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INTERVIEW Malta Contemporary Art is back with a hardy agenda in the capital city
DESIGN When a late night with a little drink and good company becomes a recipe for legendary design
REVIEW Banksy has taken cover inside the Moco Museum in Amsterdam
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+ 2018’s 15 Biggest Auction?
In March 2017, David Rockefeller, the last surviving grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, died at the age of 101. Christie’s is now preparing to auction his vast and prestigious collection, in a series of auctions set to make history.
Watermelon Sugar by Pamm Hong - Sydney Design Festival 2018
David Rockefeller was the world’s eldest billionaire and an avid collector of art. Cont. Pg.15 >>
GABRIELE SPILLER
A Look at V18 from the outside
Biennale
OPINION: A personal take on the recent edition of the Mdina
ART MARKET: An early retrospective exhibition for African artist Richard Mudariki
ARCHITECTURE: The pleasures of bathing at the foot of the Valletta bastions
THOMAS HENRY FOR THE BEST DRINKS IN THE BEST BARS
info@calbian.com.mt www.calbian.com.mt
and international art fair highlights
SPOTLIGHT: Maltese exhibition
Trade enq: Calbian Co Ltd. – 9949 5225
ART NEWS: What does V18 really have in store for us?
The cultural highlights of the Maltese Islands do not come to mind when I tell friends and colleagues in the same sentence that I have found a place in which to live in Gozo. They question me about the corruption, the tax haven and the Caruana Galizia murder, of course. Let’s look aside: In 2019, the European contemporary art biennale Manifesta 12 will take place in Palermo. Cont. Pg.20 >>
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Welcome / Team / Inside Feb – April ‘18
Contributing Editor Lisa Gwen Baldacchino Creative Director / Head Designer Chris Psaila Sales Manager Samantha Psaila (+356) 77880300 Contributors Konrad Buhagiar Stine Liv Burr Tony Cassar Darien Iz Collins Joanna Delia Richard England Goxwa Inez Kristina Wioletta Kulewska Loft Mark Mangion Fabrizio Mifsud Soler Jordan Mitchell Richard Mudariki Nikki Petroni Gabriele Spiller Karen Elizabeth Steed Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti Christine Xuereb Robert Zahra Raffaella Zammit Artpaper is owned / produced by Lily Agius and Chris Psaila [ V ] Publications
Supported by / Malta AP Blitz Bo Concept Christine X Gallery Creative Works Fogli.com Gabriel Caruana Foundation Iniala5 Galleries Malta School of Art Malta Tourism Authority Manoel Theatre Palazzo Falson Society of Arts University of Malta Victor Pasmore Gallery International Art Paris Art Fair Christies, London Fimbank Hublot Just MAD, Madrid Moco Museum, Amsterdam MutualArt.com National Portrait Gallery, London Nicolas Van Patrick, London Soho Radio, London Sotheby’s London Sydney Design Festival The Armory Vineria,Venice Vitra
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which we have highlighted inside: meet an internationally established South Africa-based artist Richard Mudariki and emerging Polish Malta-based artist Wioletta Kulewska, who has her first solo exhibition at The Society of Arts; see what other exhibitions are on in Malta, art fairs you can visit around the globe, art auctions to tap into and who is making a difference in Malta to make the island better known for quality and creativity.
Timing is also important, and with Malta in the spotlight as a European Cultural Capital this year, 2018 has been a good time to start. There is also so much happening around the globe as well that deserves our attention, some of
We are happy to learn about a new documentary entitled The Art of Malta that highlights the talent and torment of artists on the island, two more contemporary galleries opening
NEWS
ART MARKET
08. New Gallery / Malta A new gallery in the capital city
11. Auction / New York The Rockefeller collection to go under the hammer
22. Interview / Malta MCA is back with a hardy agenda
19. Art World How Tom Keating got his own back on the art establishment
31. Art Market / Africa Kenyan art at European galleries
19. Art Fairs A pick of some of the best art fairs around the world
DESIGN
BOOKS
12. Vitra The origins of the Ball Clock design
39. New Book Malta: The Perfect Hour by Karen Elizabeth Steed
30. Hay The Result Chair and Pyramid Collection stand for timeless design
OPINION 06. Master of Letters The speech given by Richard England in honour of artist Gabriel Caruana 15. Architecture / Malta When time only changes the context but never its meaning
REVIEWS 07. Art Appreciation Mystery & Melancholy of a Street by Giorgio De Chirico 08. A Forced Marriage / Malta The APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale 22. Banksy / Amsterdam The British artist exhibits at the Moco Museum 37. Travel / Budapest An insider’s view of an inviting city
in Valletta and a new book written by a woman who has fallen for the creative energy here… and to anyone in Paris for the Art Paris Art Fair this year, be sure to find the latest work of the Paris-based Maltese painter Goxwa on show. We hope that this publication helps to inspire and direct creative traffic and dialogue on the island. For more information about contributing to Artpaper contact us on info@artpaper.press
39. Recommended Three favourites of art historian and curator Nikki Petroni
EXHIBITION 39. Ten Years Later Violet Kulewska reveals her talent as a painter at her first solo show at the Society of Arts 39. Modern Art / Malta We look at a small but powerful exhibition at Palazzo Falson 39. What’s On / Malta A curated selection of exhibitions and events in Malta Orfeo by Carlos Tárdez - Galeria Bea Villamarín at JustMAD art fair
Executive Editor / Manager Lily Agius (+356) 99292488
hen an idea turns into a reality it is quite something. A strong vision and hard work has been vital to get this publication off the ground; however, it would not have been possible without the support of likeminded writers, readers and advertisers all of whom share our sensibilities – good art and design take the front seat!
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Grand Sofà Developed by Vitra in Switzerland, Design: Antonio Citterio Available at your exclusive, local Vitra dealer: Vivendo Group, Mdina Road, Qormi, QRM 9011 · +356 22 78 6366 · acwiek@vivendo.com.mt · vitrahome.vivendo.com.mt
www.vitra.com/grandsofa
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Spotlight / News Feb – April ‘18
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ON the SCENE. I could not live without art, it is the totality of all the meaning of my life - Gabriel Caruana
TRAVEL
BOOKS
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN
ART SALES
SPOTLIGHT
OPINION
ART NEWS
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Sotheby’s to Sell $50 Million Portrait of Picasso’s Muse and Lover For collectors wishing to acquire this remarkable work, Sotheby’s rumoured $50 million asking price may be a modest estimate. Though the artist’s 1934 portrait of Marie-Thérèse sold for £34,885 at Christie’s in 2017, a 1938 portrait of Dora Maar — painted much nearer in time to Sotheby’s upcoming offering — went for $67.4 milion in 2015. MutualArt.com
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Hublot Loves Art in Miami Last December, Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot celebrated its continued passion for art by kicking off its annual Hublot Loves Art in Miami week of artrelated events, bringing together street artists Hush and Tristan Eaton for the launch of Fame vs Fortune – a limited edition art timepiece concept. The artists appeared together at the newly redesigned Hublot boutique at Bal Harbour, where the entire façade was wrapped in their inimitable designs. CEO Ricardo Guadalupe shared: “Hublot loves Art! This is why we are thrilled to once again partner Tristan for our second collaboration and collaborate with Hush for the first time. This project brings together two dynamic, and unique artistic styles, each one incorporated collaboratively with Hublot. The result is a unique and original set of two timepieces which, I am sure, collectors of both watches and art are sure to love.”
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The Art of Malta: 10-part documentary series History of art in Malta is explored through different themes, subjects and masterworks ranging from the joys of life to death and beyond, traditions, artistic patronage, identity and propaganda. Presented by art historian and educator Hilary Spiteri, its aim is to explain how art, in its various forms, has culturally shaped Malta and the Maltese. www.artofmalta.com
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. All rights reserved. Dates, information and prices are believed to be correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. Neither the editor nor the publisher accept responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic or otherwise. While we endeavour to ensure that the organisations and firms mentioned are reputable. The editor can give no guarantee that they will fulfill their obligations under all circumstances.Copyright 2018
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Art News / Exhibition / Interview Feb – April ‘18
PAINTING
TenYears Later.
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ioletta Kulewska, or Violet, as she is known to most people in the art circle, has been living in Malta for ten years and has become well-known and respected for her interior architecture and design practice. However, not many people know her as an able and sensitive painter, whose works are characterised by a strong sense of not only colour and texture but also shape and form. Perhaps it is inevitable for some to try and draw a comparison to Kulewska’s design practice and her distinct sense of the aesthetic, but she explains that her relationship with painting is very different and much stronger than her relationship to design. “I believe my design work is more paint-related than my paintings are related to design.”
Coming from Poland, Kulewska recounts how culture and the arts have played a fundamental role in her country, helping creatives survive the worst moments in their history. Having been trained at the Polish School of Fine Arts, she explains how budding artists launched their careers as colourists, following the ‘Capist’ and ‘Fauvist’ painting aesthetic. Upcoming artists were also strongly influenced by artists such as Władysław Strzeminski, whose aim was not solely to transform the so-called ‘High Arts’ but to also transform ‘Design’, in the broader sense. Entitled Embedded, Kulewska’s debut solo exhibition in Malta is comprised of a series of abstract, biomorphic paintings that constitute visual interpretations of Maltese fossils – mainly, marine organisms – with which she has been fascinated for many years. She explains how, through her research and process, she produced countless sketches, studies and photographs and how
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the fossil was first discovered, evaluated and recorded and then taken back to the studio for further investigation.“I’ve been working on this project for such a long time that I’ve almost become a palaeontologist/ painter. When you go for a walk around Malta you find a number of beautiful and well-preserved fossils imprinted on rock surfaces. They have different shapes, patterns and textures and they were also living organisms, once upon a time. So I decided to study them closely and give them a new life and meaning. I want audiences to recognise their beauty, through painting, but also to reflect on subjects like embodiment, resemblance and disappearance. “The topography of the Maltese Islands is very different from the Polish landscape and climate. Perhaps not many locals would find the subject of fossils fascinating, but I found that there was much to reflect upon during the course of this project: life, death, time – past and present, Earth’s natural phenomena or simply the nature and interpretation of her originality in a unique way.” This project was also developed during a course Kulewska followed at Slade School of Fine Arts, last summer; a project which she decided to pursue and develop further on her return to Malta. Back in her studio, she worked on a series of sculptures to recreate the elemental process of fossilisation, then on print reliefs and then finally she could execute the paintings – a process which, she confesses, was both long and challenging. In this collection, Kulewska uses the oil medium, gold leaf and a technique of printing plaster sculpture directly onto the canvas in an attempt to recreate the elemental process of fossilisation. The patterns of marine fossils are used as a starting point for her explorations in paint and print reliefs. She admits that the theme of the exhibition, per se, no longer holds
the same level of importance, in that she hopes visitors and audiences will experience her work, rather than focus on the subject, and interpret the work as such. “The work included in this exhibition will highlight my personal interpretations. My contemporary shapes, use of colour and visual language are a stark and playful contrast to that which is embedded on our Maltese shores.” Kulewska talks of how this project has been in the pipeline for quite a while. However, she made a conscious decision to debut her work during Valletta 2018: European Capital of Culture – the year that marks the 10-year anniversary of her making Malta her home. “It was important to me to show my work during Valletta’s Capital of Culture year,” she says, going on to explain how this is a self-funded project that has been unravelling since as early as 2015. “Painting as a practice is a very expensive and time-consuming profession and it takes a very long time to prepare a show such as this. I’ve been preparing for this exhibition practically since 2015. You need to make enough money to be a painter, to buy materials so you can paint and show your work and live from one exhibition to another.” This exhibition is also very important to Kulewska because not many people in Malta know her as a painter. She has, in fact, been painting for as long as she can remember, having started her education in an art community centre at the age of 10. “Since I was a very shy child, I found serenity in painting. I continued a proper art education both at High School and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poland.” Kulewska’s exhibition was launched at the beginning of February and is being held at the Palazzo de la Salle – or Malta Society of Arts, as it is better known nowadays – which is reputedly one of the most beautiful palaces in Valletta, as well as Malta’s oldest >> Continued Pg.08
Design / Hay Feb – April ‘18
DESIGN
STINE LIV BURR
THE RELAUNCH of the Result Chair & Pyramid Table
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reated to be adaptable, light and strong, the Result Chair and Pyramid Tables are the last word in cutout sheet steel construction. Originally created by Friso Kramer and Wim Rietveld while working at Ahrend in the 1950s, the collection has been relaunched by HAY together with Ahrend. When initially launched in the ‘50s, it was regarded as a triumph in its innovative use of sheet steel, giving new direction for use in organically shaped products. Today, both as individual pieces and as a collection, it is notable for its sparing use of materials, simplistic construction and for being light enough to move around. These lasting designs manifest functional excellence and aesthetical lightness that have been proved in real environments over several generations.
back or tabletop. The Pyramid Collection features many different configurations of the design, including tables, a desk and a bench all of which are visually linked together by the elegant base frame. HAY and Ahrend are pleased to bring these designs back into production, for a new generation to enjoy. The Result Chair and Pyramid Collection, is part of the HAY Brand – available exclusively at LOFT Naxxar. Tel: (+356) 2099 9966. Email: info@loft.com.mt. Web: www. loft.com.mt. Facebook: LOFT Malta
The Result Chair & Pyramid Collection are designs that have endured, proving the worth of the ideas that were initially put into their creation. For the initial relaunch collection, the designs are available in authentic finishes and configurations. The cutout steel bases are in black or light grey powder coating, with either an oak or smoked oak seat,
“The Result Chair is a product that has a real strong character, which also developed its own life beyond schools. For me, it is the perfect dining chair for home, or can work for restaurants and cafes, but also still for schools and educational use.” – Rolf Hay
Flamant Malta, Pjazza Tigné, The Point, Sliema (+356) 2395 7630 | ½ Flamant Malta sales@flamant.com.mt | www.flamant.com.mt BARCELONA | BELGIUM | CASABLANCA | DUBAI | HAMBURG KUWAIT | LJUBLJANA | LONDON | PARIS | PRAGUE REYKJAVIK | SÃO PAULO | SLIEMA | ZÜRICH
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Art News / MCA / Malta School of Art Feb – April ‘18
VISUAL ART
MARK MANGION
Continued from pg.6 institution for the promotion of arts and crafts. In fact, the location for her debut show was a decision which took much mulling over. However, she says that her choice – the newly refurbished upper galleries of Palazzo de la Salle – is a ‘dream location’ for the exhibition. “Since my paintings have so many hidden layers, I found Palazzo de la Salle a perfect space for this show, because of its rich history. I want the audience to come to the gallery space to meditate. The paintings I’ve created have no words and they don’t need any explanation. I want the audience to look at those paintings and find their own interpretations and answers. Artworks should have an independent life and should tell us their own story. These paintings, although contemporary, are deeply embedded in Maltese history – just like the building itself.” Embedded is curated by Sandra Zaffarese. It is showing at The Upper Galleries, Palazzo de la Salle, 219 Republic Street, Valletta until 1 March and will be open Mon to Fri between 8.30 am and 7 pm and on Saturdays from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm.
