THEATRE

Tosca by Giacomo Puccini

The Valletta Cultural Agency and the Manoel Theatre in Valletta are staging a production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on March 8, 10 and 12.

Designed, directed and featuring world-class artist José Cura in the main part of Cavaradossi, the opera also stars Tanya Ivanova, Carlos Almaguer, Alan Sciberras, Albert Buttigieg, Nadia Vella and Louis Andrew Cassar, as well as KorMalta, the Malta School of Music Children’s Choir, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mario De Rose.

The production is suitable for an audience aged over 14. For tickets, visit teatrumanoel.com.mt.

Klassi Għalina: The Roadshow

The cast of the popular TV comedy show Klassi Għalina is bringing its funny sketches to Gozo for the first time on March 11.They will be performing at the MBC Theatre in Nadur at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available on showshappening.com.

L-arrest ta’ Danny Weed

A farce taking aim at police corruption is being staged again at M Space, in Msida, between March 10 and 12.

Written by Alfred Buttigieg and directed by Michael Fenech, it is based on the real-life case of Daniel Holmes, who was arrested in 2006 at his Gozo flat where he was growing cannabis plants he insisted were for his personal use. He was given a 10-year prison sentence when the case was decided in 2011 and was released in 2018. The case sparked great controversy with many campaigning to release Holmes from prison.

The cast features actors Audrey Scerri, Chris Spiteri, James Ryder, Matthew Sant, Simon Curmi and Sean Briffa.

For tickets, visit bluebox.com.mt. The production is supported by the Maltese Council for the Arts.

MUSIC

The Trumpet Sings!

Barocco Foundation, in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa, is presenting another lunchtime concert at Our Lady of Victory church in Valletta on March 7, this time featuring pianist Milica Lawrence and Jason Camilleri on the trumpet.

The programme includes works by Amy Dunker, Pietro Baldasari and Joseph Turrin.

After the concert, patrons are invited to the cellar of the church to watch a short audiovisual show about the building, its history and its restoration.

Entrance to the concert is at a suggested donation of €10. One can obtain tickets prior to the concert from the venue or by e-mailing baroccomalta@gmail.com or calling 7968 0952.

Women’s Day Concert

Vox Dulcis Chorale is holding its annual Women’s Day Concert at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta on March 10.

They will perform music by Enya, Burt Bacharach, the Beatles, Kelly Clarkson and a new original song, among others.

The choir is led by John Anthony Fsadni and accompanied by pianist Petra Magri Gatt. 

Doors open at 7.30pm and the concert starts at 8pm. Tickets may be booked by calling 9922 1013, e-mailing voxdulischorale@gmail.com or at the door. For more information, look up the choir’s Facebook page.

A Romance of Errors: A Devised Operetta

Malta Opera, an organisation promoting classical music and emerging and established musical talent, is performing A Romance of Errors at the MCAST Main Campus in Paola on March 12 at 2 and 6pm.

The operetta is set in Florence, Italy, and relates a tale of folly, rivalry and romance.

The show, under the direction of soprano Nicola Said, has been developed and designed by musical director Gillian Zammit and co-directors Joseph Zammit and Philip Leone-Ganado.

For tickets, visit showshappening.com.

Rock Classics of the ’60s and ’70s

The Gozo Youth Orchestra and the 7SPP choir are celebrating the music of the 1960s and 1970s at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on March 11 at 8pm.

The orchestra, under the baton of its musical director Joseph Grech, will be joined by Cash & Band to perform classic rock numbers from bands such as The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Elton John and David Bowie, among others.

The show includes guest performances by Dorothy Bezzina, Sarah Bonnici, Kurt Cassar, Ludwig Galea and Neville Refalo.

Tickets are available on www.showshappening.com or from the ticket hotline 2559 5750.

Emma Hewitt live at Aria Complex

Australian singer Emma Hewitt is performing live at the Aria Complex in San Ġwann on March 11.

The rock-turned-trance singer has worked with seve­ral world-renowned deejays and record producers, including Armin van Buuren, Dash Berlin, Cosmic Gate and Markus Schulz.

Tickets are available from showshappening.com.

FILM

The Struggle in Iran – Documentary screening and discussion

Moviment Graffitti is organising a film screening and discussion in solidarity with the struggle of women in Iran at 67, Strait Street, Valletta, on  International Women’s Day, March 8.

A documentary about Iranian journalist, author and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad will be shown. Alinejad has worked extensively on human rights in Iran and remains active in her work from New York, where she lives in exile.

