ARTS

EuroPride Valletta 2023

EuroPride Valletta 2023, 10 days celebrating LGBTIQ rights, will kick off with a grand opening ceremony at the MFCC in Ta' Qali, on September 7 from 7.30pm onwards.

Hosted by Ray Calleja, Ron Briffa and Olivia Lilith, the official opening will welcome authorities and NGOs, with celebrations including theatrical representations and video projections in Castille Square and spreading out to other key locations in Valletta.

This will be followed by an after-party, hosted by Angie Laus, Ryan and Josmar in Pride Village. The Brass House Unit, DJ LEX and Israeli singer-songwriter and former Eurovision winner Netta will perform. Entrance is free against tickets available from showshappening.com.

Other events taking place this week include:

• MalTease: The Queerlesque Edition, a variety and burlesque show at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on September 8, 9, and 10;

• Storytime with Olivia Lilith, a drag reading extravaganza at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on September 8;

• WomenSpace by MGRM, a vibrant music and arts festival in Pride Village on September 8;

• Kwir Olimpiks by MGRM, featuring a five-a-side football tournament, funny games and a children's area, in Victoria on September 9;

• EUNIC Film Festival starting at Spazju Kreattiv from September 9 to 15 (see film section);

• Tribute Night in Pride Village on September 10, featuring tribute acts to Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Cher.

Various other events, including exhibitions, discussions, community fora and high-level conferences, will run until September 17. 

The main event of EuroPride Valletta will be the Pride March and Concert being held at the Granaries in Floriana on September 16. The concert, headlined by international pop star Christina Aguilera, will also feature local artists, including Ira Losco, Emma Muscat and The Travellers.

For more details, visit the event's Facebook page and europride2023.mt. Also read this Times of Malta preview.

Gozo Pride March and Concert

The Gozo Pride March and Concert, being held as part of EuroPride Valletta 2023, will be held in Victoria on September 9 from 6.30pm.

The concert will feature over 20 artists, including Aidan, Amber, Brooke, Chiara, Denise, Destiny, Glen Vella, Kantera, Moira Stafrace, Ryan Hili, Pamela and Mara. There will also be the Versatile Brass Band and dancers from the Kinetic Dance Company, Yada Dance Company in collaboration with Yada Academy Gozo, DanceLab and Kurrenti.

The event will be compèred by Olivia Lilith and Joseph Chetcuti.

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THEATRE

One Act Play Festival 2023

MADC is hosting its annual festival at the MADC Clubrooms in Santa Venera from September 7 to 10.

Five plays in English will be staged: Funeral Tea by Pat Wilson, directed by Silvana Maimone, Three More Sleepless Nights by Caryl Churchill, directed by Julia Camilleri, and Something in the Genes by Don Woods, directed by Malcolm Micallef (September 7 and 9); Interior: Panic (A One-Act Play) by Tennessee Williams, directed by Nikolai Azzopardi and Audition for a Writer by Doris M. Day, directed by Francesca Zerafa (September 8 and 10).

The September 10 performances will be followed by the awards ceremony. Awards will be given for best production, best director, best actor, best actress, most promising actor and most promising actress.

All plays are certified 16+. For tickets, click here.

FILM

EUNIC Malta Film Festival

The third edition of the EUNIC Malta Film Festival is being held in collaboration with EuroPride Valletta 2023 at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta from September 9 to 15.

EUNIC is the European network of cultural institutes and embassies engaging in cultural relations, bringing to life cultural collaborations in more than 100 countries worldwide with a network of 136 clusters. The EUNIC Malta Cluster was launched in July 2021 and the first EUNIC Malta Film Festival was held in November 2021.

Eleven members and partners are taking part in this year’s event: the embassies of Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as the Alliance Française, Arts Council Malta, the British Council, the European Commission Representation  and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. 

Ten screenings will be held over seven days, with the theme of EuroPride Valletta 2023, ‘Equality from the Heart’.

These include Kokon (Germany), The Law of Love (Czech Republic), Breaking the Ice (Austria), El Houb (The Netherlands) and And Then We Danced (EU Representation in Malta).

A number of short films will also be shown. Entrance is free but booking is required from kreattivita.org.

Rosie

To celebrate Europride in Malta, the High Commission of Canada is presenting the 2022 dramedy Rosie at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on September 9 at 8.30pm.