Love (Black Lips) by Anthea Hamilton and Nicholas Byrne, 2016
As an artist, curator and director of Malta Contemporary Art (MCA), Mark Mangion has some memorable exhibitions under his belt and has kept himself busy whilst having been away from the island since 2010. He also has an equal amount of resilience and vision for Malta that has warranted his return here with a new gallery space, despite setbacks. MCA was founded in 2008, with a gallery and artist studio workspace in a warehouse in Marsa – an innovative location for its time – and the brief opening of the gallery at the upper gallery of St James Cavalier in Valletta. Today Mark has kept his word and opened an intimate space in the heart of Valletta. We catch up with this human dynamo: What have you been up to since you left Malta? After leaving Malta in 1994, I lived in various places – including New York City, London and Paris. I spent three years back in Valletta – from 2007 to 2010 – and since then have been very active with my own artwork, as well as a curatorial project entitled Parallel Borders. I have now set up base in London. I’ve also become a father, twice over – an overwhelming experience, although at the expense of many lost career opportunities. For the last three years, although I have continued exhibiting,
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I’ve slowed down my artistic production to focus on my daughters and some other projects, as well as having the time and distance to really consider and re-think the next phase of my work. Now that I’m leading a less frenetic and nomadic life, my plan is to set up a new studio in the UK and one in Gozo – where I spend most of my summers – which will, I hope enable me to get back into producing more work. How would you say your collecting of art has developed over recent years? I and my wife Emma, who works in fashion, have started to develop our own contemporary art collection, including works by artists Cyprien Gaillard, Haris Epaminonda, Richard Wentworth, Ron Nagle and many others, and we very much hope to continue expanding it and including more Maltese artists, with time. We have also invested heavily in the artists that we exhibit at MCA. Why this space? MCA was founded in Malta as a geographically specific project, so a return to Valletta was always part of the plan. I decided to re-open in 2017 with a small and intimate space in the heart of the city, next to the newly refurbished Old Covered Market and the gallery was completed within four months. I feel that the stark contrast of a clinical and neutral space against traces of the historic and bare Maltese stone works well. ( Continued Pg. 22 )
A look at the future of the School of Art Unfortunately, the School of Art is still on the very periphery within the framework of state education, notwithstanding that this is the 92nd year of the School’s existence and that for decades it was the site where most of the 20th century renowned Maltese artists have been educated. Finally some new initiatives are in action to get it back on its feet. The Head of School, Robert Zahra, takes a minute out to share their plans: “At the moment the School of Art is going through the accreditation process of its study programmes. A new syllabus that covers MQF levels 1 to 5 is currently being written. The School is now part of the new Mikiel Anton Vassalli National College for Further Education within the Education Department, hence its aim is to keep on offering varied formal and non formal education to reach a wider community. Moreover, an increasing number of on-
going informal events directly related to visual arts education are aimed to engage the local and general community. Plans have also started to tackle the actual building in terms of restoration and accessibility. As any other school, it requires a structure of personnel to implement and manage all the study programmes. With specialised courses at level 5 and workshop spaces that need ongoing maintenance, it requires an injection of adequate yearly funding. Together with the College Principal, we are working hard to build such a structure and have appropriate funding; however it is not always easy.”
Richard England is an architect, writer, artist and academic. England is also a poet, and the author of several books on art and architecture.
Words / Richard England Feb – April ‘18
ART APPRECIATION
G
iorgio de Chirico, the Italian-Greek born artist, was the founder – together with Carlo Carrà – of the Pittura Metafisica movement in the second decade of the 20th century. His best and most influential work is that produced in the decade between 1909 and 1919 in what he termed his ‘metaphysical period’ before he reverted to a more classical Baroque style.
Mystery &
Melancholy of a Street BY GIORGIO DE CHIRICO
The subjects, during his metaphysical period, focused on brooding, foreboding piazzas haunted by enigmatic, elongated shadows and, at times, inhabited by strange mannequin figurines. I have always been fascinated by de Chirico’s work of this period, with a particular interest in his 1913 body of works including The Soothsayer’s Reward, The Big Tower, The Red Tower and The Tower – exceptional canvasses with an architectural, dreamlike and mysterious ambiance. Because of their ominous sinister cityscapes they were, in a way, prognostic and clairvoyant metaphors for the emptiness of times then still to come. My favourite de Chirico metaphysical painting is his 1914 mystical painting Mystery and Melancholy of a Street – again, a spectral depiction of an Italian-Mediterranean piazza. In the painting, the sun-washed square is inhabited by two figures, one animate and the other inanimate and out of the picture; the former is a young girl playing with a hoop, while the latter is a statue whose presence is only made manifest through its elongated enigmatic shadow. De Chirico’s painting harbours two incompatible perspective vanishing points which further contribute to the ambivalent atmosphere of the work. However, it is the artist’s eclipse-like quality of light that gives the painting its malevolent aura. There is no doubt that this is an unsettling and disconcerting canvas with its limbo-like miseen-scène. De Chirico’s haunting classi-
cal architecture, with its stark arched openings, was inspired by his mnemonic recollections of the scenography of the Northern Italian city of Turin. In his subsequent memoirs, he himself referred to the unsettling mood of the town which he found particularly fascinating.
Another influence that is evident in de Chirico’s early metaphysical paintings is his homage to the 19th century writings of Nietzsche. However, it is the strange juxtaposition of illusion and reality that renders his works baffling, unsettling and de-railing. Particularly in the Mystery and Melancholy of a Street, one senses an anticipatory feel-
ing as if something menacing and sinister is about to happen. I remember an excellent Italo Calvino article in a 1983 FMR issue entitled ‘Viaggio nelle Citta di de Chirico’, an intriguing verbal visual interaction between a mysterious and mystical writer and a baffling visual artist. Calvino’s disorientating narrative unites the two hybrid modes of expression in a carefully crafted verbal medium, rich in visual and philosophical imagery. Both Calvino and de Chirico were imaginative creative artists, working in their own distinctive idioms, and the combination in Calvino’s text is both poetic and stimulating. Calvino is so overcome by de Chirico’s portrayal of the juxtaposition of the usual and the unusual that he feels completely absorbed and undertaken by the artist’s delineated cities. “Ever since I entered this city, the city has entered into me. There is no room inside me for anything else.” Meditating on images of the painting Mystery and Melancholy of a Street (the original is in a private collection) always conjures up a sensation of tantalising intrigue. De Chirico said that “one must picture everything as an enigma” and that “the ghostly and metaphysical may only be seen by rare individuals in moments of clairvoyance and metaphysical abstraction”. This particular painting, and other works by de Chirico of the same period, has consistently served as powerful inspirational sources for many of my own architectural works, as these paintings were also perhaps predecessors for much of the work of the Italian Rationalist Movement (La Tendenza), of such architects as Giorgio Grassi, Aldo Rossi and Carlo Aymonino. It is to de Chirico’s credit, as a metaphysical artist, that his influences are still evident almost a whole century later. The painting Mystery and Melancholy of a Street remains one of my favourite and most influential works of the 20th century art scene.
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Art News / Vitra / Design Feb – April ‘18
DESIGN
The Best Ideas Come at Night The Origins of the Ball Clock
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he Ball Clock is regarded as an icon of mid-century modern design. The idea evolved
over the course of a long night during the late 1940s. The American designer George Nelson was still in the office, along with Irving Harper,
when his friends Isamu Noguchi and Richard Buckminster Fuller stopped by. Bottles of wine were opened, and the next morning the host of this spontaneous gathering discovered a very special sketch.
Isamu aside. He said, “This is a good way to do a clock,” and he made some utterly absurd thing. Everybody was taking a crack at this, … pushing each other aside and making scribbles.
In an interview from 1953, George Nelson recalls:
At some point we left – we were suddenly all tired, and we’d had a little bit too much to drink – and the next morning I came back, and here was this roll (of drafting paper), and Irving and I looked at it, and somewhere in this roll there was a ball clock. I don’t know to this day who cooked it up. I know it wasn’t me. It might have been Irving, but he didn’t think so …(we) both guessed that Isamu had probably done it because (he) has a genius for doing two stupid things and making something extraordinary … out
“And there was one night when the Ball Clock got developed, which was one of the really funny evenings. Noguchi came by, and Bucky Fuller came by. I’d been seeing a lot of Bucky those days, and here was Irving and here was I, and Noguchi, who can’t keep his hands off anything, you know – it is a marvellous, itchy thing he’s got – he saw we were working on clocks and he started making doodles. Then Bucky sort of brushed
of the combination … (or) it could have been an additive thing, but, anyway, we never knew.” www.vitra.com
ART EXHIBITION
The Devil of the Brush: Speed As Artistic Virtue This small but special exhibition presents an enigmatic array of artworks by some of the most talented names we will ever come to appreciate. There are also enough works – and enchanting music – to keep you engaged. It celebrates speed and virtuosity, and explores the exciting dynamics between artistic invention and technical brilliance through paintings, statues, drawings, models and sketches executed by the major protagonists of Maltese art between 1650 and 2000.
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The exhibition is being held at Palazzo Falson in Mdina and is organised in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti and guest curator Prof. Keith Sciberras, Head of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta. It runs until 25 February and is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 4.30pm. Admission is free.
Carmelo Mangion, View of Msida, Mid-20th century, Oil on cardboard, Private Collection
Antonio Sciortino, Woman from Shelley (detail), 1927, Plaster, MUZA Muzew Nazzjonali tal-Arti by courtesy of Heritage Malta
Edward Caruana Dingli, Portrait of an old man (l-Ahmar) (detail), 1910, Oil on Board, Private Collection
Giuseppe Calì, The Wind, Late 19th c., Gouache on paper, Private Collection
Words / Feature Feb – April ‘18
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n June 1977, a book entitled The Fake’s Progress was published by Hutchinson’s in the UK. It became an immediate best-seller, while creating a controversial stir and blowing the gaffe on art dealers. This boisterous and breezy publication also carried one of the longest sub-titles ever to appear in print. It reads: Being the cautionary history of the Master Painter and Simulator Mr Tom Keating, as recounted with the utmost candour, without fear or favour to Mr Frank Norman, together with a dissertation upon the traffic in works of art by Mrs Geraldine Norman.
