City Gate is a live radio show on Radio City 98FM which I conducted starting January 2021. The latter is hosted under the auspices and at the premises of the Società Filarmonica Nazionale La Valette in Valletta.
The name of the show recalls the memory of us Valletta people meeting up friends or holding romantic dates at City Gate – the main gate of the city and whereabouts – back in the 90s. Each show is a two hour catch up meeting with a friend, acquaintance or personality, which is made public through radio waves and eventually, the internet.
City Gate promotes a lighthearted discourse about life in the community with a special reference to the city of Valletta and its people. It is also meant to act as a document recounting the experiences of the guests who honour me with their presence and personal story-telling.
This captivating portrait teeters on the edge of abstraction, featuring a young woman in profile with bold, contrasting hues that imbue the composition with depth and complexity. The use of alternating white brushstrokes and black splashes and daubs creates a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, drawing the viewer’s eye in a captivating search for revelation. This digital portrait is a work of art, designed to provoke contemplation and reflection in the viewer.
One of the most striking aspects of this artwork is the composition’s handling of the lady’s facial features. The face seems to melt into the brightest area, creating a sense of immersion in a radiant light. The delicate white strokes add a touch of sophistication to the piece, evoking silver linings or shining reflections. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the artist has sought to capture the psychology of a woman in the throes of transitioning from youth to adulthood. The shifting color palette, moving from the mournful reds to cooler blues and brighter, more hopeful whites, speaks to the complexities of emotional and spiritual growth.
The three limited edition prints of ‘Dak li int’ have found homes in three distinct art collections, two in Malta and one in Ireland, testifying to its universal appeal.
Disconnection with a loved counterpart entails a process of yearning and letting go followed by hope or grief. Lullaby is a work about a state of disconnection, a state of sleep/flux in which the burning fire of desire sleeps but slowly sheds light on unforeseen revelations. The work was greatly inspired by the song Lulluby by American indie rock band Low.
“Cross over and turn
Feel the spot don’t let it burn
We all want we all yearn
Be soft don’t be stern
Lullaby
Was not supposed to make you cry
I sang the words I meant
I sang”
The ghost-like female figure revealed a surprisingly uncanny resemblance to
Forget Marie from the
Her Majesty (2015) series. Would this be a slow revelation rather than a disappearance? Would the truth within unveil itself and manifest or just take time to fade away?
The focal point of this artistic endeavor revolves around the embodiment of feminine grandeur as perceived through the lens of an ardent admirer. Its inception was sparked by an evocative remark stumbled upon on July 27, within the comment section of the “ifwekissed” Instagram profile:
“i got so lost in her details. The shape of her lips. The way her hair falls on her shoulders. The way the light brighten her eyes. The way her smile forms when she looks at me. Didn’t matter who was in the room – she was all I saw.”
This profound statement starkly juxtaposes the common English idiom “elephant in the room,” which alludes to a weighty subject, question, or contentious matter that is palpable to all, yet meticulously avoided to evade discomfort or unease. Irrespective of any controversy or disquietude, an authentic lover will forever acknowledge and celebrate the resplendence of their beloved.
The creative process was further accompanied by the music Elephant Woman by Blonde Redhead which was discovered on July 27 and which accopanied the conceptual creation of this artwork.
The female figure contemplates her fragile existence by holding and meditating over the suspended life of a plant shoot. Nonetheless, the anemone flower adorning the figure’s head augurs a prosperous future.
This work is inspired by the thematic of Anemone (2016), as a follow up to the Kobba phase and a first move towards new artistic territories.
MOVE, a Maltese NGO member of ISCA which works within culture and physical education, invited me to participate in the Open Streets Day 2019 events organised in the main square of Żejtun.
Whilst streets were closed for cars and made accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, I was requested to decorate the main street with a written poem in Maltese language. The installation was executed in a freehand technique using coloured chalk.
The poetry read:
Fit-triq
id-daħk tat-tfal,
il-ballun,
iċ-ċrieki,
il-lastiku,
iż-Żejtun.
Fit-triq
in-nannu,
in-nanna,
kitarra u trumbetta;
il-banda.
Fit-triq
in-nies
u mhux karozzi.
Fit-triq jien ngħix
maltemp jew bnazzi.
Kultura ta’ dari,
kultura ta’ llum.
Fit-triq noħlom il-futur.
Action painting on a found photographic image.
Digital portrait of Louise Agius.
Introduction
Kobba is the Maltese word for a clew, a ball of yarn or cord, in our case a ball of red thread that seems infinite but whose beginning and end never come together. The thread flows above the lower layer like a wave that washes on the shore and then retreats to make space for the next, in a never ending cycle. The clew is sown with scorching red stories. One layer above the next, the clew is the experiences and relations that shape us. A continuous red line that starts and finishes in a state of order or confusion, and that, once tangled, becomes impossible to restore.
The Project
A series of digital illustrations through which questions about human relations are revived; questions within ourselves but also outside of our personal realm. Questions that refer to intimacy, romanticism, apathy, bodily greed and human values. This work questions what is it that makes us whole, what we look for within us, and within those who relate to us. The human figure is central to this project, acting as a container, but also as a trigger. The woman, a metaphor for life in all its elements, becomes a model on whose body the red thread flows, slides and tangles to explore these dimensions in human relations.
The red string, flowing orderly or jumbled, is an indicator of direction or confusion. An indicator of journeys that lead us to a discovery of the self and a discovery of those who are close to us. The latter might not be visible, might not exist, might not want to be there or are mere audiences, just like you are.
Just like the red string, these illustrations toured Malta and Gozo in a series of public meetings during which those present were invited to share and discuss their own reactions to the theme. The tour stopped at the following venues starting September 2018 up to March 2019:
- Private viewing 07/09/18: L’Enoteca – Rabat
- 14/19/18: Little Red Door – Valletta
- 28/09/18: Hosted by Mario – Xagħra, Gozo
- 19/10/18: Il-Baxa Café – Rabat
- 02/11/18: Gleneagles Bar – Mġarr, Gozo
- 14/11/18: Tat-Taraġ – Rabat, Malta
- 08/12/18: Hosted by Family Borg Micallef – Lija
- 15/03/19: Hosted by Antoine Farrugia – Mqabba
The Media