The film, directed by Canadian Métis film-maker Gail Maurice, follows Fréderique (Melanie Bray), a struggling artist living in 1980s Montreal, who is shocked when she’s put in charge of Rosie (Keris Hope Hill), the young daughter of her foster sister who recently passed away. With an impending eviction from her apartment, and no desire to be a mother, she must rely on her chosen family – two aspiring drag stars Flo and Mo – to take care of the spirited youngster and keep Rosie out of the foster care system that Fréderique herself hated.

Rosie is certified 15. Entrance is free but booking is required on kreattivita.org.

Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration

KRS Releasing Ltd, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company and in partnership with the local cinemas, is celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary with a programme of films this summer.

These include classic, groundbreaking Disney films selected from almost every decade of the centenary such as the original animated versions of Snow White, Bambi and The Jungle Book.

Peter Pan (1953) is being screened until September 7. It will be followed by One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) from September 8 to 14.

For more information, visit the KRS Releasing Facebook page.

Victory Day: A Tale of Two Sieges

On Victory Day, Heritage Malta will open Fort St Angelo in Vittoriosa to the public at a reduced admission price.

The day will start with a mass at 10am in the Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin, followed by a commemoration at the Victory of the Great Siege monument, with the participation of the 1st Cospicua Scout Group, Sea Cadets Malta and the National Festivities Committee.

The fort will be open from 10am to 6pm with last admissions at 5.30pm.

Tickets can only be purchased at the door on the day, and children up to 11 years of age and Heritage Malta members presenting their membership card will be admitted free of charge. Heritage Malta passports are not applicable for this event.

Qormi Cheese and Wine Festival

The third edition of the Qormi Cheese and Wine Festival is being held on September 9 in front of St George’s parish church.

Visitors will be able to sample different cheeses and over 30 local and foreign wines. The Spiteri Lucas Band, featuring singers  Ivan Spiteri Lucas, Laura Bruno and Neville Refalo, will entertain the crowd from 7pm onwards.

Look up the event’s Facebook page for more information.

VISUAL ARTS

Context

An exhibition is bringing together four Maltese artists, Ryan Falzon, Madeleine Gera, Anna Grima and Paul Scerri at Bureau Iniala in Valletta.

This collective exhibition is a cohesion of four artistic languages; the artists were not limited thematically in an intentional curatorial decision. The term 'context' gives purpose and order through a standardisation of parameters that are supposed to have withstood the test of time.

In a context of togetherness, these four artists are exploring a poetic recontextualisation of sorts, in a warlike post-pandemic world that is thirsty for an aesthetic recalibration.

Context is a Times Events and Bureau Iniala collaboration, hosted at 37, Old Treasury Street, Valletta. It is open until September 5. Read more about the exhibition here.

The Archive – Malta Society of Arts’ Members’ Exhibition 2023

Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta is hosting a collective fine art exhibition by more than 50 members of the Malta Society of Arts.

The works revolve around memories and recollections generated by using different references which act as an archive. This notion is inspired by the society’s archive, which was one of the main sources of data and inspiration for this year’s artistic projects.

The visual art project is being held as part of the MSA's 2023 programme of events commemorating the centenary anniversary of the Society at the palazzo.

The exhibition is being held until September 7 and is directed and curated by Roderick Camilleri. For more information, visit artsmalta.org.

The Infinite Labyrinth

Sarah Maria Scicluna explores the intricacies of our desires, aspirations, and the often elusive nature of our dreams at an exhibition at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq in Mqabba.

By creating complex structures constructed from thousands of lines, the artist’s aim is to capture the essence of an intangible concept: the unreachable castle of The Castle by Franz Kafka, which serves as the main source of inspiration for this work.

The castle in the novel represents an unattainable goal, an elusive destination that forever haunts the protagonist, as well as the reader. It embodies a seemingly endless labyrinth of bureaucracy, uncertainty and delusion. Each line becomes a path, a possibility, an illusion, a knot that cannot be untangled.

The Infinite Labyrinth, curated by Melanie Erixon, runs until September 10. Consult the venue’s Facebook page for opening hours.

Melħ

Tina Mifsud is holding her fifth solo exhibition titled Melħ, Maltese for salt, at the Palm Court Lounge at The Phoenicia this month.