TONY CASSAR DARIEN
TOM KEATING: the cheerful charlatan
In the annals of forgery, Tom Keating’s story is remarkable because he did not produce fakes for money but to show up the art world, against which he bore a long grudge. At infant school, his only interest was art. He passed an entrance examination for St Dunstan’s College but his parents could not afford the money for books and clothes, so he worked at odd jobs, attending evening classes at Camberwell College of Art and reading avidly in an attempt to make up for his lost school education. In 1948, following his conscription as a naval stoker during WWII, Keating was awarded an art rehabilitation course at Goldsmith’s College. In the evenings and at the weekends he worked as a handyman. He was obsessed with becoming a great and recognised painter and during this time he also supplemented his income by restoring old paintings brought to him by seedy art dealers in Soho. He failed twice to gain the National Diploma at Goldsmith’s College and this infuriated him and made him more determined to get his own back on the art establishment. He became known as a competent painter and restorer who harboured a chip on his shoulder against the art world. In the early 1950s, he bought a vanload of old canvases and frames to work on. He began by concentrating on 17th-century Dutch masters such as Brouwer, Gabriel Metsu and Pieter de Hoogh, which he would sell for very little money to local residents or visitors to his studio. During the 1950s and 1960s, as the occasion arose, he imitated almost all the
Tom Keating’s published revelations created an embarrassing situation for the art dealers and connoisseurs, especially after the BBC produced a documentary entitled A Picture of Tom Keating. By this time, Scotland Yard was on hot his trail. Summoned to court in January 1979, Keating conducted his own defence and used every opportunity to air his pet bug-bears and castigate the art world. The prospect of a long jail sentence loomed large, but providence intervened. (continued pg19 ) While returning to Dedham for the weekend on his motorbike, Keating skidded and broke his leg in the subsequent fall. Immediately after the accident he developed bronchitis which accentuated some severe heart problems. The prosecution withdrew its case, and the Judge entered a ruling of nolle prosequi – which means neither guilty nor not guilty. After the aborted trial, many opportunities arose – amongst them the 1982 BBC Channel Four’s serial screening of Tom Keating on Painters. This proved to be a riveting series and Keating emerged as a great teacher and a television natural. A year later, it was followed by another television series entitled Tom Keating on Impressionism. The man who confessed to some 2,000 forgeries, in the styles of 121 individual artists, died in February 1984. The painter Leo Stevenson called him ‘the cheerful charlatan who made art wildly popular on TV’.
major 18th and 19th-century English artists, including Constable, Gainsborough and Turner; the old masters of the Dutch school, especially Rembrandt; the Spanish Francesco Goya; the Venetian Francesco Guardi and, last but not least, the French impressionists Degas, Manet, Renoir, Alfred Sisley and many others. Keating’s undoing began after he read the book Valley of Vision by Geoffrey Grigson, about the life of the little-known 19th-century visionary artist Samuel Palmer. At the age of 15, Palmer had already had an impact on the art scene. He was living in Shoreham, Kent, and his landscape watercolours demonstrated an intensely mystical and visionary style which brought him instant fame. However, by the time he was 30, his ecstatic muse deserted him and Tom Keating was delighted to imaginatively step in and fill in some of the void created by Palmer’s block.
Geraldine Norman was writing for The Times when she began to suspect the flood of Palmer paintings that suddenly materialised in auction catalogues. She started to investigate and, on 16 July 1976, published her first piece, suggesting that 13 Palmers were, in all probability, fakes. On learning that the main suspect had moved to a rented cottage on the outskirts of the village of Dedham in Kent, she visited Keating who talked freely about his life and work but sidestepped all questions about Palmer. On 10 August 1976, Geraldine published her second article, naming Tom Keating as the probable forger. Instead of making himself scarce, Keating phoned Geraldine and she met him, along with her writer husband, Frank. They agreed to publish a book about the Palmer affair to be ghost-written by Frank Norman.
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Review / Gabriel Caruana Feb – April ‘18
VISUAL ART
RICHARD ENGLAND
Master of Letters
University Honours Gabriel Caruana Richard England addressed the audience with this powerful speech
R
ector, Members of the Senate and Council, allow me first of all to render my thanks for the honour you have bestowed upon me to deliver this oration on the occasion of the University of Malta’s conferment of Master of Letters (Honoris Causa) on Gabriel Caruana; an appropriate and well-deserved honour for one who is truly an icon and institution of the art scene in Malta. Since his early days, Caruana mantled a strong cultural overlay from his surrounding environment, a legacy which was to be paramount in the artistic development of his later years, as if to verify Longfellow’s words “That is best which liest nearest. Shape from that thy work of art.” He enthusiastically recalls taking part – at an early age – in preparations for the Annunziata festivities of his home village of Balzan: an extravaganza of fireworks, decorations and bustle in strong contrast to the everyday calm and dormant lifestyle of the village. He recounts that, on one occasion, he personally decorated the façade of the parish church with 1,200 light bulbs. The festa stage – set with its carried statue, fireworks, colourful food stalls and folk traditions – formed in the young man’s mind a gestation bank which was to provide the cornerstone of much of his artistic baggage. The inquisitive mind of youth is, as Freud has taught us, the key to the understanding of any personality and there is truth in the saying that the child is father to the man. Also among Caruana’s earliest artistic ventures we find a number of papier-mâché masks and floats for the annual Malta Carnival festivities – all worthy of notice for their novel boldness, colour and jocular design. Even at this period, Caruana had already established the basic rule of following no rules. His work was always a form of visceral rebellion against convention, with an exuberance which seemed fired by a childlike enthusiasm. Caruana’s art continued to demonstrate a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, typical of the acute, observational and impulsive power of the artist’s mind. During the decade of the 60s, inspired by the zeitgeist of the age, the nation’s independence and the rich influx into Malta of a number of intellectual art and literary figures, Caruana’s work soared to the forefront of the local art scene and his talent soon elevated him
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to becoming a master of his art. Already during this period, his exhibition of used tyres, magnified bus tickets and other objets trouvés at the Museum of Fine Arts, marked him as the enfant terrible of Maltese art. The presence in Malta of personalities of the like of Victor Pasmore, Sir Basil Spence, Desmond Morris, Ernle Bradford, Nicholas Monsarrat, Nigel Dennis and A.C. Sewter was to have a strong influence on the local cultural and art scene and also on Caruana himself More than others, it was the art historian A.C. Sewter, former editor of the Burlington magazine and Senior Reader at Manchester University, who was responsible for guiding Caruana through this period of development and also helped introduce him into the international milieu. Sewter, and the British architect Basil Spence, were also admirers and patrons of Caruana’s art. However, the most influential was the eminent British abstract painter Victor Pasmore, with whom Caruana was to later form a close friendship. Pasmore, who referred to Caruana as “a wonderful artist”, imparted further confidence and, as a mentor, provided fundamental development patterns for Caruana’s approach and philosophy. Although Caruana’s work continued to derive its iconography from his early ethnic influences, it was the likes of Pasmore, Spence and Sewter who further enriched his artistic output. Throughout his working life, the essential core of his designs remained his ever-present love affair with Malta’s ambiances: the island’s azure seas and their scintillating sub-aqueous hues, together with the rich chromatic palette of local fishing boats. These colours fused with those of the opulent church interiors, together with the didactic teachings of his newly found mentors, formed essential databanks. Yet his work also seemed inherently to re-echo dreamed presences of the island’s long past Neolithic artefacts. It seemed that what cradled the hearts of the ancients still nagged at the modern artist of today. Although Caruana’s energies focused on the creative, rather than on the pedagogical side, he did spend many years in a dual capacity and many ceramists practising today reveal Caruana’s didactic influence. Throughout his life, he always demonstrated an instinctive need to create spontaneously, with a sense of immediacy and endless energy. His methodology is the personification of Gaston Bachelard’s words “cre-
Review / Gabriel Caruana Feb – April ‘18
Tondo 2011, photo by Raffaella Zammit
King and Queen, ceramic sculpture, 1986
Gabriel and crowd at Malta Edinburgh Arts Festival
Cervara di Roma, public sculpture, 2000
Gabriel with friend and artist Antoine Camilleri, 1974
...“Often, I have had the privilege of watching Caruana’s hands tune themselves in the act of giving birth to a work – a dance, a play, a beating pulse – building forms and cutting crevices in a passionate rhythm of activity.”... ating quickly is the secret of creating live”. All too often, artists spend much of their time constructing intellectual barriers between their art product and the public at large: not so Caruana. His works stand for what they are, even if they evoke mystical metaphors. Whatever the evocations, the final work always echoes an ancestral Mediterranean tillage pregnant with all its mystical legends and myths. Often, I have had the privilege of watching Caruana’s hands tune themselves in the act of giving birth to a work – a dance, a play, a beating pulse – building forms and cutting crevices in a passionate rhythm of activity. I have watched in awe as the artist’s creative energy is transferred from his hands into the virgin clay. Caruana’s effortless handling of this raw material is demonstrative of the bond which exists between the artist and his material. As he weaves a thought and radiates it to his hands, the mass of clay, its inner waters later dried by raging fire, becomes an offering and the work gains a meaning …its name is ‘art’. It is as if Caruana speaks to the raw material “clay, be patient, I can turn you into magic”. While many still want to entrust the future of our planet to science, it is the likes of Caruana who convince us that it is safer to leave our destiny in the hands of artists and in the realm of their art. For, despite its quantum leaps, science has a long way to go before it can satisfy the emotional presence of human nature.
Now firmly established as a much loved and highly esteemed iconic personality, not only on the local artistic scene but also in the larger Mediterranean cultural context, Caruana is also acclaimed in international ceramic circles and numerous examples of his work hang in a number of esteemed galleries and museums abroad. Perhaps it is because Caruana does not know the question that it is easy for him to come up with the answer. Cezanne’s saying “art is religion” may well have come from Caruana himself, while the words of Dag Hammarskjold seem to have been specifically written about him: “He broke fresh ground because, and only because, he had the courage to go ahead without questioning”. Caruana’s approach to his work is always joyous and exuberant and the result is inventive, innovative and beautiful. He is an artist considered by many as a larger than life personality, with an exuberance that holds no limits and a character that effuses all the joyful manifestations of life: the perfect personification of someone you can call ‘a good man’. Art to him is a mistress who has held his hand throughout his life. He once confessed to me: “I could not live without art, it is the totality of all the meaning of my life” – words which clearly emphasise that the man and his art are inseparable. How right was the great Italian artist Emilio Vedova when he referred to Caruana as ‘un volcano’, for few artists can equal his vast, exuberant and titanic outpouring.
Some years ago, I sent a letter to Caruana, which I shall quote as a closure to this oration. “Using the awe-inspiring four basic elements as your tools you, Gabriel, shaman of the Arts, are able to obtain an even greater value for air than the freshness of its winds, donate to water an even greater magnitude than the gushing of its sibilant rivers, achieve for earth an even greater significance than the sunshine of its precious stones and extract from fire a luminance brighter than its radiant glow. From the baked, moulded, washed and fired material of clay you have, for many a decade, ignited the art world with a resplendent radiance. Your exuberance and extravagance of expression hold no limits. Together with echoes of the island’s cerulean sea which timelessly laps our now no longer virgin shores, there is, in your creative opus, a magical presence of a reborn spirit of all the stratified overlays of our island’s history”.
helped to condition him, she has been wise enough not to have attempted to tame him. We know that the beautiful, illusive, inspirational Mistress of Art who has accompanied Gabriel throughout the years will continue to motivate and inspire him in his twilight years. In today’s spiritually bankrupt world, Caruana – artistic conjurer that he is – has stood proud, but never arrogant, as an example of all that is truth in art. I am honoured to have been invited to deliver this oration on the occasion of the University’s honouring Caruana with its highest academic recognition. I also consider myself proud to have penned three books on Caruana’s work and numerous exhibition catalogues and, more so, to share a deep friendship and indeed fraternal relationship with this illustrious personality. Gabriel, thank you – Malta is proud to have you as a son.
I feel I must, on this notable occasion, make reference to Caruana’s marriage to Mary Rose, later in life, blessed by two loving and energetic daughters Raffaella and Gabriella, all paramount influences on the artist’s persona and his work. Mary Rose’s own background in art and education enabled her to act both as critic and advisor. Her selective scrutiny of his gargantuan output, together with her sincere and loving advice, helped him to become more judicious in his creative productiveness. While it may be said that she has
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Victor Pasmore Oil and pencil on wood. 96x96cm P. O . R .
I N V E S T I N A RT E N Q U I R I E S : L I L Y A G I U S G A L L E RY + 3 5 6 9 9 2 9 2 4 8 8 I N F O @ L I L Y A G I U S G A L L E RY. C O M
- W W W. L I L Y A G I U S G A L L E RY. C O M
Art Market / International Feb – April ‘18 Cont. from cover
B
efore his death at the age of 101, he was the last surviving grandchild of the infamous John D. Rockefeller Sr. (1839-1937), America’s first billionaire and one of the last of the so-called ‘Robber Barons’. While John Sr was a controversial figure – seen by many as the embodiment of aggressive capitalism – David Rockefeller became well-known for his philanthropy, charitable work and contributions to public life. His civic achievements include the building the 60-storey One Chase Manhattan Plaza and helping to construct the original World Trade Center, as well as donating over $1 billion to charity. David was the Rockefeller who ‘gave back’ to society, so it is perhaps apt that with his death should come the release of his entire art collection.
JORDAN MITCHELL
The Rockefeller Collection;
According to Christie’s Americas Chairman, Marc Porter: “This is the last, great, fully intact collection of Impressionist and modern art put together in the 20th century.” The auction’s highlights include Matisse’s Odalisque with Magnolias, (1923), estimated at $50 million, which is potentially the most important work by the artist to come on the market in a generation. Monet’s Water Lilies, 1914-17 ($40 million) is another jewel in the crown, along with The Roadstead at Grandcamp, 1885 ($30 million) – one of the last Seurat paintings to remain in private hands.
2018’s Biggest Auction?
Previous sales of works from the Rockefeller collection indicate just how monumental Christie’s results could be. In 2007, Rockefeller sold White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), by Mark Rothko (1950), which he had bought for under $10,000 in 1960. He sold it at Sotheby’s for an astonishing $72.8 million, more than three times the existing auction record for a Rothko at the time.
