Dreamy art

Malta Songlines, a fusion of Australian Aboriginal and Western art by Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, will be exhibited at the main hall of St James Cavallier, Valletta, between today and February 11 as part of the Australia Day Festivities.

Australian Aboriginal culture underlines the concept of "dreamings", the world of the beginning of all things. The aborigines also believe the creator sang the world into existence.

Such themes run through Dr Schembri Bonaci's works, particularly in his Torri Dreamings In Colour and Torri Dreamings In Black. The concept of death is amplified in his Dupun - hollow-log coffins - shown as ceramic paintings, which is the way the aborigines bury their dead. Other works show the artist's experience over several visits to Gunbalanya, Northern Territory in Australia. The festivities are organised by the Maltese-Australian Chamber of Culture and Commerce.