The 6.30pm screening will be followed by a discussion with Sanaz Manouchehrian, an Iranian woman living in Malta.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Exhibition on Screen: Mary Cassatt – Painting the Modern Woman

To mark International Women’s Day, Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta is hosting a documentary on US painter Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), whose radical paintings showed women as intellectual, feminine and real, which was a major shift in the way women were depicted in art.

The documentary presents her best known prints, pastels and paintings, while the world’s most renowned Cassatt curators and scholars help tell this riveting tale of great social and cultural change.

The screening will be held on March 10 at 8.30pm and on March 29 at 7.30pm. For more information and tickets, visit kreattivita.org.

Who Would You Tell?

A documentary on Maltese siblings who suffered abuse when they were sent to Western Australia in the 1960s under a child migration scheme is being shown at the Eden Cinemas in St Julian's on March 10 at 8pm.

Fifty years on, two of the three siblings reflect on their stolen childhood and how the sexual, emotional and physical abuse they experienced shaped their entire life.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film's director, Dery Sultana, and Times of Malta editor-in-chief Herman Grech. For tickets, click here.

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MISCELLANEOUS

FIDEM’s International Women’s Day Conference

The FIDEM Charity Foundation is organising a conference focusing on gender equality on International Women’s Day on March 8.

Some of Malta’s leading experts will explore how the transformative power of education can stamp out gender-based injustice. There will also be a special address by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola. 

Read more about the conference here. For tickets, visit https://events.fidem.org.mt/womensday.

Women’s Day Tour at Palazzo Falson

Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum in Mdina is organising a specially curated tour of the palazzo on International Women’s Day on March 8.

The guided tour, taking place at 11am, 2 and 3.30pm, will highlight the changing style of women’s dress in portraiture.

Suggested donation is of €12 for adults, €6 for senior citizens and students and children aged six to 12 enter for free when accompanied by an adult. To book a place, e-mail bookings@palazzofalson.com or call 2145 4512.

Writing for movement 

ŻfinMalta is holding the first in a series of Movimento appointments for 2023 with guest Lara Zammit, arts and culture editor at the Times of Malta, on March 9 at 6.30pm.

Zammit will be explore the concept of movement through her unique lens as a writer, informed by her background in philosophy.

The talk will be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. For tickets, click here.

ASinMalta lecture: Encaustic to Acrylic: How Paint made Art

History of art lecturer Lynne Gibson will discuss the important role materials and their techniques play in the understanding and enjoyment of art in the next ASinMalta lecture being held at the Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s, on March 9 at 6.30pm.

Gibson originally trained as a fine artist and has taught painting, drawing and printmaking in higher and adult education.

For registration, e-mail Nicole Stilon at membership.secretary.asinmalta@theartssociety.org.

Demystifiying  Wonderland

The meandering pathways of neuroscience will be explored in a fun and child-friendly way through Lewis Carroll’s famous tale Alice in Wonderland in the next Kids Dig Science event taking place at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on March 11 at 3pm.

The event is being held during Brain Awareness Week (March 13 to 19). It will feature scriptwriter and puppeteer Sean Briffa and actor Jeremy Grech.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page. Tickets are available from kreattivita.org.

Illuminating Caravaggio

Il-Ħaġar Museum and Community Cultural Centre in Victoria is holding the talk Illuminating Caravaggio, on Saturday, March 11 at 11am, where lighting consultant Rita Curmi will discuss the new scheme used for the Oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

Curmi investigated innovative lighting techniques within museum and gallery settings to implement an optimised lighting solution for the oratory. Tuneable LED sources were used to give a new dimension to Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Beheading of St John, further accentuating the drama unfolding in front of the visitor. This lighting was also most suitable for the Mattia Pretis and abundant baroque features adorning the walls of the oratory.

Attendance for this lecture in English is free but booking a seat on events@heartofgozo.org.mt is recommended. 

VISUAL ARTS

Scenic Route: An Artistic Journey through the Maltese Islands

Malta-based artist Andrew Smith, who specialises in en plein air paintings, is holding a solo exhibition at Gallery 23 in Balzan until March 8.

Curated by Rachel Said and Alexia Gingell Littlejohn, the exhibition features various scenes from Malta and Gozo, such as the Kalkara Marina, Luqa church, fields in Xewkija, Marsaxlokk, Senglea Waterfront and Fomm ir-Riħ.

The artist will be in residence at Gallery 23, Idmejda Street, Balzan on  Wednesday from 6.30 to 8pm.