In accordance with Rockefeller’s final wishes, the collection – all 1,600 lots of it – is going up for auction at Christie’s New York in the Rockefeller Center. According to industry estimates, The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller could take in an astounding $650 million, which would make it the highest-grossing single collection in history. All proceeds from the sale will go to charity, with a selection of Rockefeller-backed, no-profit organisations, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Harvard University and the Council on Foreign Relations, taking a share of the profits. The collection will be offered in a series of sales in May, and represents the latest in Rockefeller’s pledge to leave the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes and provide for the cultural, educational, medical and environmental needs of the people. Rockefeller’s son, David Jr, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Christie’s to create a significant fund-raising opportunity for the philanthropies that are so important to the Rockefeller family. We are proud to fulfil my father’s wish to share with the world the art and objects that he and my mother collected over a lifetime together and to use them as a means to continue the long legacy of Rockefeller family philanthropy.” But what exactly does the collection include? According to Ronald Lauder, co-founder of the Neue Galerie, in New York, the collection is “the best of the best. Picasso, Manet, Monet, Derain... whatever I saw in their houses
David and Peggy Rockefeller clearly had a keen eye for collecting, making greater returns on their artistic investments than on their considerable shares on the stock market. However, Rockefeller maintained that financial return was never the main guiding force in their pursuits, privileging instead the aesthetic pleasure they would gain from each piece.
was the finest example of its type, the best work that that artist did.” Lauder has three categories of art: ‘Oh’, ‘Oh my’ and ‘Oh my God’. This is all ‘Oh my God’. The auction will offer a kaleidoscopic display of decorative and fine art, emanating from multiple cultures, centuries and continents. Nonetheless, its most sought after works will be the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and modern paintings, many of which were acquired in the 1950s and 60s. In the eyes of MoMA director Glenn Lowry: “David Rockefeller is one of the greatest collectors of the 20th century... He came to it naturally, thanks to his family, but he really went after significant masterpieces – a number of absolutely critical pictures – and he got them.” Indeed, David’s mother, Abby Aldrich
Rockefeller, was one of the original co-founders of MoMa in 1929, so a passion for art really did run in the family. David’s childhood home, on New York’s West 54th Street (then the tallest private residence in the city), was itself a cornucopia of prestigious art from around the world. Rockefeller himself reflected: “The variety of both fine and decorative art objects in it left a very lasting impression on me and undoubtedly contributed to my own ongoing fascination with many different forms of cultural expression.” There were mediaeval tapestries, ceramics, Persian carpets, and old-master paintings that were collected by his father, John D. Jr, but it was really his mother’s taste in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art that laid the foundations for his own collection.
So how did David and Peggy become such outstanding collectors? It helped that when David inherited his mother’s position on MoMA’s board, he came into contact with the museum’s founding director, Alfred Barr Jr, and his wife Marga, who introduced him to the most renowned dealers and collectors of the time. One of their first major purchases, a rare Cézanne masterpiece, entitled Boy in a Red Waistcoat, was bought from the estate of one of England’s great collectors, Mrs A. Chester Beatty.
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) – Poissons
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Review / Exhibition / Mdina Biennale Feb – April ‘18 PERSPECTIVE
How do you shake conservative people into taking cont that an artist is a purveyor of thoughts and not a copie
And from the outside, the beautiful venue that hosted The APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale 2017-2018: The Mediterranean: A Sea of Conflicting Spiritualities, looks as if it was built for the purpose of hosting this unlikely marriage. The two statues on either side of the entrance, holding up the portico roof, are forever close but never touching – just as the church would want it.
A FORCED
marriage
The biennale is a themed show, but one which also offers a blank canvas for the artists to come up with some space-related and some site-specific works. It is one of the few opportunities for Malta-based artists to exhibit shoulder-to-shoulder with contemporary artists from other countries and realms and, under the artistic direction of Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci and with the curating talents of Nikki Petroni, I would say it is generally an impressive success. But how does one go about proposing this marriage? How does one have some 30 or so international artists having a conceptual discussion about ‘Politics’ and ‘Identity’ with their chosen space – the museum of ancient religious treasures – the museum that makes artefacts of both the tools with which to conjure up amazement and awe and the ones with which to inflict oppression? The figurative husband? Whenever the church perceives a cultural threat, it makes sure that the young virgin marries the big, old-fashioned church – perhaps in the hope that she will understand what her husband believes to be the underlying answers to every question the universe poses. The Catholic Church is obsessed with marriage – with forcing the interweaving of one complex tapestry onto another, promising that the result will be a blessed holy union capable of finding answers to every possible issue and
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situation, with the help of the almighty God. The Mdina Contemporary Art Biennale is an incredible showcase in which a neatly curated collection of pieces is incredibly superimposed onto an already rich array of treasures and masterpieces. It is almost as if the hosts are telling us that it is ok to think progressively, as long as every little bit of dogma is still respected and looked after – a task requiring a near impossible amount of effort. The effort starts with trying to visually concentrate on the works in some of the spaces, some of which are beautifully paired with the baroque and mediaeval props and relics which often, in this exhibition, go from being seen as priceless objects to lowly means of support for paintings, artefacts and other components of the installations.
One of the best-paired sets of works was the photographic diptychs by Malta-based Serbian artist Duška Maleševic. Obsessed with shadows, she presented two pieces of contemporary urban photography with minimalist angles and a strong anthropological line of questioning. Perhaps some of the other works belonging to the Museum’s permanent collection in the same room could do with the casting of some of her shadows of perspective. If only Düska had discovered her eye earlier, say 25 years ago, imagine what wonders and discoveries hidden in plain sight she would have uncovered for our eyes to see before whatever they represented rotted away to the level of charm that caught her eye. In these upstairs halls you cannot help but wonder: can an atheist have a good relationship with an unquestioning be-
liever? Where do their minds meet? How sharp is that line or how blurred? Can they truly be honest with each other? These questions were raised by the Golden painting by Guy Ferrer and his ‘man’ seemingly begging for an injection of spirituality, and in the imposing work by Darren Tanti. Tanti’s work is a fresh-faced strong image which is both dominating and yet shining pastel hues on everything beneath it. On a side note, it was quite interesting to find out that part of the image had been hacked off in an act of blatant censorship when the Biennale was reviewed on our national airline’s in-flight magazine prior to the show’s opening. Yet here it was: the virgin, which is contemporary art, being paraded amongst the elders. Another beautiful work trying hard to find its place amongst the paintings of the Old Masters as they hang in layers upon layers of the dust and dirt of time was the layered relief by Vincent Côme. As he writes himself, his work is about: ‘Glissements, enchevêtrements, mélanges, croisements, intersections, compilations, confrontations, entrechoquements, fusions, frottements,… strata, hrieqi, stacks, suppositions, munzelli, irkupri, tahbiliet, akkumulazzjonijiet, spostament, il-migrazzjoni... konverzjonijiet u l-konverzjonijiet... Layers, layers, stacking, intersections, compilations, confrontations, clashes, frictions...’ Underground In the basement, deep underground, ancient Byzantine remains were lit up by British artist James Alec Hardy in a site-specific installation that was painfully hard to experience, making that experience, in fact, one of fascinating frustration. Hardy’s installation was reminiscent of the mythical burning bush, or the promised light at the end of the tunnel of one’s life, and yet this cacophony of lights was generated by diodes in old PCs and not by the supreme being. Perhaps the last time these rocks had seen the light it was in fact generated by God himself. Thomas C. Chung is telling the metropolitan chapter and all of its visitors that ‘We Are Not All Gods’ with an installation of crucified knitted su-
Photos by Elisa Von Brockdorff
A
t prima facie they seem to accept each other. Perhaps one day they will respect each other. Perhaps one day they will learn to love each other.
DR JOANNA DELIA
Review / Exhibition / Mdina Biennale Feb – April ‘18
emporary art into consideration? How do you explain r of nature? A forced marriage, obviously.
Anthony Catania - Wilted Annunciation
Thomas C. Chung - We are not all gods
Darren Tanti - Blurred Lines.
Duska Malesevic - Bonjour Tristesse - Diptych No.3
Clint Calleja - Modern Argonauts
perhero plush toys. Perhaps a superhero requires crucifixion by her or his community in order to finally be taken seriously – in order for them to finally believe in her or him. Courtyard I had already seen part of Clint Calleja’s installation presented as part of his dissertation for the Masters Degree in Fine Arts offered at the University of Malta – or rather images of it in Strait Street, as the boat-shaped sculpture was at the Addolorata Cemetery. It also took me back to a visually similar installation by Norbert Attard, although Calleja’s work has the addition of the
names of several fallen Maltese on its side. My thoughts at his dissertation presentation flew to the fact that we assign so much value to our locally departed, and yet have become desensitised to the overwhelming numbers of asylum-seekers drowning as we eat, speak and sleep. This time around, the sublime wooden sea vessel is seen crashing into and destroying a shoddy excuse for a boat inscribed with numbers. ‘Who the hell are we?’ to continue to be obsessed with our identity while conveniently forgetting the plights of the world when we are conceptualising our
work as artists? (I imagine they should be thinking.) Michael Von Cube goes political in his cross-era, cross-country, depressingly and yet playfully tonguein-cheek paintings as he guides us to the imposing halls upstairs. Front rooms One of the most visually stunning rooms was the one with the incredible Hania Farrell domed prints of collages of photos featuring the underside of beautiful baroque and mediaeval church domes and their masterpiece paintings. Hania Farrell was born in Lebanon and now lives and works in London. Im-
ages of her works were the most featured in press releases and features of the biennale in the media. She gives us an ‘underneath’ kind of view of the power of the church’s architecture as a tool of awe-driven dominion on humanity through the ages. A question into ‘what’s beneath it all’; a view of (delusions of) grandeur which one can appreciate without having to kneel down and look up. Farell’s work also obviously reminds us of the sheer magnificent beauty we have inherited in the form of religious art, and perhaps highlights the fact that liberal, individualistic, secular societies are choosing to attribute less and less value to these Continued overleaf
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Review / Exhibition / Mdina Biennale
Highlights
Feb – April ‘18
PERSPECTIVE
Are we deliberately allowing old relics of faith to decay? Are we waiting until they decay enough physically to catch up with the decay of spirituality? Why do we restore religious relics? What happens to their meaning, their value when they are being increasingly overshadowed by contemporary icons? Does anyone care if they are overshadowed to the point where they do not matter anymore? And what is the cutoff point for respect? Does the contemporary artist allow her or himself to pay credit to the modernists, for instance? The modernist pieces by Barthet and
The church has always been a staunch supporter of marriage – whether the marriage was likely to be successful or not. It is usually pleased as long as the couple stays together. As an institution, it would usually rather not be aware of or deny any misbehaviour or
– even worse – abuse by one of the couple towards the other. In this marriage, however, the space forced the criticism to the surface, and shone a light on it. Whether or not the light was strong enough for the rebellion of the contemporary to be evident is something only the individual can conclude on a visitor-by-visitor basis. The APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale 2017/2018: The Mediterranean: A Sea of Conflicting Spiritualities, was organised by curator Nikki Petroni and Artistic Director Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci. Participating artists hailed from Australia, Austria, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Russia, Serbia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. A catalogue of the exhibits, which includes essays by scholars and curators, has been published by Horizons and can be purchased from local bookshops. www.mdinabiennale.com
ART
the scoop Malta–based French artist Hélène Flipo is preparing for her first solo. For more information and to purchase her paintings contact info@artpaper.press. Girl on dog, 200 x 140cm, Acrylic on canvas
Ammonite, 160 x110cm, Acrylic on canvas
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Chimera, 200x200cm, Acrylic on canvas
New Offices: As a Branding Tool.
Perception, 150 x150cm, Acrylic on canvas
DEX Workspaces, together with Parallel Architects, have created a high quality office for Melar Operations. The list of requests included functionality, easy maintenance, durability and flexibility. Specific materials were selected, as well as colours to complete the client’s vision and fit in with Melar Operation’s branding. The space was designed to break away from the rigid corporate look, with a palette of solid colours and light wood textures to make a welcome and relaxed space – the perfect office environment.
Frank Portelli – Fantasia 1959
church-sponsored elements of culture.
Portelli were perhaps envisaged as the main magnetic pull of the show for the more conservative members of the potential audience. Personally, I think they took far from a central stage position which augurs well for the Maltese emerging-and-getting-there contemporary artist. However, conservative or not, any visitor to the Mdina Cathedral Museum in December or early January certainly got more than they bargained for, more value for money, more food for thought – if only there had been a free public version of the catalogue to guide the casual visitor through the maze of artists and works, as the main catalogue – although exceptionally put together – was beyond the scope of these visitors: the wedding-crasher sort of visitor, who knows neither the bride nor the groom.
