A large collective exhibition of ceramic art, The Maltese Islands Ceramics Arts, is on at the Cultural Centre at the Citadel in Victoria, until August 27. The pieces are shown against the rough-hewn golden walls in an undeniably elemental setting which reminds the viewer of the ground from which they were drawn.

Among the diverse selection, you’ll find figures and faces, from Adam and Eve to dancers and friends relaxing, organic pieces including giant seed heads and geological and underwater abstractions, and earthenware vases reminiscent of ancient archaeological finds.

In striking monochrome, Ġgantija lapwings and prehistoric horses edge Barbara Attard Pettet’s wheel-thrown Raku pieces with a pleasing simplicity.

There’s beauty with Madame Camille, a long-necked elegant lady by make-up artist Justin Brincat, and a female figure in a jaunty sunhat by Sue Bencini.

A stunning Spring Beauty smiles from a large plate painted in floral innocence and luscious colours by Miriam Abani, a striking counterpoint to Kenny Schembri’s Succubus Mistress of Dreams, a large sculptural piece of a horned demon who seduces men in their sleep, her closed eyes cast to the ceiling, and two unexpected anatomically-correct hearts in a resplendent shiny gold by Damian Meliak.

Succubus Mistress of Dreams by Kenny Schembri

It’s a show packed with emotions, from the sadness of The Controlled Mind by Charles Zammit to an intriguing piece, Rupture, in which the character’s head is stripped open to reveal an unsettling character with dead eyes and a facial expression reminiscent of The Scream.

An environmental theme is introduced by Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud’s Soaring High, a piece of wall art created from stoneware on reclaimed wood. A metre tall, it evokes a global view as seen from above, an abstracted sea and stylised bridges forming connections with a play of form and shadow.

Mediterranea I and II by Victor Agius incorporate earthy elements like Gozitan blue clay, terrarossa and natural pigments, while the rust red coral by Mariz Cassar Wirth Cavarra evokes an underwater landscape.

The pieces are shown against the rough-hewn golden walls in an undeniably elemental setting which reminds the viewer of the ground from which they were drawn

Nearby, Kollox Marbut (Everything is Linked) by Phyllis Camilleri is reminiscent of an octopus’s curling arm, while Camilleri’s second piece, L’Akbar Għotja (The Greatest Gift), a bird hanging on a wooden cross, overlays an overt religious reference with a concern over the island’s hunting habits. Alongside, a bold splash of colour from Christopher Saliba hangs like a sunburst over a series of white figures. Reclining limply on stone, talking and relaxing, these characters by Hermine Anna Sammut ooze humour in the summer heat while, nearby, the waves lap in an engaging wall piece, Ocean’s Rhythm, by Nadia Haber.

Soulmates by Mario Sammut

Also of particular note, Mario Sammut’s free-standing figurative sculptures are stylistically strong with an emphasis on form. His monumental figures prompt reflection on the relationship dynamics and interactions. Soulmates, for example, depicts two abstracted people in different hues and the timeless nature of human identity.

It is people’s behaviour that underpins Modern Talking, a sardonic indictment of people’s addiction to the screens, in which two figures sit side-by-side hunched over their iPads.

His third piece is Don’t Rock the Boat, a timeless sculpture of figures in a boat ‒ an elegance of form as the shape of the boat mirrors that of a serene wave below. However, this is surely a gentle commentary on migrants and immigration. Perhaps its smooth and tranquil lines serve as a reminder that the stability most of us enjoy in the 21st century is the product of a society built by people who, over centuries and generations past, all arrived by boat, a form of transport.

The show is open every day from 9am-5pm until August 27 and admission is free.