Viewing can also be arranged by appointment on 9942 8272 or e-mail info@gallery23malta.com.

Ghost Stories

Artist Alfie Gatt depicts moments in the ‘life’ of a girl, whom he refers to as the White Lady in his current exhibition at Mqabba’s Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq.

The figure lovingly haunts a palatial Maltese house, patterned tiles, traditional tal-lira clock and all, thus affirming the ‘Malteseness’ of the narrative. 

According to the artist, the ghost is a metaphor for a person experiencing procrastination.

Ghost Stories, curated by Melanie Erixon for Art Sweven, runs until March 12. 

Read the Times of Malta review here.

Antoine Camilleri (1922–2005) – a Tribute

art..e Gallery of Victoria, Gozo is honouring Antoine Camilleri, one of the giants of Maltese modern art of the 20th century, with a celebratory exhibition . 

Camilleri is not only important as an innovative artist but also as one of the founder members of three artist groups in the 1950s which laid the groundwork and were instrumental in the development of Maltese art.

Throughout his career, Camilleri remained committed to exploring new mediums and techniques. His work reflects his experimentation with a variety of materials, from oils and acrylics to clay and resin, concrete, sand, and objet trouvé.

The exhibition features a curated collection of Camilleri’s works by Maria Cassar that demonstrate the artist’s mastery of handling different media and subjects. The works range from different periods of Camilleri’s career, the majority of which are being exhibited for the first time in public.

art..e Gallery is situated at 1, Library Street, Victoria, Gozo. The gallery is open Monday to Sunday from 9.30 am to 12.15 pm. The exhibition runs until March 24.

Pause2Save

Gozitan artist Marvic Muscat documents life as if time stood still in a collection of 32 paintings on display at the Banca Giuratale, Victoria, Gozo.

The edifices in his paintings still exist, wayside chapels, Mdina bastions and all, although some of them are threatened by rampant construction. The artist distils out contemporary contaminants, such as cars, shop signs, high-rise buildings and other atrocities, and concentrates on the redeeming factors of our architectural and natural heritage.

These works have a postcard quality to them, maybe reflecting the author’s discomfort in representing the stigmata of progress.

Pause2Save is on until March 26. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 2.30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to noon. Entrance is free.

thirty-three

Local artist Pawlu Mizzi is presenting a solo exhibition at Gemelli Framing at the Ta' Qali Artisan Village.

The exhibition features 33 works created over 11 years, which include digital works produced through different techniques.

The exhibitions runs until March 27. For more information and opening hours, click here.

Order in Chaos

The Phoenicia Malta is hosting an exhibition by photojournalist and street photographer Martin Agius during March.

For more information, click here.

Free Spirit #2

The Malta Society of Arts is hosting a new exhibition featuring a range of abstract, colourful works by Maria Cassar.

Cassar uses her ‘intuition’, ‘freedom’ and ‘imagination’ to look further away from what she can physically see and enunciates intangible emotions onto the canvas.

She artistically translates her inner impulses into geometric shapes and gestural marks, with the works revealing a continuous dialogue between light and shade, void and presence.

The show will also include a few paintings that portray children in a playful, carefree mood.

The show runs at the Art Galleries of Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta until March 30. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays: from 8am to 7pm; and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. On Sundays and Public Holidays, the galleries are closed.

Resilience – Stories of Women Inspiring Change

The World Press Photo Foundation and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Malta are presenting an exhibition featuring stories awarded in the World Press Photo contests from 2000 to 2021, that highlight the resilience and challenges of women, girls and communities around the world.

Multiple voices, documented by 17 photographers of 13 different nationalities, offer insights into issues including sexism, gender-based violence, reproductive rights and access to equal opportunities. 

The event is taking place at Ġnien Laparelli in the Valletta ditch from March 8 to 28. Entrance is free.

Humanity

Artist Silvana Camilleri, known as taċ-Ċmajra, explores different situations via a male and female model in an exhibition at KunĊett Art Kafe in Valletta.

In Humanity, Camilleri created scenarios by instructing her models to pose, thereby expressing emotions, via their facial grimaces and smiles, as well as their bodies’ behaviour.

The artist then intervened pictorially on the printed photographs with the compositions edited to suit her concept.

These artworks can be viewed at KunĊett Art Kafe of 51, Strait Street, Valletta, from March 9 to 31. Opening hours are Tuesdays to Sundays from noon till midnight.

Traces of Human

Veteran sculptors Angelo Agius and Mario Agius are showing their latest works at the Exhibition Hall, Ministry of Gozo, Victoria, until April 1.