Spotlight / Events / Malta Feb – April ‘18
EXHIBITIONS + EVENTS
02 – 04.18
A curated selection of visual art events in Malta
SPEED AS ARTISTIC VIRTUE
THE DEVIL OF THE BRUSH
Events until April
1 6.12. 17
WORKS BY
MATTIA PRETI MELCHIORRE CAFÀ ANTOINE FAVRAY FRANCESCO ZAHRA EDWARD LEAR GIUSEPPE CALÌ EDWARD CARUANA DINGLI ANTONIO SCIORTINO JOSEF KALLEYA CARMELO MANGION VINCENT APAP JULIAN TREVELYAN WILLIE APAP ANTOINE CAMILLERI
Until 25 February
THE DEVIL OF THE BRUSH – SPEED AS ART I ST I C V I RT UE
A PALAZZO FALSON EXHIBITION
19. 01. 1 8
1 7 .0 2 .1 8
Until 27 Februray
Until 24 February
Until 29 March
C U LT U R E I S PA S T, A R T I S F U T UR E
TIME IS LOVE.11
HAGRAISLAND
16 DECEMBER 2017 – 25 FEBRUARY 2018 ENTRANCE FREE
Palazzo Falson in Mdina is showcasing a collective exhibition featuring the work of virtuoso masters dating from the Baroque period to the modern and contemporary eras. The exhibition includes works by Mattia Preti, Francesco Zahra, Antonio Sciortino, Antoine Camilleri and more. At Palazzo Falson, Villegaignon Street, Mdina
This solo exhibition by Ryan Falzon is intended to highlight the current approach towards culture being used as a tool of preservation and conservation, rather than step towards an evolved realisation of current practices. Art is integrated in culture, but it is also independent: its strength lies in subverting and revealing the underlying, unifying all forms of contemporary art. At Iniala5 Galleries, Archbishop Street, Valletta
0 9 .0 3 .1 8
TIME is Love Screening is a travelling video art programme on the theme of love in hard times. Established in 2008 by curator Kisito Assangni, the project has been exploring forms of artistic expression arising from society and the new media’s use of technology. It also aims to offer spectators a selection of works through which they can examine various artistic approaches and discover both the contrasts stemming from differences in cultural context as well as the common features due to the increasing globalisation of the art world.
In his debut solo exhibition, Isaac Azzopardi presents a collection of reflections on the changing aesthetics of Malta. Through the use of construction material, appropriation and rubbing techniques, the show revolves around three main references: Austin Camilleri’s installation Stones from 1999, as Maltese contemporary art canon; Anselm Kiefer’s ideas about art as alchemy and Malta’s changing urbanity. At Palazzo de la Salle 219 Republic Street, Valletta
At Lily Agius Gallery, 54 Cathedral Street, Sliema
09.03.18 Until 4 April
E XC E P T F O R A C C E S S O N LY Tom van Malderen has developed a series of objects that reflect upon interpretations of what is ‘public’, the creation of boundaries and other social constructs. Through reinterpretation and imaginary models, he looks for distortions, brings up misunderstandings, transforms typical materials and shifts scale and context. Except for Access Only is a humorous look at human urges to be part of exclusive groups, the division between public and private, the politics of fear, islandlike monocultures and normative rules for design. At Malta Contemporary Art, Felix Street, Valletta
09.03.18 Until 10 March
ART + FEMINISM 2018 will mark the 5th year of the Art+Feminism project. On 9 March from 3.30 - 6.30pm and 10 March from 10am - 4pm, led by Toni Sant (Wikimedia Community Malta), and with the support of the French Embassy in Malta, Blitz will host an Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon as part of a global event, coinciding with International Women’s Day. The Edit-a-thon will include tutorials and guidance on content for the beginner Wikipedian, ongoing editing support, reference materials, and talks. People of all gender identities and expressions are invited to participate, particularly transgender and cisgender women. Blitz, St Lucy Street, Valletta
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DE LI
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200 Merchant’s Street, Valletta T: (+356) 2703 9547 Group Bookings: T: (+356) 9949 0456
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Words / Gabriele Spiller / New Gallery
Highlights
Feb – April ‘18
OPINION
GABRIELE SPILLER
MALTA
A Look at V18 from the outside A New Gallery in Valletta from cover
T
he international curators are working around a thematic cluster between tourism and mafia, archaeology and environmental protection, illegal immigration and rural exodus. Art can be a way of encountering your ghosts and while this is true for many artists, how does it sound to the V18-Committee? The Austrian curator Maren Richter took the job to work out the major multi-site exhibition entitled Dal-Bahar Madwarha – The Island is What the Sea Surrounds (10 March to 1 July). Richter promises more than 25 well-known international and local artists from 15 countries. She researches the rising sea levels, fleeting territories and the ‘commodification’ of land and water. She likes to rethink the relationship between the sea, the land – and us. The artistic pieces will be distributed all over the island, with a base in the abandoned Pixkerija at Barriera Wharf of the 1930s. That sounds exciting to me: parallels to the Venice Arsenale come up. But l have to emphasise that I am particularly interested in talents from the islands and V18 should be their showcase.
A silver lining arises from artist-curator Raphael Vella, who is responsible for the collaborative ‘Archipelago’ project in the Old Examination Centre at Fort St Elmo. He asks: ‘Is an island a place one escapes to or escapes from?’ and ‘do emerging artists living in different islands have similar hopes and challenges?’ He called for entries and I hope that many Maltese have responded. Maren Richter has already worked as a curator in the European Capital of Culture Linz 2009. I went to Linz09 and have to admit that what stays in my mind after 10 years is the spectacular and most successful ‘Höhenrausch’ (high-altitude euphoria), an exhibition of contemporary art on the roofs of the lovely Austrian city. After you had climbed down the ladders to the ground, you would walk into a poetic artistic fun-fair. Maybe the island-wide festa is not so bad after all (#bethefesta). And anyone who, on New Year’s Eve, thought that Valletta could have presented itself better will be reminded that no one is born a master. It will be Malta’s turn to promote a European City of Culture again – in 2031! Gabriele Spiller is a Swiss-German author and journalist who lives between Berlin and Gozo. She looks forward to playing a part in promoting Malta’s emerging art scene.
“The Maltese love a good party and fireworks. There is nothing wrong with that – but is it enough for a first-time European Capital of Culture?...”
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The long-awaited space VALLETTA CONTEMPORARY is finally ready to host a great line-up of contemporary art shows and events. The new international contemporary art gallery, opening on Lower East Street, Valletta, will be run by a foundation called META under the direction of architect and artist Norbert Francis Attard. To keep up with their schedule and notices, sign up to their newsletter by logging on to www.vallettacontemporary.com.
Spotlight / Events / Global Feb – April ‘18
ART + DESIGN
02 – 03.18
A selection of curated international art fairs
Events until March
2 1.02. 18
08. 03. 1 8
2 0 .0 3 .1 8
1 5 .0 3 .1 8
21.03.18
04.04.18
Until 25 February
Until 11 March
Until 29 March
Until 18 March
Until 26 March
Until 8 April
ARCO MADRID
T H E A R M O RY SHOW
A RT PR A G UE
AFFORDABLE A RT FA I R
SALON DU DESSIN
PA D PA R I S
The Affordable Art Fair is a global phenomenon, with fairs in London, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Hong Kong and Milan. Their success formula is simple, yet unique: an inspiring, atmosphere and highqualitatively contemporary art ranging from €60 to €6,000, with more than half the works priced at under €5,000. During the four-day event, about 90 Belgian and international art galleries display thousands of works – with those of young and emergent artists exhibited alongside those by famous names.
The Salon du Dessin is an international fair dedicated to drawings and attended by the world’s leading specialists in work on paper. Created in 1991 by a small group of art dealers, the fair is now a leader in its field. A front-runner in many respects, it possesses all the ingredients of a success story: the exceptional quality of the work selected by the exhibitors, its undeniable commercial dynamism, its capacity to attract the most important collectors and curators from around the world and its ability to gather together institutions to celebrate drawings. Every year, around 13,000 visitors assemble in the magnificent Palais Brongniart around their shared passion for drawings.
This year’s fair will not hinge on a guest country, but rather on a concept: The Future – an exhibition programme and a unique design that will encompass galleries and artists from different generations and geographic areas. With a total of 211 galleries from 29 countries, 160 of which make up the general programme in addition to the curated sections: “The future is not what’s going to happen, but what we’re going to do.” Madrid: Feria de Madrid
The Armory Show is New York City’s premier art fair and a leading cultural destination for discovering and collecting the world’s most important 20th and 21st century art. The show features presentations by over 200 leading international galleries, innovative artist commissions and dynamic public programmes. Since its founding in 1994, it has served as a nexus for the art world, inspiring dialogue, discovery and patronage in the visual arts.
The 18th International Contemporary Art Fair held in Prague will build on previous successful editions which have provided an opportunity to view the original artworks of up to 280 artists in the week-long event. Approximately 30 galleries will offer artworks encapsulating all the major fields of art, including painting, drawing, graphic arts, sculpture, glass art, installation and video projection. Prague: Kafka’s House
New York: Piers 92 & 94, 12th Ave at 55th Street
Brussels: Tour & Taxis
Until 25 March
T H E OT H E R A R T FA I R
2 2.03. 18
Presented by Saatchi Art, The Other Art Fair is the UK’s leading art fair for discovering and buying art directly from emerging artists. With bi-annual fairs strongly established in London, The Other Art Fair has grown both in the UK and abroad with editions now in Bristol, Sydney, Melbourne, Brooklyn and Los Angeles, with more to come. The spring edition will return to Central London’s historic Victoria House, presenting a variety of hand-picked works that span all mediums, by 130 contemporary artists chosen by a committee of art industry experts. London: Victoria House
This intimate and pioneering event is for art and design aficionados and collectors, presented for the last 22 years by a selection of local and international art dealers – all of whom are leaders in their fields, eager to address each passionate collector in a unique manner. Driven by passion and heritage, every edition revolves around the aim to create a dialogue between modern art, historical and contemporary design and jewellery. Paris: Tuilerie
Paris: Place de la Bourse
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Art News / MCA / New book
Feb – April ‘18
Continued from Pg. 08 How would you say Valletta has changed over the years? Valletta has changed considerably since 2010 and although I’m not quite sure about the direction in which it is heading, I still relate very strongly to this city – its architecture and identity – and still feel that it is the cultural centre of Malta, although this is slowly expanding outwards to the whole Grand Harbour area and beyond. Any hopes for Malta being a Capital of Culture this year? Malta has certainly changed a lot in the last six years and I think culturally it is slightly more in tune with where it should be, but it still has a long way to go. I am, however, looking forward – as we should, since V18 will hopefully further stimulate more growth in the contemporary cultural field in terms of public and private funding, serious and responsible collecting, public engagement and appreciation and, vitally, a thriving and sustainable artistic scene that can make interesting and challenging work that is relevant in its approach and international in its reach. Does MCA rely on financial support? In 10 years, MCA has only received a total of €2,500 in public and arts funding, but it aims to continue presenting interesting and challenging exhibitions by Maltese and international artists while also carving out a market for these artists with serious collectors, some of whom are also based in Malta. I don’t believe in miracles, but hard work, dedication, a bit of luck and a supportive private and public infrastructure can go a long way towards
developing the artistic scene in Malta into one that is more critical, relevant and professional, respected, collaborative and internationalised. I think that, while it would be a great opportunity if public funding increases, I also firmly believe that private funding needs to have a much greater role and responsibility towards culture – and I mean ground-breaking and challenging culture – that is not purely speculative, for profit or entertainment. What is it like running a gallery in Malta? Running a gallery is a very expensive and challenging operation. I have to say that, compared to other places, running one in Malta is extremely challenging compared to other places, simply because there isn’t the infrastructure for what we are doing, but we will continue to work hard to change this. Any plans to expand in the future? I hope to open an MCA in London in 2018/9 which will hopefully give us access to a much larger and critical public and collector base. We are also in the process of launching a new contemporary network in Malta in 2018, and hope to expand it internationally. What is the main aim of the gallery? Initially, MCA presented a programme of international artists in a series of exhibitions and projects, including Turner Prize-winner Simon Starling, Cyprien Gaillard and over a 100 other artists and curators. The gallery now represents emerging and mid-career artists who work in various media – from painting and sculpture to performance
...“Malta has certainly changed a lot in the last six years and I think culturally it is slightly more in tune with where it should be, but it still has a long way to go”... and film. We produce all our exhibitions and then try to sell the work while also trying to boost the career of our artists on an international level. We currently represent Andre Birk (US), Tobias Spichtig (Switzerland), Tom Van Malderen (Belgium/Malta), Franziska Von Stenglin (Germany) and Fenêtreproject (Malta) and are in the process of increasing our list of represented artists. Of course, being totally free and open to the public enables the local public to engage with contemporary art and an international programme of exhibitions.
BOOK
New book
M
alta: The Beautiful Hour by Karen Elizabeth Steed will take you behind the scenes to meet the creative forces behind the astonishingly rich cultural scene in Malta today Fans of Clifford Geertz, the controversial cultural anthropologist, will be familiar with his largely inconclusive thoughts on whether someone from one culture can objectively understand another. Karen Elizabeth Steed tells us how she was minded of this during the writing of her own book, Malta: The
No.2__ Artpaper / 22
Beautiful Hour (pub. November 2017, Miranda), and how she wrote the last chapter first, confident that she could ably interpret the intersection of culture and Malta and the high art of baroque music. She quickly realised that to successfully capture the spirit of another, she needed a solid understanding of her own. In her own words: “As a writer, this leads inevitably to the principle of ‘the rule of three’ which you will know through three-act plays, the idea of a beginning, middle and end, and other triad formats. (Artists use the same idea with a background, picture plane and foreground.) All of which is to say
that to capture the cultural network that makes the Maltese Maltese, I also had to show myself against that plane, and then address the foreground: exactly what happens when these two elements combine to create a third. It took me another 10 chapters and four years to figure it out and then I had to add an essay on Malta and migration because the truth is, the arts here are at the epicentre of a dynamic whirlwind of change. This makes some people nostalgic and sad, even angry, but it energises others and that, in the end, is what I tried to define: the artistic energy now roiling around Malta, disturbing the sediment.”
