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 from today until December 18. For tickets, visit showshappening.com. For more information, check cirquedusoleil/amora.

ŻiguŻajg

The arts festival for children and young people features a jam-packed programme for all ages.

The hybrid festival features collaborations with local and international artists and creatives, and presents a wide variety of live and online art, dance and theatre shows.

ŻiguŻajg runs until Sunday, November 27. For more information, visit www.ziguzajg.org/.

Malta Book Festival

The largest local cultural event dedicated to books and reading in Malta is being held for the second year running at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC), Ta’ Qali, until Sunday, November 27.

The programme features more than 100 major events aimed at the public, children and their families, and publishing industry professionals, such as book launches, book presentations, performances, workshops and conferences.

For all the details, visit the National Book Council’s website https://ktieb.org.mt/ and Facebook page and look up the event on Facebook.

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FILM

Month of European Film

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is today showing the 2021 German drama I'm Your Man as part of the Month of European Film. The film, 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.

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS

Lecture on medieval women and books

ASinMalta is hosting a lecture titled ‘Medieval Women of Power and the Book’ at the Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s, today at 6.30pm. The lecture will also be available online via Zoom.

Michelle Brown will discuss how, in the medieval guild system, it was only in trades related to the book that women could trade independently as scribes, illuminators, binders and entrepreneurial stationers. She will also take a look at medieval queens and abbesses who commissioned intricately illuminated books and published their own texts, from poetry to political and scientific treatises.

Brown is a professor emerita of medieval manuscriptstudies, SAS, University of London, visiting professor at UCL and Baylor University, and senior researcher at the University of Oslo. She was formerly a course tutor in history of the book (SAS), curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library, and lecturer at Birkbeck and Morley colleges.

For more information and registration, e-mail mem.asinmalta@theartssociety.org,

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VISUAL ARTS

Seħer il-Baħar

A visual art exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts disclosing Anna Galea’s latest evocative artistic exploration of the sea is closing today.

The artist explores the mystery and mesmerising elements of the waters surrounding the Maltese islands through different experimental watercolour and oil painting techniques. The collection weaves together her figurative and abstract interpretations.

Seħer il-Baħar, curated by Roderick Camilleri, is open at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta from 8am to 7pm. For more information, visit artsmalta.org or the society's Facebook page.

Read more about the exhibition here.

Abstract Trio

An exhibition showcasing the works of three abstract artists, namely Louis Casha, Lucio Dubini and Vincent Cassar, is open at the Volunteer Centre in Triq Bartolomew in Rabat.

From the geometrical abstractions of Casha to Dubini’s interactions of lines, shapes and material and on to Cassar’s freedom in execution, the exhibition explores the possibilities of abstraction via different routes.

Abstract Trio runs until Friday, November 25. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 5 to 8pm. Other hours are also available by appointment. Log on to the exhibition’s Facebook page for more information.

Also read this Times of Malta review.

YFES

Jo Dounis is presenting a new body of work at Gemelli Framing in Ta' Qali.

YFES, the Greek word for textures (hinting at the artist’s many years of her living in Greece), emphasises the current way forward for Dounis.

From the smooth and flowing finish of fluid art which Dounis is mostly known for, the artist is pursuing a completely different direction in technique. She explores a variety of textures to create tactile works which portray an idyllic place or space in time. No human figures are present, and these pristine landscapes, seascapes, spaces or atmospheres, created from the artist's imagination and harmonious manipulation of colour and light, emit a surreal feeling of being transported into an alternative, Utopian world.

YFES, curated by Melanie Erixon, runs until Saturday, November 26. Log on to the exhibition’s Facebook page for more information.

Q’eros: Beyond the Clouds

Il-Ħaġar Museum and Community Cultural Centre in Victoria is hosting an exhibition by Italian photographer Alessandro Bergamini until Sunday, November 27.

Eight of the photos on display won Bergamimi the Travel Photographer of the Year award in 2021 and five more were included in the book Humanity, which was chosen as the best photographic book for 2021 in the International Photography Awards.

They will be accompanied with some 30 photos documenting the demanding Peru expedition earlier this year among the Q'eros community in the Andes. Visitors will be able to follow the filming on their mobile.

All the material is included in the exhibition catalogue, published as Il-Ħaġar GEMS 21. Also available are copies of Humanity, an assortment of photos highlighting peoples around the world.

The museum is open every day from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free. For more information, visit heartofgozo.org.mt/.

Yours and Mine

A father-daughter exhibition by Tony Calleja and Diane Agius Calleja is open at Rabat’s Wignacourt Museum.

Diane uses watercolours to create evanescent, poetic landscapes and cityscapes, while her father, Tony, exploits the direct and fresh possibilities of acrylic and a multi-thematic approach. This contrast of media and themes is a characteristic of this collaboration.

Yours and Mine, hosted by Rabat’s Wignacourt Museum, runs until Sunday, November 27. Check the museum's Facebook page for more information.

Introspection

Known for his abstract works, Gerald-John Micallef, who is also a priest, ventures to the representational in a new exhibition at Ir-Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone in Mosta.

Introspection includes a number of very spiritual, earthy works, evoking the oeuvre of Maltese modern pioneer Antoine Camilleri. However, the exhibition also includes a series of colourful abstracts.

Besides, the paintings are accompanied by contemplative poems, written in Maltese, all of them penned by the artist and that have never been published. 

The exhibition runs until Sunday, November 27 and is open daily from 6 to 8pm. It is also open on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to noon.  Consult the venue’s Facebook page for more information.

Also read this Times of Malta interview.

Aftermath

After Brussels and the European Parliament last month, the Maltese Parliament is now hosting Aftermath, a joint exhibition by the creative duo of Etienne Farrell and Mark Mallia.

