ARTS
Amora
Contemporary circus company Cirque du Soleil is back in Malta with another original show, this time combining acrobatics and heart-pumping performances to celebrate love.
The story centres around a clumsy but lovable character, Bruno, who, while gazing up to the skies of Valletta, sets eyes on a mysterious woman, Loulou. Captivated, he tries to climb up to her balcony to reach her… but she flies away and vanishes out of sight. He, thus, sets out on a quest to find her, meeting colourful new friends with extraordinary powers along the way.
Shows are taking place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta until December 18. For tickets, visit showshappening.com. For more information, check cirquedusoleil/amora.
Performers in an act from Amora. Photo: Marie-Andrée LemireTHEATRE
TOI TOI Kids: Carols at Christmas
TOI TOI, the educational arm of the Manoel Theatre, is presenting a theatrical romp with carols at the Manoel Theatre on December 8 at 10am and on December 10 and 11 at 10am and noon.
The protagonists are three Carols: Carol Kanzunetta, Carol Żfin and Carol Drammatiku, who compete with each other for a solo role in this year’s Christmas show.
For tickets, visit teatrumanoel.com.mt.
MUSIC
Circuits 2022
Berlin-based electro-acoustic composer and performer Stefan Paul Goetsch, better known as Hainbach, will close Electronic Music Malta’s Circuits 2022 programme at Egmont Hall, Fort St Angelo, Vittoriosa, today at 7.30pm.
There will also be performances by local artists Owen Jay, The Chemist and Robert Farrugia, along with light design by Late Interactive.
The event is supported by Arts Council Malta and is organised in collaboration with Heritage Malta. Tickets are available from heritagemalta.mt. More information may be found on circuitsmalta.com/events/hainbach/.
Electro-acoustic composer and performer Hainbach. Photo: FacebookFILM
The Nutcracker 2022
The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is today screening live Peter Wright’s much-loved production of The Nutcracker for London's Royal Ballet.
Featuring the popular score by Tchaikovsky and period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman, the production keeps true to the spirit of this festive ballet classic, combining the thrill of the fairy tale with spectacular dancing.
The show, rated PG, is being screened live today at 8.15pm. There will be an encore on Sunday at 3pm. For tickets, click here.
Month of European Film
The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is today showing the 2019 Romanian film The Whistlers as part of the Month of European Film. The crime drama, certified 15, will be shown in its original language with English subtitles.
Across Europe, partner cinemas in 35 countries from Reykjavik to Athens, from Lisbon to Bucharest, but also including small towns and networks, are highlighting European films, presenting special programmes, events and dedicated retrospectives for four weeks.
The Month of European Film kicked off on November 13 with the European Arthouse Cinema Day and the European Film Academy’s Young Audience Award. Instead of a uniform catalogue, each participating cinema is creating a unique programme according to their expertise and catering to their audience’s taste. The Month of European Film culminates on December 10 at the 35th European Film Awards in Reykjavik, Iceland.
For tickets and more info, click here.
Catrinel Marlon in The Whistlers (2019).CHRISTMAS EVENTS
Christmas in the Capital
Valletta is hosting a programme of Christmas-related activities until the end of December.
There are Christmas trees in Freedom Square, Republic Street and Merchants Street, Christmas lights in Republic and Merchants streets, an artistic light installation in South Street and a crib next to St John's Co-Cathedral.
The programme, organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency, includes various music and artistic performances throughout the coming weeks, and will culminate with the New Year's Eve concert in St George's Square on December 31.
For details of the programme, visit vca.gov.mt.
The Magical Illuminated Trail
Verdala Palace in Buskett is once again hosting the Magical Illuminated Trail, featuring new and bigger attractions, light Installations, projections and a new Christmas village.
The magical after-dark adventure for all the family runs until January 7. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund.
For tickets, click here.