What’s on? Current Exhibition Tobias Spichtig Fridge & Mind, Berlin-based Swiss artist’s first solo show in Malta Until 03.03.2018 Upcoming Exhibition Tom Van Malderen A Belgian architect, based in Malta. MCA presents his first solo show in Malta. 9.3.2018 – 21.4.2018
Spotlight / Event / Paris Feb – April ‘18
ART FAIR
T
his year marks the 20th anniversary of Art Paris Art Fair. The fair has established itself as Paris’ leading modern and contemporary spring art event. From 5 – 8 April it will play host to 142 galleries from 23 different countries providing an overview of European art from the post-war years to the current day, while leaving room for the new horizons of international creation from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Open to all forms of artistic expression, including video art and design, Art Paris Art Fair offers a themebased approach emphasising discovery and rediscovery. This year’s guest country is Switzerland and the fair will also be taking a close look at the French art scene with a new theme developed especially for the twentieth anniversary as well as the usual monographic exhibitions and emerging artists. For its 20th anniversary, and in reference to, its initial vocation of supporting the French art market, Art Paris Art Fair asked exhibition curator and art critic François Piron to take a subjective look at the French art scene. The idea was to select 20 artists from the projects presented by participating galleries and to produce an in-depth textual analysis of their work. His choice puts the spotlight on some unique figures from the 1960s to the present day, artists who have managed to preserve their independence, or stayed on the margins of mainstream culture and whose work today deserves both to be reinterpreted and enjoy greater visibility.
Art Paris _ Art Fair;
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Art News / Victorian Photography / Art Sales Feb – April ‘18
ART SALE
EXHIBITION
Alice Liddell by Lewis Carroll, 1858
Victorian Giants; Photography Show.
The Surrealist Art Evening Sale takes place on 28 Feb at 7pm at Sotheby’s London auction house
an Oxford academic and writer of fantasy literature; and Hawarden was landed gentry, the child of a Scottish naval hero and a Spanish beauty, 26 years younger. Yet, Carroll, Cameron and Hawarden all briefly studied under Rejlander, and maintained lasting associations, exchanging ideas about portraiture and narrative. Influenced by historical painting and frequently associated with the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, they formed a bridge between the art of the past and the art of the future, standing as true giants in Victorian photography. Their radical attitudes towards photography have informed artistic practice ever since.
T
he Birth of Art Photography at The National Portrait Gallery in London (1 March – 20 May), will combine for the first time ever portraits by Lewis Carroll (1832–98), Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–79), Oscar Rejlander (1813–75) and Lady Clementina Hawarden (1822-65).
Salvador Dali 1931 Gradiva Estimate £1,200.000 – £1,000.000 Sotheby’s London
Umberto Boccioni Testa + luce + ambiente Estimate £5,000.000 – £7,500.000 Sotheby’s London
David Hockney 1965 Different Kinds of Water Pouring into a Swimming Pool, Estimate £6-8,000.000 Sotheby’s London
Lucio Fontana 1963 Concetto Spaziale, Attese Estimate £2,000.000 – 3,000.000 Sotheby’s London
The Surrealist Art Evening Sale offers a wonderful array of works of art by many of the movement’s key figures. René Magritte is presented in a variety of mediums, including an oil, three outstanding gouaches and a rare painted bottle that remained in the collection of the artist and subsequently passed to his widow. The sale will also offer excellent examples by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Man Ray and Yves Tanguy among others. www.sothebys.com
The four created an unlikely alliance. Rejlander was a Swedish émigré with a mysterious past; Cameron was a middle-aged expatriate from colonial Ceylon (now Sri Lanka); Carroll was Unidentified Young Woman by Rejlander
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Spotlight / Event / Sydney Feb – April ‘18
DESIGN FESTIVAL
T
his year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sydney Design Festival. This annual contemporary design festival – running from 2 to 11 March at The Powerhouse Museum – creates a platform for a convergence of people, ideas and activities across creative industry sectors.
This year, creatives have responded to the Sydney Design Festival theme Call to Action. Action is purposeful and moving; Action is deliberate and forward-thinking. Design has a role to play in an ever-changing world and has the potential to solve complex global problems. The programme embraces design in all its forms – to understand and explore the processes, functions and narratives in design enterprise and to be inspired by the exhibitions and people involved in creating our futures.
Sydney Design Festival;
The festival aims to make design accessible and engaging to new audiences, showcase the work of designers – both emerging and established, tackle design challenges and the future of design and be inclusive, representative and cross-disciplinary.
Eisuke Tachikawa – The Second Aid to Disaster
Carine Thevenau – Good Natured
Pamm Hong – Untitled
Eisuke Tachikawa – A street scene in the aftermath of an earth quake
Pamm Hong – Watermelon Sugar
Comedian Tim Ross – Courtesy of MAAS
No.2__ Artpaper / 25
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Spotlight /Event / Madrid Feb – April ‘18
ART FAIR
F
JustMAD rom 20 to 25 February, Casa Palacio Carlos María de Castro will host the ninth edition of JustMAD, Madrid’s emerging art fair, showing the best of emerging Spanish and international art for Madrid Art Week.
The concept aims to emphasise 21st century works occupying a 19th century palace. The latest pieces by young artists will be exhibited in a noble space, inserted into a formal context, provoking the contrast. The palace space is essential for JustMAD9 not only because it explores the idea of change, but also because it explores the idea that the presence of these new artistic explorations is a revitalisation and mu-
tation of the palace space and the classical shapes of its architecture. The fair also has a section presented by Dutch curator Inez Piso and Mexican curator Octavio Avendaño, which will unite European and Latin American galleries in a shared dialog and space. The program will include participation from leading galleries such as Neebex from Bogotá, among others.
Javier Viver – Medusa 2. Ciclo de la Aurelia inmortal – Galeria Marisa Marimon
Elina Brotherus – La Femme qui voyage – Galeria Camara Oscura
François Borie – Untitled – Loo & Lou Gallery
Santiago Picatoste – Atlas (Lima Green) – Galeria Aurora Vigil-Escalera
Leonel Cunha – Pele Series – Galeria Acervo Contemporary Art
Paul Rousso – New York Times 5-15-16 – Galeria Proyecto H Contemporáneo
James Rielly – I am a rabbit – Galeria Herrero de Tejada
No.2__ Artpaper / 27
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Review /Africa Feb – April ‘18 ART MARKET / AFRICA BARNABAS TICHA MUVHUTI
Contemporary African art and artists are increasingly receiving wide attention and acclaim and are occupying the centre of the ever-expanding global art industry. One of the new developments in contemporary art in Africa, albeit controversial, is the opening last September of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.
Interview Richard Mudariki.
Among the visual artists from the continent gaining international prominence and recognition is the hard-working and talented Richard Mudariki, who was born in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. Mudariki’s interest in art began at a very young age and by his teens his curiosity and interest in making art led him to contact established artists and art teachers in Harare. He was wisely advised and has since succeeded in building a promising career of his own. His immigration to South Africa in 2010 took him from the periphery to the core of the art industry and provided him with the opportunities and support to launch a full-time career as a painter. He exhibits regularly in Cape Town and Harare and is showcased at art fairs in South Africa, the United States and Europe. Recently, with the support of a private corporate, a travelling early career retrospective of his paintings, drawn from private and corporate collections, was held in South Africa. The exhibition was a unique opportunity to assess the development of Mudariki’s painting over time and travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town over a period of five months. Entitled Mutara Wenguv’, in Shona (Mudariki’s mother tongue), which literally translates to ‘Line of time’ – and in this context – is an overview of his practice from 1999 to present, is loosely translated as ‘Timeline’. The Curator of Sanlam Corporate Art Collection and Head of the Sanlam Art Advisory Service, Stefan Hundt curated the exhibition. Representative of a growing impetus towards figuration and social commentary in African painting, Mudariki’s works has been avidly collected in South Africa and is attracting attention in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mudariki at his studio in Cape Town following this successful exhibition.
You recently had a retrospective exhibition of your work at the Sanlam Art Gallery in South Africa. Can you tell us how this came about and what this means to you at such an early stage in your career?
In 2016, you were awarded an Africa Centre Artist-in-Residency (AIR) Programme. Can you tell us about the experience and how you think a new environment helps in broadening your artistic perspective?
The exhibition provided the opportunity to look at my career of 17 years. It showcased over 40 paintings borrowed from corporate and private collections as well as publications, exhibition catalogues, sketch books, artist letters and award certificates. It was a humbling experience to see the development of my work over time, starting with some of my first paintings – done in 1999 – to my current body of work.
This was my first artist-in-residency, from October to December, 2016. The experience at Fountainhead – and in Miami in general – was in many ways unique. I was one of four visiting artists, along with Lauren Halsey from Los Angeles and Anthea Behm and Avi Alpert, both from New York). The residency provided me with the opportunity to be immersed in the international contemporary art scene, to create a new network of art professionals and to share ideas and knowledge with other creatives, along with the time and space to further my practice.
The discussion on hosting this exhibition began with a meeting with the curator of the Sanlam Art Collection and Head of the Sanlam Art Advisory service, Stefan Hundt, who had been following my work for a few years. Having an organisation such as Sanlam to support and host such an event, in celebration of my work, gives me the added confidence to know that my commitment is being recognised, that what I am doing is important and gives me the energy to continue focusing on my creative efforts.
It was an interesting time to be in America, as it was during the time of the elections that resulted in Donald Trump being elected president. That environment provided the inspiration to create a body of work that interpreted the situation in America at that time from my perspective.
What is your relationship with politics, and why is it important for you to portray these – often contentious – figures in your work? My relationship with politics is multi-dimensional, multi-faceted and, in a way, non-linear. I see politics as the complex relationship between a group of people – one that extends beyond state politics to include power relationships in a community, a company, a family, a school, a profession, etc. My work attempts to interpret this interplay among individuals in a group in a specific period – at times seeing it as a game in which the different characters try to influence one another or attempt to influence the majority to exercise their power. My recent body of work is looking at social media, how this technological advancement somehow impacts on modern society – access, freedom and control – and then looking at the politics of social media. You have reflected on the socio-political situation over the past few years in your home country of Zimbabwe, where there has been a recent change in the political arrangement. What are your opinions on this change of power in your home country and are we likely to see paintings that critique this in your next body of work? I do not see the recent events in my country of birth as being a change of power, but rather a change in political leadership. To put it another way, it is like a snake shedding its old skin. The new leader was a mentee of the former leader and the country still has the same political party and the same politicians. The legacy of former president Robert Mugabe is quite a mixed one. On the one side he was a gallant freedom-fighter, pan-Africanist and advocate for the education and emancipation of the people of his country, but on the other he was a ruthless leader who caused hardship and the destruction of the social structure of the nation, made those who opposed him suffer and led to total economic destruction and hyper-inflation. However, one must not take away his belief in black emancipation from the background of slavery and Western colonisation in Africa and that black people can self-determine and can prosper on their own, given total access to their resources. I must say that, over the past 10 years, my work has interpreted and engaged with the >>
No.2__ Artpaper / 29
Review /Africa
Highlights
Feb – April ‘18 ART MARKET / AFRICA
“ The Surgeon (2012) portrays the President as an intelligent political scientist, in his laboratory performing an operation on a cockerel (an act symbolising him attempting to fix internal power fights in his party).”
‘Business & pleasure’ (2013) 80 x 60cm
political situation in Zimbabwe and will continue to interpret recent and future events. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary art Africa opened its doors in Cape Town in September 2017 and is arguably the most important art institution to open on the continent for more than a century. How do you think it will help in furthering the advancement and appreciation of art from the continent? The opening of what is considered the first museum dedicated to contempo-
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rary art on the continent is undoubtedly a great move. Its architecture is cutting edge and the opening exhibitions showcased the best of contemporary art on the continent. For me, this institution is important in two ways: as an artist, it will create opportunities for artists to showcase major solo exhibitions without commercial pressure and establish credibility and as a student of cultural heritage and museology, I see it taking the crucial role of preserving our artistic heritage, making provisions for our cultural artefacts to remain on the continent and, most importantly,
allowing Africans to write their own art history. Describe your experience exhibiting and working in South Africa This will be the fifth time I have shown my work at the Cape Town Art Fair. I will be presented by my local gallery, Barnard Gallery, and I will be exhibiting a painting from my recent body of work that engages with the current topical issue of the economy. My experience of working and exhibiting in South Africa, l can say that it has
been positive. I feel that, in the context of the African continent, the South African art world has been much more mature and robust, despite a comparatively small but growing collector base. However, like any other industry, it has had its own challenges of finding and maintaining a healthy relationship with the market forces such as galleries, curator, dealers and collectors. Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti is a writer and research assistant at the Centre for Curating the Archive, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town.
