Marsaskala’s got Art…
MarsaskalARTNight – Open-Air Art Exhibition
When we were making preparations for our ‘senior gap year’ in Malta last year, we came over in June to find accommodation for September, a decent amount of time we reasoned. In fantasies, fuelled by looking at ‘houses of character’ on Right Move, I imagined living either in the Three Cities in an old merchant’s house or possibly a fisherman’s cottage close to the sea in an out of the way village. The agents we went to see suppressed the urge to laugh out loud and suggested we came back in September, yes, the properties do fly off the shelves in days, they said, but at the same time, eyeing us as highly unlikely to have wild parties and to actually pay rent on time, they did at least give us a chance.
In my mind, I thought I knew Marsaskala, it was where you went in the south for decent restaurants before the Three Cities had the restaurant scene they have now, in fact, I was to find that, actually, it had grown quite a bit! We ended up with a gorgeous, brand new flat just minutes away from the seafront and it’s lovely promenade.
Initially, I was a bit unsure, we’d always stayed in Senglea, it is, indelibly, home, even after fifty years away, but, now, I love being in Marsaskala, and, to be honest, prefer it. It’s no longer a quiet backwater with a few nice restaurants, it feels real, it feels buzzy and, what’s this – it has an Art Gallery! Of course, I’ve written about Rudy Buhler’s Gallery a few times, Rudy has the most generous heart, he made me welcome in his gallery, encouraged me in my writing efforts and, as the year has unfolded, I’ve been able to see his passion for the Marsaskala Arts scene.
Inspire Inclusion, Rudy’s exhibition in celebration of International Women’s Day, brought together a diverse set of women artists to celebrate their work and was a great success. So, when I saw the advert for the Open-Air Exhibition I was excited to see what it would bring. This is the third year of the exhibition, there’s a mix of artists, from the well established to those just starting out on exhibiting their work. The exhibition is based on the seafront which is great as it brings the gallery out into the community and creates the sense of an art market going on. You can amble along having a look at all the stalls and chat to the artists about their work, or even, buy some!
I stopped and had a chat with many of the artists, and, with apologies to ones I haven’t had space to include, I’ll start with Chillzy, interesting, bright, in your face paintings full of the energy of youth. I asked the artist about the animal paintings tied to the railings and she explained they were representations of the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. They’re fascinating, the general like dog, the fluffy rabbit, the serious rat and the mystical snake, they are all animals and, yet, their expressions are undeniably human, beautiful work.
I chatted to Liza Beta about her work, still life watercolours of fruits and flowers. I liked these paintings, they are really finely and delicately executed, you can see the level of attention that has gone into their creation. Baskets and bowls of lemons, pomegranates, figs and peaches with some tumbling out and overflowing bring a real sense of the Mediterranean summer at the top of its harvest.
I met established artists Caroline Said Lawrence and Michelle Mahoney at Rudy’s Inspire Inclusion exhibition, it was good to see them here supporting the event as well. Caroline brought prints from her ‘Paroli’ characters, a satirical take on the passion for gossip in Malta, I could almost hear the whispers! I’d been enthralled by Michelle’s vibrant works at Inspire Inclusion but there was a chance to see a different side here, a more subdued palette although still charged with energy.
Another well established artist, Audrey Mercieca’s work takes in Maltese landscapes, she explained that she works outside, directly on the canvas resulting in an impressionistic style. You get that sense in looking at her work, she was exhibiting a number of harbour scenes and you can see how her brush strokes reveal the rippling waves and reflections on the water.
From impressionist style to the traditional chiaroscuro, Benny Brimmer’s work stands out in contrast, of course, it reflects on the styles we grew up surrounded by in Maltese churches, brooding, serious and deep. Benny had his easel out on display and was happy to talk about his technique, we discussed his painting of light fall on a building in Mdina, if you wanted to encapsulate much of Maltese culture and history this would be it, the light, the stone, the galleria, I found it really moving, great stuff!
First timers, Susan Minshul and Mario Mallia also put out their stalls. I know them from the Friends of Marsaskala Social club and they’d both mentioned the exhibition. I found them placed next to each other enjoying the opportunity to exhibit their art. I liked their still life work, Susan’s assembly of bottle, jug and fruit is vibrant, I love that blue with it’s depth and Mario’s subdued jars with grapes, there’s a real subtlety to that one.
Rudy’s started a great annual event here, it’s about bringing art out of the confines of the gallery into the community and making it more accessible. There’s a range of art to explore, from watercolours to oil, from impressionistic to abstract, landscapes and the sea, ever the sea, of course, forays into the wildly imaginative and continuing interest in traditional chiaroscuro. He has the Mayor’s support, who came and opened the event and Marsaskala now has it’s own Arts councillor, who knows, this may be the start of the south’s own left bank!
Rita Fennell
Gallery Tart!