Setting off from the war in Ukraine and its impacts on Europe and beyond, while tapping into Jean Paul Sartre’s collection of essays The Aftermath of War, this body of work focuses on the repercussions created by the onset of war for the common citizens.

Aftermath runs until November 28. Consult the event’s Facebook page for more information.

Celebrating Our History − A Photographic Exhibition 

This month, The Phoenicia Malta turns 75 years old. As part of its celebrations, a photographic exhibition is being held at the Palm Court Lounge.

On display are the first plans of the hotel, photos of the construction process, the original decor and of distinguished guests who stayed at the hotel, among others.

The exhibition runs until the end of November.

What is Europe to You?

A photographic exhibition at the German-Maltese Circle, in Palazzo Messina, Valletta, is the result of an artist's need to understand how European citizens feel about Europe.

Lisa Borgiani has been visiting the principal European cities and capitals since 2019, asking the inhabitants she photographs a simple question: "What is Europe to you?". 

The exhibition, which runs until November 30, sees 30 selected photographs and 200 black and white self-portraits of the project's participants.

Each visitor is invited to participate in the project in two ways: at the exhibition they can use the WEYWALL digital platform to print and exhibit their own self-portrait accompanied by a comment expressing their feelings about Europe, or they can write a phrase about Europe on a brightly coloured Post-It, which they can then stick on a dedicated wall.

For more information, visit https://www.whatseurope.eu/ and the project's Instagram account.

Normal Deviance

Two artists, Mark Schembri and Nuntia, who are long-term partners in life, are for the first time exhibiting together. Their collection is a portrayal of their distinctive personalities, expressed through their respective modes of expression.

Nuntia has been widely defined as a psychological artist with dark undertones. Her paintings convey a muted struggle between serenity and a lurking darkness. Schembri has been in the art scene for 23 years and has held more than 15 solo exhibitions. He is an eclectic and versatile artist whose style is often flamboyant with characteristic explosions of colour and movement. His tone can range from playfully ironic to scathingly sarcastic, especially when he turns the spotlight onto the failings of our contemporary society.

Normal Deviance is open at Art by the Seaside, 65, Triq il-Mina tax-Xatt, Senglea, until December 1. Visiting hours are as follows: Tuesday to Friday from 5 to 9pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and 5 to 9pm.

A Collection of Charcoal Drawings and Hand-Crafted Objects

A collection of charcoal drawings and objects by self-taught and self-proclaimed anti-social artist CO-MA is on display at Green Shutters of 27, Triq San Franġisk, Floriana.

The artist's work has no frills but contrasts living in the world of black and white. He is also a “collector of nice things” which are broken down into their primary parts and find themselves in the new objects he builds. The result are pieces that are at once functional, intriguing and otherworldly.

The exhibition runs until December 3. For more information, see www.coma-artist.com and follow Lily Agius Gallery on Instagram and Facebook.

Resilience – Thriving Through Adversity

An exhibition at Fort St Elmo, in Valletta, is showcasing creative projects by Aġenzija Sapport service users from all day centres, with the assistance of support workers. 

The theme of Resilience was chosen to to reflect the strength of service users in facing setbacks such as prejudice, negative stereotypes and discrimination. 

Various items are on display. The artists used different media including acrylic and 3D painting on canvas, encaustic art (using wax), wood and iron, papier-mache, photography (produced on canvas, photo albums and board), clay installations and quilling techniques.

The exhibition is open until December 3. Opening hours: 9am to 4.30pm. For tickets, click here.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Artist Darren Tanti is presenting an art project meant to shed light on the mediatic processes used to spread information about war and its effects on the viewer.

The work reflects the artist’s preoccupation with fabrication, editing and twisting of information people outside the conflict zone might be subjected to.

The project is meant to provoke viewers by a number of analytical, ironic, and at times, cynical works based on factual, fictional images and theoretical work. Different experts from journalism, film, art, education and the military fields will also contribute to the project via a number of talks and workshops.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, curated by Melanie Erixon is open at Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, and at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba, until December 4.

Consult the project’s Facebook page for more information.

Also read this Times of Malta review.

Commemorating Antoine Camilleri (1922-2005): A Hundred Years from his Birth

Heritage Malta is commemorating the 100 years since the birth of Antoine Camilleri, the modernist pioneer of Maltese 20th-century art, with an exhibition at the Camerone at MUŻA, Valletta.

Several of Camilleri's artworks and personal items are on show. 

The exhibition runs until December 7.

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 December 11. For more information, visit kreattivita.org.

Legends

Alfie Borg is presenting a collection of contemporary works by Hudson founder and chairman Alfie Borg is presenting a collection of contemporary works at Kettles cafeteria at The Brewhouse in Mrieħel.

HIs mixed-media works depict all-time legends from the world of art, sport, music, film and social history, who have inspired Borg in different stages of his life.

All the proceeds from the sale of the art pieces will go towards the Hudson Foundation which seeks to ‘give a voice to the voiceless’ and focuses on supporting abandoned dogs, children and Mother Earth. The foundation is now seeking to continue its work in supporting animals and disadvantaged children as well as to realise initiatives to help the environment.

Legends runs until December 7.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Sunetti: Minn Fomm u Qalb il-Poplu

Malta Libraries is holding an exhibition on Maltese sonnets at the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

The exhibition will be accompanied by two lectures on the subject. The second one will see Olvin Vella looking into ‘Is-sunett ta’ Buonamico li għosfor mitt sena ilu’ (the sonnet of Buonamico which disappeared 100 years ago) on December 1 at 6pm.

The exhibition will be open to the public, free of charge, until the end of December. One may visit between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

The exhibition catalogue and a sonnet written specifically for the occasion and printed on silk (limited edition of 100) are available for sale from the Reading Room.

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. 

whatson@timesofmalta.com