Spotlight / Amsterdam Feb – April ‘18 STREET ART
M
to the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. In a statement, Banksy said: “I’m never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one.” Also framed on a wall is his infamous ‘Banksy of England’ note. He gained a lot of exposure with this in 2004, when he produced a quantity of spoof British £10 notes substituting the Queen’s head with the head of Diana, Princess of Wales and changing the text ‘Bank of England’ to ‘Banksy of England’. In October 2007, one of these notes was sold at Bonhams auction house in London for £24,000.
y plan to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was soon forgotten when, on arriving at Amsterdam Central Station, I noticed a poster advertising the Banksy exhibition at the MOCO. I had never seen Banksy’s work exhibited in a gallery! Since appreciating some of his outdoor art in situ in his early London days, I have been a fan and follower of his street art with its witty commentary on society. From Basquiat to Banksy, street art sprang from the urge of youth for self-expression and not from the classrooms of classical art schools. However, street art is now fully recognised as an artistic form and is steadily becoming one of the most prolific art forms of the 20th century. Bristol-born Banksy started spray painting freehand in the early 1990s, when he was part of a group of boys who called themselves Bristol’s DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). His personal style developed, and Banksy started predominantly using stencils – a faster and more effective method – to avoid arrest. Marked by bold images with hard-hitting underlying messages and witty slogans, his art soon gained popularity. By 1999, he was heading for London and it was around this time that he began retreating into anonymity. The reason for Banksy’s being secretive is often related to the fact that graffiti was and still is deemed illegal. Evading the authorities is certainly one explanation. On the flipside, Banksy also discovered that anonymity created its own invaluable buzz. As his street art appeared in cities across Britain, comparisons to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring began circulating. A couple of decades later and Banksy is one of the most influential artists of our time. The MOCO is the most recent addition to Amsterdam’s Museumplein. It is located in Villa Alsberg, a grand townhouse designed in 1904 by Eduard Cuypers. The owners, Lionel and Kim Logchies, commissioned Studio Piet Boon, who updated the interior to contrast with the historic façade. Initially, it appears an unusual space in which to find an art gallery, but the Villa acts as a perfect counterpart to the contemporary art paintings and objects which are showcased inside. The building’s interiors are both preserved and adapted superbly into a functioning museum.
In addition to the canvases, sculptures and drawings, during the tour you can also see hilarious messages that the artist captured in some altarpieces, such as ‘I wanted wine, women and song. I got a drunk woman singing.’ Overall a comprehensive display of Banksy’s works in one art gallery, the MOCO presents the works with dignity, a superb first exhibition in an art gallery for the ‘provocateur’ artist, who, in 2010, was selected by Time magazine for inclusion in its list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
MOCO’s remit is to reach out to an international young audience, and currently the museum is running a dual exhibition alongside the Banksy ‘Laugh Now’ exhibition – the Roy Lichtenstein ‘Lasting Influence’. This dual exhibition showcases more than 50 works of art from both artists. The Banksy exhibition is displayed in the rooms and corridors of the first two levels of the art gallery. The work is a mixture of sculptures and indoor and outdoor art. Well known for his outdoor street art which can be found in various parts of the world, not many people know that Banksy also does indoor art and I had never seen any before. The mixed media pieces displayed at the MOCO are owned by collectors who had bought them at previous Banksy exhibitions. Witnessing so much of his art in one space is a journey through some pivotal political moments in our recent history. The pieces included are some of his most famous works such as Laugh Now, Barcode, Girl with Balloon, Jerry Crude Oil, Kids on Guns, Pulp Fiction, Flower Thrower, Monkey Queen, Kate Moss, Bomb Hugger, Soup Can and Beanfield. Beanfield is one of Banksy’s legendary and most striking pieces. Measur-
ing an impressive 2.5 x 3.5 metres, is has not been on display since 2009. It shows a group of five riot police running through a green field, smelling the flowers and holding hands. The huge canvas, located among wooden panels and soft grey walls, shows a humorous nudge towards the police brutality at the Battle of Beanfield in 1985, which was an attack on a convoy of travellers heading for Stonehenge to set up a free festival. This is a very important canvas that characterises Banksy as an activist artist. There is a highlight at the top of the staircase that took my breath away with its stark innocence and vibrant colour. ‘Forgive us for Trespassing’ hangs between the light of two stained glass windows in a classical setting and is the first art work the visitors see as they walk through the entrance. Here Banksy plays on Christianity’s The Lord’s Prayer, relating it to the illegality of graffiti art. This is addressed by the very literal image of a boy praying for forgiveness in front of graffiti on a church window.
Banksy sees great potential for new contemporary artists, saying, “There’s a whole new audience out there, and it’s never been easier to sell [one’s art]. You don’t have to go to college, drag ’round a portfolio, mail off transparencies to snooty galleries or sleep with someone powerful, all you need now is a few ideas and a broadband connection. This is the first time the essentially bourgeois world of art has belonged to the people. We need to make it count.” (From an interview with Will Ellsworth-Jones for Smithsonion magazine) And so, the diverse work continues. In March last year, Banksy opened The Walled Off Hotel in the little town of Bethlehem – a place under Israeli occupation, overlooked by a vast security wall, under the gaze of Israeli checkpoints controlling the roads in and out. Last Christmas, in a bid to bring some festive cheer to what Banksy calls “the least Christmassy place on earth”, the >>
On the same theme, a statement sculpture in the exhibition is “Cardinal Sin”, a bust with its face sawn off and replaced by blank tiles, designed as a response
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Spotlight / Exhibition / Amsterdam Feb – April ‘18 STREET ART
artist decided to stage ‘Alternativity’ in the car park of his hotel around the corner from Manger Square, in Bethlehem – believed to be the birthplace of Christ himself. But as a famously anonymous graffiti artist, who has never put on a play, he was going to need some help - so he contacted the celebrated Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle, who decided to accept this unorthodox request from the man with no face. The event, performed by children from the neighbourhood who had never heard of Banksy before, was a great success. A documentary about the making has been produced and published on YouTube. Banksy: Laugh Now at MOCO, Honthorststraat 20, 1071 Amsterdam, is open until 31 May. www.mocomuseum.com
Banksy – ‘Four Monkeys’ {detail) 75 x 75cm 2001
Banksy – ‘Beanfield’ 250 x 350cm 2009
ART MARKET / AFRICA
CHRISTINE XUEREB
Development in the Kenyan art scene
“T
he art market is really developing,” said Eltayeb Dawelbait, a Sudanese artist who works in Kenya, when interviewed for a BBC programme on Kenyan art (East Africa’s Fast Evolving Art Scene) back in 2013. “There’s something happening in Europe where they’re now discovering East African art, the big companies here in Kenya are creating spaces for art and people are learning to differentiate between the quality of art being produced.” Although East Africa has been evolving in the art scene in recent years, it has dragged behind South Africa and West Africa – which have had vibrant and dynamic art scenes for the past few decades. In fact, after much controversy over the scandal at the 56th Venice biennale where, for a second time, Kenya was being largely represented by Chinese and Italian artists, last year’s 57th Venice Biennale finally had Kenyan artists represented in the Kenyan pavilion. The artists represented were Arlene Wandera, whose 3D
artwork played around the themes of space and emotions; the artistic multimedia duo Mwangi Hutter, who reflect on changing social realities whilst also creating aesthetics of self-knowledge and interrelationship; Paul Onditi, whose painted collages visualise an imaginative world of chaos and other nuances of urban and contemporary existence; Peterson Kamwathi, whose highly conceptual artworks explore the place, role, symbolism and meaning of processions within contemporary ceremonies and political protocol; and Richard Kimathi, whose paintings’ compositions and themes form simple narratives with philosophical depth and humour. Other Kenyan artists to look out for would include Beatrice Wanjiku, whose expressionist artwork explores the realities surrounding us; Longinos Nagila, whose multimedia work explores the concept of industrialisation, mass production and urbanization; Wangechi Mutu, whose multimedia work explores self-image, gender constructs, cultural trauma and environmental
destruction; Jimmy Ogonga, an artist and producer who curated the Kenyan pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale and whose work involves artistic practice as well as curatorial; Jim Chuchu, a filmmaker and visual artist and Michael Soi, whose hard-edged compositions speak about female issues in Africa. Kenya is said to lack the infrastructure needed for artists but, despite many challenges, artists working in Kenya describe it as being an immensely stimulating and inspiring place in which to produce art. As a matter of fact, the Circle Art Gallery, which opened to the public in 2015 following an art auction organised in 2013 with the aim of developing a sustainable art market for Kenya, is all about building an art scene that is viable and not dependent on the generosity of foreign institutions such as the Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Institute which, up until now, have helped finance the production of art in Kenya. While Kenyan artists are being inspired to create more art, the world looks on as they exhibit their work worldwide.
A group exhibition at the Red Hill Art Gallery just outside Nairobi, which runs until 21 January, will feature the work of Beatrice Wanjiku, Peterson Kamwathi and Paul Onditi, amongst others. Peterson Kamwathi’s work will also be represented by Galerie Ernst Hilger at the Art Paris Fair 2018, whilst Mwangi Hutter will exhibit their Innocent of Black and White at Kunstverein Ludwigshafen, Germany, between 26 January and 22 April and Time Zone Equinox at the Sheppard Contemporary and University Galleries in Nevada, USA, from 15 March to 10 May.
Wangechi Mutu’s latest commission for the Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, USA) will be exhibited at the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall between 20 January and 31 December and Jim Chuchu’s exhibition Invocations runs until 24 June at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, USA. Above image: Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey – Exhibited October 2013 to March 2014 at the Brooklyn Museum.
No.2__ Artpaper / 33
Travel / Budapest Feb – April ‘18
CULTURE When it’s not busy posing as Paris or Berlin for Hollywood blockbusters such as Spy (2015) and Atomic Blonde (2017), Budapest has its very own unique character and charm. While it may not possess the polished sophistication of its neighbour Vienna, the Hungarian capital has a gritty feel which will get under your skin if you let it. Here are its top must-sees for those who might need a little convincing. The Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the city’s first permanent bridge across the Danube, dates back to 1849. Bar the neo-gothic Hungarian Parliament building only a short distance away, it is perhaps the city’s most iconic and recognisable structure. As one of the main thoroughfares linking the two sides of the cities, it is impossible to miss and an easy one to cross off the list. Rising directly above the Chain Bridge on the Buda side is the city’s Castle Hill. Home to palaces, museums, postcard-worthy mediaeval dwellings and breathtaking views, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is enchantingly beautiful and will certainly end up dominating your Instagram if
you allow it. Put on a pair of comfortable shoes, take your time and enjoy discovering every nook and cranny of this picture-perfect district. Be sure not to miss the Magdalene Tower, Fishermen’s Bastion and the Matthias Fountain. The Hungarian National Gallery, housed within the former Royal Palace, is also found in this district and this year it will be hosting a major exhibition of Bacon, Freud and the School of London.
most amongst the city’s galleries is ART+TEXT, located within the gem of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture that is the Bedo House (1903). Although only in its fourth year of operation, ART+TEXT has firmly established its place in the local scene, as well as in the international art fair circuit, by representing both emerging contemporary artists as well post-war modernists.
Inaugurated in 2005, Müpa Budapest is a gargantuan cultural hub covering a floor area of 70,000 sq. metres and serves as a home for music and dance, as well as contemporary circus performances. The award-winning complex contains the 1,565-seat Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, the Festival Theatre and the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. The latter’s annual programme consists of eight main exhibitions, this year’s highlight being Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures and Other Works.
For those who prefer their art to be more urban and outdoor, the city is dotted with colourful, often multi-storey, murals commissioned by the Színes Város Association. Focusing on urban regeneration, its aim is to change the widespread distorted view on graffiti through wall paintings with artistic value that cheer up the cityscape. The areas chosen are often neglected yet have considerable pedestrian traffic. With over 70 projects now completed – in both Budapest and beyond – it can be said that the fulfilment of its mission is well underway.
Budapest possesses a booming gallery scene prominently show-casing both Hungarian and international art. Fore-
If looking at too much art has you feeling dizzy, then the antidote might be to head for Margaret Island, a park at the
Budapest. centre of the Danube between the Buda and Pest sides. A tranquil getaway from the city, the island offers fresh air, silence and ample green areas. As a matter of fact, very little of the island is built up and its skyline is dominated solely by trees and an Art Nouveau water tower dating back to 1911. On Margaret Island you will also find the ruins of a 13th-century Dominican convent, several swimming pools, a Japanese garden and a small zoo.