Other Christmas villages and attractions
Triton Square, in Valletta, is from today hosting Fairyland − Santa’s City, featuring favourite attractions such as Rudolph’s Wheel, an ice-skating rink and a Christmas market, as well as a World Cup Village. Santa’s City runs until January 6.
The Salina National Park in St Paul's Bay is being transformed into a sustainable Christmas village from today to December 18.
Popeye Village in Mellieħa and the Malta National Aquarium in Qawra are also turning into Christmas wonderlands from today to January 8.
The Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali is hosting Santa’s World Malta until January 1. Activities include an elf school and cinema, Santa’s House, live shows and entertainment by Danusan.
The Artisan Village in Ta’ Qali has also become a Christmas village, with fun events for all the family being held until December 24.
A whole programme of activities is also planned for the coming month at the Valletta Waterfront.
In Gozo, Villa Rundle Gardens is hosting a Christmas market until December 18.
Today, there will also be a Christmas village in Parish Street, Mellieħa, organised by Music Academy Malta, and an event titled Għar ta’ Mħabba, organised by the Kummissjoni Tfal Rabat, in Rabat.
For more information, click on the links above.
VISUAL ARTS
It's All Paperwork
An exhibition of sculptures in Maltese globigerina limestone by Antoine Farrugia is on display at the Parliament building in Valletta until Sunday, December 11.
The stone is transformed into what can be perceived as almost sheets of paper, from origami to scrolls of paper and other shapes which seem to defy gravity.
It’s All Paperwork, held under the patronage of Anġlu Farrugia, speaker of the House of Representatives, is organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency. Log on to the event’s Facebook page for more information.
An untitled artwork made of globigerina limestone by Antoine Farrugia.Artsy Christmas
A selection of Christmas-related artworks and more by a number of artists is on show at the Art by the Seaside gallery in Senglea.
The collective exhibition, as the name indicates, is linked to the Christmas season, having a wide range of hand-made arts, from candles, to jewellery to Christmas decorations and obviously wall hanging works.
Participating artists include Kevin Attard, Dave Calleja, David Debono, Rebecca Ranieri, Thomas Scerri and Kevin Sciberras, among many others.
Artsy Christmas runs until Sunday, December 11. Refer to the venue’s Facebook page for more information.
Mediterranean Dreams Part 2
Following his exhibition titled Mediterranean Dreams, Kenneth Zammit Tabona presents the second chapter in his idyllic depictions of our country’s way of life.
The over 30 watercolour works are 'fuoridentros' in which gardens, pockets of landscapes, chapels, watchtowers and Montgolfiers are observed through open windows, thus bringing the outside in.
Mediterranean Dreams 2, curated by Charlene Vella, Mdina, is on display at Xara Palace in Mdina until December 22. Part of the proceeds from sales will be donated to Id-Dar tal-Providenza.
Consult the artist’s Facebook page for more information.
Gabarrón: The Colours of Hope
Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition by Spanish artist Cristóbal Gabarrón dedicated to the United Nations, with his work focusing on the universe of peace, parliamentarism, freedom and human rights.
Apart from the main exhibition, the project also includes a public installation at St George's Square, Valletta, entitled Universo de Luz (Enlightened Universe), and an AMBIT event at Ġgantija Temples, Xagħra, that brought together artistic creations on biodiversity and the values of integral heritage that will travel the five continents.
The exhibition, curated by Rupert Cefai, runs until Sunday, December 11. For more information, visit kreattivita.org.
An artwork by Cristóbal Gabarrón on display at Spazju Kreattiv. Photo: Audrey Rose MizziNuances
An exhibition by Carmel Bonello and Peter Seychell is open at Gemelli Framing in Ta' Qali.
The title of the exhibition essentially defines a spectrum of inspirational sources, especially so when the whole enterprise is that between two artists who have an identifiable and very personalised style of expression.
Bonello is a veteran of the local art scene; with expressionism finding its way very earlier on into his oeuvre. He explores the world around him in full colour, black lines delineating the composition.
