ideas. As both a lecturer in digital media and a practicing artist who works regularly with software and AI, I’ve witnessed their immense potential - but also their limits. These tools open extraordinary possibilities, yet they also remind us of what remains distinctly human in art.
Traditional fine art, in my view, is not being replaced but redefined. The handmade, human-created image carries something no algorithm can reproduce - the imperfections, hesitations, and decisions that occur in real time. Painting, drawing, and other tactile practices preserve that dialogue between the artist, the material, and the environment. It’s a kind of presence that resists automation.
I position my own work within that tension - between the digital and the handmade, the controlled and the uncertain. While I embrace technology as a research and compositional tool, the act of painting itself remains grounded in slowness, doubt, and touch. In a world saturated with instant images, I believe traditional fine art offers a necessary space for reflection - a reminder of the human trace behind every mark.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you artistically? Are there new themes, materials, or collaborations you’re exploring beyond Italy? What direction is your work moving in as we enter a new season?
Looking ahead, my next project is a solo exhibition on my home island of Gozo - marking ten years since my first comeback show in fine art. It feels symbolic to return to the same space, Art.e Gallery, where it all began. The exhibition will run from 29 November to 27 December 2025, offering a moment of reflection on a decade of growth, doubt, and transformation.
Beyond that, I’ll be taking part in a collective exhibition in Rome in midsummer and developing an important collaboration for next year. These upcoming projects continue to expand my dialogue beyond Malta while keeping a strong connection to its roots.
Artistically, I plan to delve even deeper into conceptual and philosophical themes - exploring how historical imagery continues to resonate within contemporary contexts. History never grows old; it simply changes form, and I’m interested in tracing those shifts - how belief, doubt, and fragility continue to echo through time.
Mario Abela is a Maltese contemporary visual artist whose work explores the psychological landscapes of memory, identity, and form. Through a nuanced balance of abstraction and figuration, he employs layered textures, deliberate mark-making, and a restrained yet expressive palette to evoke states of interiority and displacement. Abela has exhibited internationally, with recent highlights including the 17th Prisma Art Prize in Rome, CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo in Venice, and upcoming participation in a group exhibition at B.EAST Gallery in Florence. His practice reflects a commitment to slow process, emotional integrity, and ongoing dialogue with both material and viewer.