However, if relaxation is really what you’re after, then a visit to one of the city’s renowned thermal baths is an absolute must. Featured in Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 5 (1997) and, more recently, in last year’s Spring/Summer Gucci eyewear campaign by Petra Collins, the Gellért Baths are the epitome of Art Nouveau luxury. The eight intricately mosaic thermal pools range in temperature from 19°C to 38°C, making them perfect for visiting at any time of year. Whilst Budapest may be renowned for its thermal baths, it is also well-known for its ruin bars, and no visit to the Hungarian capital would be complete without at least a quick peek into the temple of palinka and bric a brac that is Szimpla Kert – the original ruin bar. Standing at the centre of the old Jewish district and Budapest’s nightlife, Szimpla Kert is an institution. On any given night it is a trip down the rabbit hole, but Sunday mornings, however, are for farmers and their fresh produce. Experience it any which way you like, it will get stuck in your head no matter what, just like the city. Buda & Pest
Chain Bridge
Alexandra Zuckerman at Art Plus Text Budapest
Fisherman’s Bastions
No.2__ Artpaper / 35
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Architecture / Malta Feb – April ‘18
APPRECIATION
Photos by AP
KONRAD BUHAGIAR
Poker Faces + Smiles: the pleasures of bathing at the foot of the Valletta bastions
T
View of Valletta from Tigné
he leisure industry in Malta offers up tens of thousands of beach-bound, sun-dazzled smiles and selfies to countless camera lenses and iPhones. It is hungry for images to serve as a lasting gift to the contemporary golden calf, the almighty dollar. This is not to say that the forces that generated the military structures protecting the
KONRAD BUHAGIAR is a founding partner of Architecture Project and has been responsible for numerous restoration and rehabilitation works in historic buildings and urban sites. He has lectured in Malta and several countries abroad, published numerous historical articles and has been the Chairman of both the Heritage Advisory Committee and the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee. Konrad is also the chief editor behind our A Printed Thing and Founding Myths of Architecture publications.
( Above + Right )Phoenicia Hotel pool area redeveloped by AP
Renaissance city of Valletta from coastal invaders were not also working for similar divinities and idols. When Valletta sprang out of the rock during the austere 16th century, however, the demand for smiles was limited. Squinting into the sun was merely about spying enemy vessels on the horizon. The coast was defensive and expressionless. It was a man-made illusion that proclaimed little more than immutability, impermeability and the semblance of strength. It took presumption and courage – and a fair dose of folly – to defy the wind-swept Mediterranean Sea and to stand one’s ground against the breaking waves and the constantly smoothened, changing rocks. Was this weathered outcrop, this shifting limestone landscape, relentlessly transformed, inch by inch, by the dynamic forces of nature, ever ideal for a project such as this? Only the ever-moving sea knows. She holds up a mirror to both the human vanity of man, and his God-like resolve. Here, on the edge of the sea, at the foot of Valletta’s fortifications, architecture is a form of deceit, a false impression of permanence. Sunlight is broken by these erect, precipitous walls that cast sharp and deep
shadows on the rounded rocks and fishfilled pools below. Like a short-lived smile harbouring a dark and restless soul, it is a reminder of the transitory nature of man’s building exploits. Today, as I dive into the icy-cold water of early February, the sea comes towards me and surrounds me, a loyal ally. It erodes historical stratification and plunges me into a moment that is ageless – when my body is allowed to escape chronological time and become one with nature. Resurfacing, I look towards the shore and rediscover – through salt-blurred vision – the sheer, towering walls rising from the rocks, the silent, poker-faced landscape of Renaissance times. How different is the message here from that of the generous, gently sloping embrace of the hedge-and-sand landscape of Ghajn Tuffieha, with its foreground of smiles, cries, suntanned bodies and coloured bathing costumes! This fortified backdrop is a heroic landscape that speaks of the toil of my ancestors to subdue nature and keep the enemy at bay, of the warrior whose ambition it was to carve out a safe haven for himself and his offspring. And still, this land is not the sweet, stable home that it
seems to say it is, nor is its peace the historical calm of a site where something was resolved, once and for all. There are many things to be done, Howard Roark thinks in the opening lines of The Fountainhead, as his naked body is poised to dive into the lake below. This is how I feel when I swim under the stern gaze of the bastions of Valletta. Not to lose time, not to get caught, Not to be left behind, not – please! – to resemble The beasts who repeat themselves, or a thing like water Or stone whose conduct can be predicted, these Are our common prayer W.H.Auden’s In praise of Limestone
No.2__ Artpaper / 37
S
Spotlight / Event / Malta Feb – April ‘18
Highlights
A L B E RT S T O R A C E
Mozart’s Don Giovanni Teatru Manoel is staging a brandnew production of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni on 5, 7, 9 and 10 March. Here’s an interesting study of this famous opera: Don Giovanni is the second in the trilogy of operas Mozart wrote to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838). The first of them was premiered in Vienna on 1 May 1786, while the first performance of Don Giovanni was in Prague on 29 October 1787. Così fan tutte was to follow with a premiere in Vienna on 26 January 1790. This collaboration was to be one of the most famous in the history of opera and Da Ponte’s name is forever linked with Mozart’s. From obscurity in Conegliano in the Veneto, where he was born, the future poet and librettist, priest and later ex-priest, impresario and translator was to achieve unheard of fame before dying bankrupt in New York. We now take Mozart’s fame and genius for granted, but he often had a hard time. He could earn a lot, but he also spent a lot, and more than he ever earned, so he was often in debt. Having a not very budget-wise wife did not help and that long-desired Court appointment kept eluding him. His work did not always achieve great popularity since to the fickle public he was just another composer and the aura of a child prodigy had long worn off.
Much to his pleasure, however, Mozart’s works were often much better received in Prague, the Bohemian capital of one of the Habsburgs’ hereditary dominions. He had registered great success during a stay there in January and February 1787, which is why he readily accepted a commission from the Emperor Josef II to write a new opera. The Emperor wanted it to be premiered on 14 October during a visit to Prague of his eldest niece, Maria Theresa, daughter of his younger brother and future successor Leopold II, with her husband the future King Anton of Saxony. Because the new opera was not completed by the time the couple arrived in Prague, the Emperor ordered Le Nozze di Figaro to be put on instead. This was performed on the planned day. It is said that the plot was considered by some as too risqué for a young bride married only five weeks earlier and, in any event, the couple left before the end of the performance. One wonders what the moaners would have said, had they seen Don Giovanni when this was premiered to public acclaim on 29 October. It was performed by the Prague Italian Opera Company at the National Theatre of Bohemia, which was later to become the Theatre of the Estates. Il Dissolute Punito, Ossia Il Don Giovanni is the original title of this ‘dramma giocoso’ as Mozart himself dubbed it. To Mozart it meant a comic opera but, as everybody knows, it is
a mix of lighter pages and dramatic incidents with the opera beginning with murder, leading to the final debâcle and moralising ensemble. One may wonder why Mozart chose to delve into the character of the legendary rake/roué/debauchee/ dissolute aristocratic character alias Don Giovanni – a professional seducer and charming – yet very unscrupulous. It could be that it was because Da Ponte had seen a performance of Don Giovanni Tenorio in Venice early that same year. It was by Giuseppe Gazzaniga (1742-1818) to a libretto by Giovanni Bertati (1735-1815) which, of course, was not the first opera or stage play on the subject. In fact, Thomas Shadwell (c164292), playwright and Poet Laureate from 1689, had written the play The Libertine which was staged in London in 1676. Prague had become notable as a great centre where plays and operas about the “hero” Don Juan had been put on throughout the 18th century. However, the prototype takes one back to Spain, to the play El Burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The trickster of Seville and the stone guest). This was written by the Mercedarian monk Tirso de Molina (1579-1648). Performances of it were known in 1630 but the play was possibly on the boards as early as 1616. The original setting was the 14th century and Molina’s play is the earliest dramatisation of this character.
Seducers and rakes have always been and always will be around. Not that Mozart could be compared to a Don Juan but he must have been to some extent familiar with the exploits of the 18th century’s greatest playboy and contemporary, the Italian Giacomo Casanova (1725-98). You would not go off the mark too much if you were to imagine Casanova’s valet reading out a list or catalogue of seduced women of all shapes, sizes and social condition to a distraught abandoned victim of his master in the same way Don Giovanni’s Leporello does to Donna Elvira in the famously cynical Madamina, il catalogo è questo. It is no surprise that the human dimension and touch of the supernatural in this opera won it a special place in the public’s heart. It has been performed with success the world over. At times, Don Giovanni’s outrageous cheekiness could almost be admired as is his nerve when he is facing the day of reckoning, but he had to be punished for all the harm he had caused. Perhaps many of those seduced females may not have been completely innocent in finding themselves in their wretched predicament. However, it does takes two to dance the minuet, and murder is murder and Don Giovanni receives his just desserts. This great opera was recently listed as the ninth most performed opera world-wide.
There is a special price for attending the opera and other recitals. Further information is available from www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
Don Giovanni is part of the Teatru Manoel BOV Opera week which also includes three recitals:
No.2__ Artpaper / 38
Operatic Paraphrases for Piano on 6 March, with pianist Vassilis Varvaresos performing music by Mozart, Liszt, Schumann and Wagner.
Flute in Opera on 8 March, featuring Flautist Rebecca Hall accompanied by pianist Lucia Micallef, performing music by Handel, Gluck, Donizetti, Chopin, Gershwin, Bizet and Borne.
Mozart’s Sacred Music on 10 March at St Augustine’s Church, Valletta, featuring soprano Miriam Gauci, with the Goldberg Ensemble conducted by Michael Laus, perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sacred music.
Books / Nikki Petroni Feb – April ‘18
MALTA
ART MARKET Continued from pg 15
Gauguin – La Vague
Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert
The Master and Margarita
Orlando Virginia Woolf
Mikhail Bulgakov The story of the disillusioned Emma Bovary is one to which most people can relate. In times when faith is incommensurable with everyday life, and provinciality seeps into the trajectory of progress, refuting the human (infinite) for subjective (finite) benefit, what can justify one’s existence? Becoming a wife and fulfilling domestic duties? Raising a child? For Emma, these latter options offered no gratification, no true happiness. Her character embodies a relentless dissatisfaction with life itself, an incurable sense of ennui mitigated by attraction and the possibility of ownership. Love for opulent, exotic objects and indulgence in charismatic men is what provides Madame Bovary with relief from the dull consistency of being a village doctor’s wife. A tragedy that makes one question how both freedom and domesticity are articulated in society, Flaubert’s magnum opus is the only book to ever instil in me a strong existential bond with a character who is generally unlikable. Her experience, however, is far from singular or peculiar. We (fortunately) do not live in the 19th century, in a French province detached from urban culture and way of living. Yet Emma Bovary is a reminder of the choices with which many women are confronted and the melancholy that these restrictions bring. She is a heroin of the modern age.
Cacophony, banquets, madness, devils, chaos, satire, magic – The Master and Margarita weaves comedy and tragedy throughout to convey the absurdity of living under the Stalinist bureaucratic regime. What was most captivating about this novel was the oscillation between the bizarre image of contemporary Moscow and the trials of Pontius Pilate, a narrative with a known ending of sufferance and ultimate otherworldly salvation. Satan at times appears as a forgiving and benevolent figure, leading one to sympathise with him and await his reappearance. I do think this to be the purpose of the book; to show that evil is embedded in the spectacle of power that manipulates our thoughts, actions and feelings. It is those living on earth who exploit the malleability of human principles by determining what is acceptable and what is not, rather than some metaphysical being who resides in immaterial spaces. The Master and Margarita, amidst bouts of sudden laughter and sincere delight, taught me that bureaucracy is the devil with whom we share a happy coexistence: he convinces us of his altruism, entertains the public, and hosts magnificent balls, but is the murderer of all things sacred; spiritual or atheistic.
Woolf has long been a favourite author of mine. Her eloquent pen and depth of thought have given birth to literary marvels. Orlando bears a lighter tone than many of her other novels, but this does not diminish the significance of the story’s historical and philosophical engagement. Time travel is an unequivocally exciting prospect, one that Woolf imbues with the additional dimension of gendertransformation. Travelling forward through key moments in British history, Orlando’s experiences offer a perspective on the past through both male and female eyes. Her/his youth persists along a span of circa 350 years, defying the mortality of time by articulating history as an accumulation of interconnected happenings.
Seurat – La rade de Grandcamp
Perhaps their greatest collecting achievement came in 1968, following the death of Gertrude Stein’s companion, Alice B. Toklas. Toklas had amassed one of the most singular collections of modern art, including 47 pieces by Picasso and Juan Gris. Along with a syndicate of friends and family, Rockefeller purchased the entire collection, ensuring that he personally came away with the most coveted piece – Picasso’s Young Girl with a Basket of Flowers (1905) – one of the most intensely beautiful portraits from the artist’s Rose Period. The collection also features American paintings, English and European furniture, Asian works of art, European ceramics, Chinese export porcelain, silver and American decorative arts and furniture. Select highlights from the collection will tour Asia, Europe and around the United States ahead of the auction, alongside exhibitions, art forums and a vast number of public and private events. Discussing the collection before his death, David Rockefeller said: “Eventually, all these objects – which have brought so much pleasure to Peggy and me – will go out into the world and will again be available to other caretakers who, hopefully, will derive the same satisfaction and joy from them as we have.” MutualArt.com
The book was adapted for film in 1992, directed by Sally Potter and starring the androgynous-looking Tilda Swinton as the protagonist. Potter’s rendition adds another layer of time to Woolf’s novel; the hue of a post-modern reading of gender difference. A timeless story that can be unceasingly retold and adapted, Orlando is essentially a compelling debate on eternal questions such as love, success and the permissions granted by society for a desired life to be attained. Nikki Petroni is currently reading for a PhD in Art History focusing on Maltese Modern Art
Goxwa – The Last Door ( Detail ) at Art Paris Art Fair 2018
No.2__ Artpaper / 39
BAR REFAELI by Chen Man
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Big Bang One Click. King Gold case. Bezel set with 42 diamonds. Self-winding movement. Interchangeable rubber strap with a unique attachment.
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