Her paintings exude an element of nostalgia, reminding the artist of her childhood of long summer days spent by and in the sea.

Melħ is about the taste of the sea, the way the sea dries on one’s skin and hair, the healing properties of the sea on one’s body and mind.

The immersed figures portrayed also signify a sense of freedom that Mifsud herself seldom feels when she finds herself at the beach. being ever so conscious about her own body. And yet, in contrast, the people she sees and studies seem so comfortable and nonchalant.

Melħ (Salt), curated by Charlene Vella and hosted at the Phoenicia Hotel, is on until the end of September.

Innerscapes

Innerscapes shows a different perspective from Fabio Borg’s last October’s solo exhibition Landmarks. 

Some elements, trees especially, are recognisable but the artist has moved to a more abstract dimension which is more personal and intimate. The minimalist approach is achieved through limited use of colour and compositional lines.

These works were also executed in the artist’s studio, veering away from an en plein air approach in order to capture emotions and feelings.

Innerscapes, hosted by Gemelli Art Gallery, Ta’ Qali, runs from September 6 to 30. Consult the artist’s Facebook page for more information.

Soap to Think With

Norbert Francis Attard is holding a solo exhibition at Gozo Contemporary at 11, Triq Mongur, Għarb.

Curated by Ann Dingli, the exhibition features works made out of soap and soap boxes besides other materials to highlight links between massive events in national history that we might otherwise have not made.

A catalogue featuring critical essays by Paul Sant Cassia, Ann Dingli and Nikki Petroni and a prologue by Gabriel Zammit accompanies the exhibition, which is dedicated to Marisa Vella (1960-2020).

Soap to Think With runs until October 29. It can be viewed by appointment by calling on +356 7904 1051 or by sending an e-mail to norbert@norbertattard.com.

Read more about the exhibition in this Times of Malta interview with the artist and curator.

Nous

Visual artist Joseph Farrugia is exhibiting works from his extensive oeuvre at MUŻA in Valletta. 

Also known through his career as an economist, specialising in the field of industrial relations and social dialogue, Farrugia has exhibited in numerous exhibitions over a span of more than 30 years. 

His art is generally introspective and addresses existential themes, inspired by a constant search for identity and provoking questions about the nature of being.

Nous is on at MUŻA until October 1. For updates, look up the exhibition's Facebook page. Also read this Times of Malta review.

The Wind Blows… Waves in All Directions

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition as part of the EuroPride 2023 programme. 

Using Maltese and Tunisian contexts as parallel bases for this exhibition, artists and activists from 11 Mediterranean countries reflect on the past, present and future, as well as their community and their own identities with running themes of resistance through activism, gender expression, sexual liberation and self exploration throughout the exhibitions.

The exhibition runs until October 29, is co-curated by Bobb Attard & Mohamed Ali Agrebi. For more information, click here.

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OTHER EXHIBITIONS

The Langue of Italy: Building an Identity

The exhibition The Langue of Italy: Building an Identity is being held at MUŻA, in Valletta, until September 24.

This exhibition uses the Auberge d'Italie − where the museum is situated  − as the medium through which a broad reconstruction and definition of the langue’s functions can be examined.

This exhibition forms part of a comprehensive project entitled ‘Stories of the Auberge d’Italie: faces, facets, façades’, the scope of which is to explore this key historic institution within a contextualised historic urban and institutional landscape.

Entrance is free. For more information, click here.

Ancient Tea With New Glamour

The China Cultural Centre in Malta is hosting a new exhibition under the theme of 'Tea for Harmony', co-organised with the Xi’an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Featuring intriguing displays, artefacts, paintings and photographs from the city of Xi’an, this new exhibition opens a window into the enduring significance of tea in Chinese culture.

A Tang-style gilded tea set made of bronze gold and silver is the main attraction. Other exhibits include a batch of royal teaware items that were unearthed in 1987 at the ancient Buddhist Famen Temple in northwest Shaanxi and a modern reprinted thread-bound edition of The Classic of Tea, considered to be the first known monograph on tea in the world, written by Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Tang Dynasty.

One may visit the exhibition, which will remain open until the end of this year at the China Cultural Centre, 173, Melita Street, Valletta. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to noon, and from 1.30 to 4pm. Entrance is free. Reservation is advised for group visits at events2023ccc@gmail.com.

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