Although not related by blood, both artists are intrigued by the human figure and its relation to circumstances, pitfalls, vulnerabilities, saving graces and all. 

The exhibition explores the various sculptural viewpoints of the two artists and tries to find the redeeming factors in what defines us as human.

The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and from 9.30am to noon. For more information, visit Mario Agius's Facebook page.

Insular

An exhibition by French photographer Cédrine Scheidig is on at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.

The project focuses on the everyday life and destiny of young men from the African diaspora, recently settled on the island of Malta. Offering a sensitive portrait of this new community, the weaving of portraits, landscapes and still lives sets a poetical narration that attempts to create a sense of belonging; the semblance of a home in the making between here and there.

The exhibition runs until April 2 and is supported by the French Embassy and the Alliance Française de Malte-Méditerranée. For more information, click here.

Sovereign Art Foundation students’ exhibition

Works by the finalists of the Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize Malta & Gozo are being exhibited at the Hilton Hotel & Resort, in St Julian’s until March 19 and at Palazzo Ferreria in Valletta from March 20 to April 4.

All secondary schools and colleges in Malta and Gozo were invited to participate in this year’s competition, by nominating and submitting the best artworks produced by their students.

The public is encouraged to visit the exhibitions and vote for their favourite artwork to select the Public Vote winner. The artist behind the winning entry will take home €300 and their school will win €800 to be destined to the school’s Art Department or the creation of one. Voting can also be done through the foundation’s website.

An international panel of judges will select The Judge’s Prize. The student producing the winning artwork will receive €500 and the school €1,500.

Oikos Logia

A multimedia exhibition exploring the dysfunctional relationship between humans and their habitat is open at R Gallery in Sliema.

Oikos Logia features the work of 10 artists who look to the global misuse of resources and their inherent capability for dramatic reuse, especially as it relates to an increasingly overwhelming ecological anxiety.

The participating artists are Adrian Abela, Anna Calleja, Tom van Maldren, Ian Schranz, Ritty Tacsum, Showzen Kajima, Jon Banthorpe, Cyril Sancereau,  Sam Vassallo and Stefan Spiteri. 

The exhibition runs until April 8. More information is available on the gallery's Facebook page.

Prestorjha

Enrique Tabone is holding a solo exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, featuring works of contemporary art on the theme of the female figure in prehistoric Malta and Gozo, from a feminist perspective.

Works in this series include objects made from the artist’s signature use of plexiglass, site-specific installations, as well as video art from an intimate performance, along with art prints, some of which are produced from the artist’s studies on the structures presented during this exhibition. 

This exhibition includes contributions by photographers Alex Attard and Jean Marc Zerafa, digital work by Solid Eye, along with texts by archaeologist Isabelle Vella Gregory and curator Toni Sant, which appear in a catalogue raisonné, published in limited edition by Kite Group.

This catalogue also features a retrospective of the artist’s work since 2010, as exhibited in 2022 at the University of Malta’s Valletta Campus in collaboration with the Institute of Maltese Studies.

The exhibition runs until April 9. For more information, click here.

When the Moon Waxes Red

A new exhibition opening at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta brings together artists from around the world who address the imbalance between human activities to extract resources and colonial ideologies, justifying the protection of property over people and nature’s degradation, by using ecofeminism as a point of departure.

Curated by Maren Richter, the exhibition − whose title is borrowed from Vietnamese film-maker Trinh Minh-h’s book When the Moon Waxes Red − features the work of Ursula Biemann, Seba Calfuqueo, DIS Collective, Charlene Galea, Romea Roxman Gatt, Folly Feast Lab (Yara Feghali and Viviane El Kmati), Crystn Hunt Akron, Sasha Huber, Nation25 (Elena Abbiatici, Valeria D’Ambrosio and Caterina Pecchioli), Daniela Ortiz, Kanthy Peng, Robertina Šebjanič and Bartolina Xixa.

The exhibition opens on March 10 and runs until April 16. For more information, click here.

Irregularity

J.P. Migneco (b. 1989), an artist who lives and works in Malta, is holding an exhibition at Valletta Contemporary until May 6.

Titled Irregularity, the exhibition features a series of artworks that explore the relationship between natural and artificial environments. The body of work involves a process of reinterpreting landscapes that are found near coastal areas in Malta, through the use of photography, drawing, digital media and painting.

The theme of this project delves into notions related to urbanisation and the advancement of technology. Therefore, the work attempts to evoke issues related to human-environment interaction in the digital age.