Seychell is a relative newcomer to the local art scene. However, his impressive intricate paintings have captured the attention of the art-loving public.
Nuances runs until December 23. Consult this Facebook group for opening hours and more information.
Versatility
Veteran artist Joseph Barbara is exhibiting an array of his works, dating back to 2000, at Wignacourt Museum in Rabat.
The artist is renowned for recycling plastic mineral bottles to construct sculptures that deliver an environmental message. This exhibition, however, also includes his paintings which range from ones that have a strong pop-art imagery, featuring mostly ballroom dancers, to others having an oriental theme and on to multi-thematic collages.
Versatility runs until December 28. The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.15pm.
Beijing Opera Characters by Joseph BarbaraDon Heywood: Artist in Residence at the Phoenicia
Don Heywood, a distinguished British painter specialising in portraits and wildlife studies, is currently exhibiting at the Palm Court Lounge of the Phoenicia Hotel.
The artist is presenting paintings related to the seven important migratory birds that are found on the Maltese islands, these being the hawfinch, the goldfinch, the linnet, the greenfinch, the siskin, the serin and the chaffinch.
Also included in this exhibition are three large paintings of two endangered species of wild animals, the snow leopard and the polar bear.
The exhibition, curated by Louis Laganà, runs at Phoenicia Malta until January 1.
Art at the Corinthia Palace
The Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard is hosting a collective exhibition of contemporary artworks by 13 local and international artists.
The paintings are from the Allura Art collection and range from landscapes and seascapes to florals and abstracts. They include new and previously unseen work.
The artists taking part are Andrew Borg, Christine Porter Lofaro, Jo Dounis, Kevin Sciberras, Debbie Bonello and Rosette Bonello from Malta and Christopher Saliba and Bob Cardona from Gozo. Foreign locals include British-Maltese painter Andrew Smith, Bulgarians Vania Goshe and Bogdan Dyulgerov, Natasha Dadush from Russia and Marianne Ogden from the US.
The exhibition runs until January 8. More information about the exhibition is available here.
Catch a Glimpse by Christine Porter LofaroExpressions
An exhibition by Rachel Galea has opened at Il-Ħaġar - Heart of Gozo Museum, featuring 31 of her latest works inspired by Gozo’s landscape.
The exhibition runs until January 10. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free.
For more information, click here.
Sights and sites
A new exhibition by Silvio John Camilleri at the King’s Own Band Club in Valletta investigates contemporary reality in which the ugliness of roads and pristine countryside have to co-exist as a dichotomy in Malta’s way of life.
Yet, the artist deciphers beauty even in the most inauspicious of locations, such as in the geometry of the road network and its juxtaposition with trees, streetlights and general urban elements.
Sights and Sites, curated by Fleur-Marie Ebejer, is on until January 11. Refer to the artist’s Facebook profile for more information.
Il-Maqluba, Qrendi No. 5 (2020) by Silvio John CamilleriOTHER EXHIBITIONS
Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple
An exhibition at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa tells of the special relationship between the palace and the neighbouring Dominican Order, especially in the post-war years.
Enemy war bombing in 1941 had left the Dominican community without a convent and a church, and they found temporary refuge beyond Vittoriosa. But they were called back by the need to fulfil their spiritual and educational mission among their people.
Eighty years ago, in August 1942, the Dominicans asked for temporary shelter at the Inquisitor’s Palace and, for almost two decades, the palace became the community’s home and temple.
The exhibition runs until January 8. The Inquisitor's Palace is open weekly from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm.
Honor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean
An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta is open at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.
Besides honouring Frost’s considerable legacy, the exhibition aims to offer a snapshot of Frost’s work in Malta through illustrations, artefacts and even some of her diving equipment.
The exhibition runs until January 15. Entrance is free of charge. One may visit the museum daily from 9am to 4.30pm.