Johanna Barthet's first solo exhibition features a series of paintings portraying figures, mainly females, as a central subject.
Collectively entitled 'Stories Untold', the exhibition runs throughout March at Palazzo de Piro in Mdina.
The enigmatic figures depicted in this collection appear to exude an almost hypnotic aura of mystery, inviting the viewer to delve deeper into each individual painting.
The females depicted could be interpreted as disguised self-portraits of the artist herself.
While the figures take centre stage, it is their psychological state that takes each work into a startlingly different dimension. Barthet achieves this effect by inventing back stories for each of her emotionally-charged characters.
Executed largely in oils on panel, the collection is a culmination of several years of experimentation, especially over the last decade or so.
However, since childhood, Barthet's early sketches would frequently portray a young girl with straight hair and a fringe that bore an uncanny likeness to herself.
Although she has attended several short courses and has received formal artistic training in the past, Barthet is largely self-taught.