FILM

A Chiara

Spazju Kreattiv is today showing for one last time the 2021 gritty neoralist drama A Chiara by award-winning film-maker Jonas Carpignano.

The film explores the true meaning of family through a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl from an affluent family whose ties to the local mafia underworld start to become clear after a shocking revelation.

Winner of the Europa Cinemas Label prize for best European film at the Cannes 2021 Directors’ Fortnight, A Chiara is the third in the director's loosely-connected ‘Calabrian trilogy’, following Mediterranea and A Ciambra.

The film is showing in Italian with English subtitles at the Spazju Kreattiv cinema in Valletta today at 7.30pm. It is certified 15. For more information and tickets, click here.

Anime Festival

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is currently hosting its first-ever Anime Festival, showing feature-length films of some of the most popular anime series of all time, including Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia.

All films are dubbed in English or are screened in Japanese with English subtitles.

Dragon Ball Super: SuperHero is currently being shown. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page and the Eden Cinemas website.

OTHER EVENTS

Kixott Photo Week

From today until Sunday, August 21, Kixott in Mosta is welcoming photography enthusiasts who would like to exchange or sell second-hand photography equipment and even prints.

A qualified repair technician will be in attendance to check one's gear and offer advice about film cameras.

The bar/bookshop Kixott is found at 169, Triq il-Kbira, Mosta. It is open in the evenings. For more information, e-mail info@kixott.com.

Lunchtime tours at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum

Palazzo Falson in Mdina is hosting a series of lunchtime tours until the end of August.

The tour highlights objects linked to the Order of St John, but one may also admire the rest of the museum's significant collection that is specifically displayed to capture and reflect the life and taste of Captain Olof Gollcher.

Bookings at a suggested donation of €10 can be made by e-mail on bookings@palazzofalson.com or by calling on 2145 4512. One may also arrive at the museum 10 minutes prior to the tour, which starts at noon.

Gustav Café is open to guests for refreshments on the rooftop terrace of the museum.

Promenade Alive!

The Valletta Waterfront comes alive on Thursday nights with roaming acts such as live music, fire play, bubble animation, sand art, falconry, magic and sip & paint activities.

All these events, running until the end of August, are free of charge. For more information, click here.

EXHIBITIONS

Ceramic Art Collective

A collective exhibition of ceramic artworks is on at the Cittadella Cultural Centre Hall 2 in Victoria.

Taking part are Mario Sammut, Charles Sammut, Hermine Anne Sammut, Phyllis Camilleri, Daniel Scerri, Joan Haber, Christian Formosa, Paul Scerri, Katrin Formosa, Victor Agius, Chris Saliba, Mariz Cassar, Nadia Haber and Sylvana Magro.

The exhibition comes to a close on August 26. For more information, visit the Gozo Ceramics Festival Facebook page.

A Healing Journey: Redefining Environmental Challenges

An art exhibition aiming to promote minorities and the environment is open in Victoria.

A Healing Journey: Redefining Environmental Challenges forms part of a project which visual and conceptual artist Mary Rose Saliba is conducting with a group of senior citizens in Gozo named SMART.

The study is envisioned towards the self-discovery of dormant talents, as well as enriching the emotional well-being of minorities and marginalised people to help them integrate and gain their voice in society.

The SMART team’s exhibition features mixed media artworks that include samples of earth, soil, rocks, stone, dried leaves and tree trunks which the group have collected during walks in the countryside as part of the project.

The exhibition is open until August 28 at the Banca Giuratale, Independence Square, Victoria. One may visit from Monday to Friday between 7am and 2.30pm and on weekends and public holidays from 9am to noon.

Polymorphs

Claire Farrugia is presenting her first solo exhibition at The Palm Court Lounge at The Phoenicia, Floriana.

Consisting of works on paper, panel and canvas, Polymorphs shows the artist's concern with the fact that the online portrayal of imagery that the public consumes is often far from the truth; most of the time, it is actually a made-up form of reality.

The exhibition focuses on ‘human polymorphism’, with the subjects presented in a natural stance and with a filter using a mobile app. 

Curated by Charlene Vella, the exhibition also includes a section featuring the artist’s self-portraits.

Polymorphs is open throughout the month of August. Entrance is free. For more information, visit the exhibition’s Facebook page.

Prehistoric pottery making

An exhibition presenting the results of a scientific investigation of materials and techniques used in pottery making during Maltese prehistory is open at the National Museum of Archaeology. The exhibition runs until the end of August. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm. 

The Gold of Malta

Martine Rigaud-Busuttil is exploring the art of lace-making through a series of oil paintings at the Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta.

The Gold of Malta features sketches and paintings the artist created during a year she spent with the lace-makers of the society during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The exhibition opens today and runs until September 7 at at Palazzo de La Salle, 219, Republic Street, Valletta. Opening hours: Mondays and Fridays: 8am to 7pm; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 8am to noon and 4 to 7pm; and on Saturdays: 8am to 1pm.

For more information, visit the  Malta Society of Arts website and Facebook page.

Bellum in Mundum

After a seven-year hiatus, artist Tonio Mallia is presenting a new series of works that reimagine a world shaken beyond its tipping point, where the tensions between the human and natural world are no longer at play, nor are they creative or life-giving; they have devolved into a tyrannical order in which mankind becomes subject to its own freedoms.

The exhibition, curated by Giulia Privitelli, runs at MUŻA – Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta until September 11. For more information, visit muza.mt.

One may also read the Times of Malta interview with the artist.

The Summer Showcase

Bureau Iniala, in collaboration with Marie Gallery 5, is presenting a curated selection of works by a number of local artists.

These are Paul Serri, Trevor Borg, Vince Briffa, Ryan Falzon, Victor Agius, Isabelle Borg, Stefan Spiteri, Sheldon Saliba and Joseph Farrugia.

The showcase aims to be a way for artists and collectors to enjoy works that do not necessarily fit within one collective narrative.

One may visit the exhibition at Bureau Iniala, 37, Treasury Sreet, Valletta, from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4.30pm. For more information and updates, visit the Facebook page of Marie Gallery 5.

Amelia Saint George works at The Phoenicia

Artist Amelia Saint George is exhibiting a number of her sculptures at The Phoenicia, Floriana.

The sculptures are in clay, bronze and mixed media, and portray animals, which Saint George is particularly well-known for, as well as some humorous sculptures that are more closely associated with her portrait sculptures.

Saint George, who has made Valletta her home, is an established, award-winning contemporary sculptor who has exhibited locally and internationally. She is also the author of several books on diverse subjects and holds sculpting lessons in her Valletta studio.

One may visit the exhibition at The Phoenicia's Deep Nature Spa throughout August and at the hotel's reception area in September.

Willie Apap – Colour and Light 

A retrospective exhibition of works by Willie Apap (1918-1970), considered one of Malta’s leading exponents of 20th-century art, is currently on at Il-Ħaġar – Heart of Gozo Museum in Victoria.

The 70 works on display feature portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, dancers, human figures, sacred and ethnic works in oils and inks, and are accompanied by a lavish 100-page GEMS # 20 catalogue.

The exhibition, curated by Maria Cassar, runs until October 10. Opening hours are from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

The exhibition is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Gozo Ministry’s Cultural Directorate. For more information, visit the museum’s Facebook page.

whatson@timesofmalta.com