An exhibition of black and white photographs by Patrick J. Fenech examining the relevance of documentary photography in today’s hyper-paced world is opening at MUŻA in Valletta.

The photographs in Caged Spaces − A Photographer’s Gaze of Malta at the Turn of the Millennium were selected from an archive of mainly 35mm negatives, whose original intention was to capture the laid-back lifestyle of the people in Malta and Gozo.

The cover of the publication accompanying the exhibition.

They were taken in a period of time when the islands were in the process of shedding their colonial past and initiating a journey as an independent young republic, at the turn of the millennium.

They, in fact, span from the late 1970s into the 1980s and the early 1990s, and are taken with 35mm analog Canon cameras. Fenech covered most of the island’s north to south areas, as well as Gozo.

For this project, which started during the pandemic, Fenech digitised hundreds of black-and-white celluloid negatives. 

A good number of photos from his very first solo exhibition, simply called Photographs, which was held at the Gallerija Fenici in 1982, are also included in the exhibition.

Caged Spaces, curated by Caroline Tonna, opens to the public on June 22 and runs until July 14, and is supported by Avantech – Canon, the Valletta Cultural Agency and Arts Council Malta.

Man and bird

It is accompanied by a 144-page hardback photobook published by Kite Group, which features a compelling essay penned by Mark-Anthony Falzon, professor of social anthropology at the University of Malta. It will be launched at MUŻA on June 21 at 7.30pm. Entrance is free. A reception will follow.

Copies are available from www.kitegroup.com.mt and leading bookstores. For more information, call on 9993 2592.

For more information on the artist and his new exhibition, visit www.patrickjfenech.com.