National colours play a significant role in a country’s cultural identity. Some states and nations formally designate specific colors as their official “national colours,” while others have de facto colours that have gained recognition through widespread use.
These colours are not only seen on official flags but also appear across various media, including public transport.
The Colour Identity of our islands is intricately woven into our history and heritage. Inspired by the hues we often overlook or take for granted in our digital lives, I propose a series of paintings that celebrate these innate Maltese colours. Through this series, I aim to bring attention to the beauty that surrounds us, even in the seemingly ordinary.
In the vibrant tapestry of nations, colours weave stories that transcend mere aesthetics. They become the brushstrokes of identity, whispering tales of history, culture, and shared experiences. Our island nation, Malta, is no exception. Nestled in the cerulean embrace of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta’s hues resonate with centuries of resilience, diversity, and pride.
Chroma, an art exhibition curated with reverence, invites you to explore Malta’s national identity through its kaleidoscope of colours. Each shade, each pigment, carries a fragment of our collective soul—a testament to our past, a reflection of our present, and a beacon for our future.
Chroma celebrates Malta’s chromatic symphony - the hues that bind us, the pigments that narrate our journey. As you step into this gallery, let the colors speak. Let them evoke memories, stir emotions, and ignite pride. For in every stroke, in every shade, Malta whispers, “This is who we are.”
RED CLOVER SILLA
Lis-Silla (silta)
Ja siġra tajba ta’ di’ l-Gżira tagħna, għallimni nħares lejn ix-Xemx Ħanina
Li bid-dawl tagħha biss ruħi tistagħna; biex, kif minn qalbek, taħt ix-xemx titrabba il-warda ħamra, hekk, ta’ ħajti zina, toħroġ minn qalbi l-warda ta’ l-imħabba.
DUN KARM
Fil-mitt elf sena li qatt ma rajt, fil-mitt elf kewkba, lil xbiehek rajt, bħal dawl ileqq fuq baħar ċass, tal-qamar kwinta.
ETNIKA
FULL MOON QAMAR KWINTA
LIMESTONE ĠEBLA TAL-FRANKA
English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), who was posted on the Maltese islands for two years on official duties for the British Empire, was overwhelmed by the country’s dependence on the limestone that was quarried for use in the buildings that constituted our cities, towns and villages.
“In Praise of Limestone” in a poem written by W. H. Auden in Italy in May 1948, Auden wrote of limestone and the poem’s theme that “that rock creates the only human landscape.”
LENT RANDAN
Il-porpra fil-fatt kienet drapp ta’ preġju kbir, iktar mill-fidda u d-deheb, u għalhekk kienet tinżamm biss għad-divinitajiet (ara Ġer 10:9) u għas-slaten (ara Mħ 8:26). L-għażel kien drapp speċjali li jagħti dehra ta’ karattru kważi sagru.
Il Papa Frangisku
Mill-Vatikan, 18 ta’ Ottubru 2016
BLUE CLAY TAFAL
Waqgħet hi, imrammti, l’ili żmien nibni, Ma ħtatlix mgħallmin, ’mma qatagħli tafal merħi; Fejn tmajt insib il-ġebel, sibt tafal merħi;
Waqgħet hi, imrammti.
Waqgħet hi, imrammti, niżżlet hi s-sisien, Ma ħtatlix l-imgħallmin, ’mma qatagħli l-ġebel;
Fejn tmajt insib il-ġebel, sibt tafal merħi;
Waqgħet hi, imrammti, l’ili żmien nibni. U hekk waqgħet hi, imrammti! w erġa’ ibniha!
KANTILENA – Pietru Caxaro (literary text – 15th century)
Calypso, in Greek mythology, the daughter of the Titan, Atlas, a Nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia in Homer’s Odyssey, Book V, entertained the Greek hero Odysseus for seven years, but she could not overcome his longing for home even by promising him immortality. At last the god Hermes was sent by Zeus, the king of the gods, to ask her to release Odysseus. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, she bore Odysseus twin sons, Nausithous and Nausinous.
RAMLA – GĦAWDEX
RAMLA L-ĦAMRA
FIELD TERRACES GĦELIEQI MTARRĠA
Jeżistu ħafna ħitan tas-sejjieħ li jikkaratterizzaw il-pajsaġġ Malti. Dawn il-ħitan ilhom jeżistu għal ħafna snin, u jinsabu mal-ġnub tal-passaġġi fil-kampanja u jintużaw biex jisseparaw għalqa minn oħra, u fuq livelli differenti ta’ għelieqi mtarrġa. Huma jipprevienu wkoll l-erożjoni tal-ħamrija, minbarra li ovvjament jipprovdu sentiment estetiku rurali kull fejn jinsabu. Nistgħu ngħidu li jiffurmaw parti integrali mill-pajsaġġ Malti.
MISTOQSIJA BIL-MIKTUB E-0084/10 minn David Casa (PPE) lill-Kummissjoni
In-Natura ittik, in-Natura toħodlok Emmanuel Cini - Xwejni Salt Pans - Leli tal-Melħ (Kultura News 2019)
SALTPANS SALINI TAL MELĦ
PRICKLY PEAR BAJTAR TAX-XEWK
Bajtar tax-Xewk
Għidli, bajtar tax-xewk, għaliex fuq il-mejda jien qatt ma sibtek mal-frott l-ieħor sbejjaħ?
Għax tiba waħdek, kollok trab, f´xi qoffa, u ma tidħolx fi djarna kollha fwejjaħ?
Jien naf għaliex ma jridekx ħdejh il-bniedem: hu jibża wisq mix-xewk … għax il-qalb tiegħu
ġarrbitu sew ix-xewk ta´l-ilsien li jnigges …
Għalhekk sar jibża´, u qatt ma jridek miegħu.
Dun Frans Camilleri (Leħen il-Malti 1944)
DOLPHINFISH (MAHI – MAHI) LAMPUKA
Katarin gibtlek lampuka, Katarin kebbes in-nar, Katarin iftaħ it-tieqa biex joħroġ id-duħħan.
RITORNELL
Chroma could not have been a more appropriate title for this exhibition by the very colourful artist Patrick Galea. Colourful in every sense of the word. His paintings reflect his jubilant and ever-young character which he conveys with whoever he meets. In this show Patrick challenges himself and departs from his normal style.
The paintings are intended to represent the colour identity of the Maltese Islands, but the artists here decided to give them a different flavour and twist. They vary from his typical landscape abstractions, in that here he is now concentrating on a particular powerful colour in a virtual monochromatic manner, save for some contrasting hues that Patrick could not resist to include to make his compositions both interesting and exciting.
Whilst I am sure that those who view these paintings will be intrigued by the extraction of the singular chromatic-focus that Patrick emphasizes, one cannot underestimate that the artist, in his convincing manner, shows us the chromatic richness of our islands, that we normally take for granted. One has only to spend some months in the winter greyness in Northern Europe to realise this.
Seen individually each painting explores in different ways the Maltese culture, environment and traditions, and the way of life we Maltese enjoy. Collectively, these set of paintings offer a projection of our historical heritage that is owed so much to our ancestors who have created such a multi-coloured society. In order to highlight the distinction between the individual, quasi mono-chromatic paintings and the normal concoction of colour we see in our daily lives, this show has also included a small selection of multi-coloured landscape abstracts which contrast well with the main nucleus of square collection of paintings on show.
Lawrence Pavia Curator