Valletta Contemporary is open from Wednesdays to Sundays from 2 to 7pm. For more information, look up the gallery's Facebook page and website.

Rituals of Passage

Valletta Contemporary is displaying the result of a co-creative project between Ryan Falzon, Aaron Bezzina, Alexandra Fraser, Yasmine Akondo, Mladen Hadžić, and Stefan Kolgen.

Rituals are part of everyday life. During times of distress, they give comfort. The title is based on the fact that rituals can bring one from one stage to another physically and mentally. Post-COVID rituals can help one find balance in a disrupted society where attention to mental health and well-being has become important. 

The artists created the works with the exhibition space in mind, presenting them in such a way that they interact with each other and that they challenge the viewer, offering context for the audience to create their own story.

Rituals of Passage, curated by Ann Laenen and Stefan Kolgen, closes on May 6. During the opening weekend some works will be accompanied by a performance and a discussion session about the meaning of rituals will be organised, followed by a meet and greet with the artists.

Valletta Contemporary is open from Wednesdays to Sundays from 2 to 7pm. For more information, look up the gallery's Facebook page and website.

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OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Annual Church Model Exhibition

The Għaqda Dilettanti Mudelli ta’ Knejjes AD 1986 is holding its annual church model exhibition at the Valletta local council hall in Pjazza Reġina, Valletta, until March 12. Opening hours are from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 4.30 to 7.30pm.

Viva Viva l-Karnival: The George Zahra Donation

An exhibition celebrating a donation of carnival memorabilia by carnvial enthusiast George Zahra to Heritage Malta runs at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa until April 9.

The exhibition comprises official carnival programmes dating as far back as 1930, models for carnival floats, music scores, trophies and participation certificates, among other memorabilia.

Entrance to the exhibition is part and parcel of the Inquisitor’s Palace experience and there is no additional fee. The museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm.

Unseen and Unheard: Stories of Women Under Fire

The Storm Petrel Foundation is hosting an archival exhibition that sheds light on overlooked or previously unrecorded war narratives and microhistories from Malta and elsewhere.

It brings together items and artefacts drawn from different collections, with a primary focus on wartime experiences of women and girls.

The exhibition was inspired by a series of conversations between the NGO and Robert Attard, who had found a collection of letters written by a young German woman during World War II, some of which are on display.

The exhibition is organised across five different rooms at the Storm Petrel Foundation’s premises in Attard, with each room representing a different era or focus.

The Storm Petrel Foundation has collaborated with Simon Cusens, Kim Dalli, Sharp Shoot Media, Media Coop, Tayar Foundation for Jewish Heritage in Malta, Sarah Chircop and Giuliana Fenech, Heritage Malta, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna and Palazzo Falson.

The exhibition runs until April 14. For opening hours and more information, visit the foundation's Facebook page.

Chinese Zodiac Sign Exhibition

The China Cultural Centre in Malta, in collaboration with the China Arts and Entertainment Group, is presenting an exhibition on the Chinese zodiac sign of the rabbit which is this year’s sign.

With the aim to promote an understanding of China’s traditional culture and its connections with local tourism, the exhibition showcases how this particular zodiac sign is transmitted in various cultural facets of different Chinese regions.

Colourful illustrations portray how this rich heritage is passed on through the creation of costumes and dance, opera, silk fabric designs, ceramics, lanterns, pencils, paper-cutting, festive candy and bean flour lamps.

The exhibition is open at the China Cultural Centre at 173, Melita Street, Valletta, until the end of April. Entrance is free. Groups are advised to book in advance through events2023ccc@gmail.com.

Shoah the Holocaust: How Was It Humanly Possible?

The Tayar Foundation for Jewish Heritage in Malta has organised a Holocaust Memorial exhibition which will be displayed at three venues in Malta until June.

The exhibition deals with major historical aspects of the Holocaust, beginning with Jewish life in pre-Holocaust Europe and ending with the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps across the continent and the remarkable return to life of the survivors.

The display panels feature explanatory texts, with quotes from Jewish victims and survivors, photographs, art documents and videos for eight survivor stories.

The exhibition is open at the German-Maltese Circle in Valletta until March 12, opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 8am to 6pm; from March 13 to April 23 at MCAST Paola, opening hours Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12.15pm (closed on Sundays); and from April 24 to June 4 at the University of Malta, Msida Campus, open from Monday to Friday from 7am to 11pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 4.45pm.

For more information, visit shoah.jewishheritagemalta.org/.

whatson@timesofmalta.com