Everyone has probably felt the need to escape at some point in their life. However, very often, due to inhibitions, practical or social restrictions, many are unable to actualise these desires and aspiration quickly turns into frustration.

Artist Sallyanne Morgan in her studio.

Irish sculptor Sallyanne Morgan experienced this first-hand during a time of personal disappointment but she managed to let go of her distressing thoughts and feelings through her art. The resulting body of work, which she titled Flight and Other Stories, is about to go on display in Sliema.

“I began the ‘flight’ works back in 2017, questioning ideas around escape,” Ms Morgan says.

“The outcome is these mostly nude figures with wings made of nails or knives, which also symbolise how these desires of flight can wound us.”

The sculptures, according to Ms Morgan, also show how belief constructs such as faith – be it a secular faith in luck or love or a spiritual one − can be used as a form of escapism. 

“These constructs represent the other stories referred to in the title of the exhibition. I used tattoos on the figures to express this,” the artist notes.

Offering

Ms Morgan has travelled and lived in various contrasting locations, such as Cambodia and, most recently, Malta. 

This “mind-opening experience”, as she calls it, has helped her to appreciate and enjoy the common elements and differences among communities.

“There are universal emotions and beliefs that I hope the viewer can identify with or, at least, find amusing,” she says.

Moving from one country to the other also led her to change medium.

“While working in Ireland, I used wood more frequently as well as ceramics. Since coming to Malta, I have loved working with marble dust, which gives a high shine to the end result, as well as being strong,” she points out.

Most of her works are actually made out of concrete, which many might envision as dull and lifeless. However, Ms Morgan finds it to be a “very forgiving material”.

Most of her works are made out of concrete

“I don’t include the heavy aggregates such as crushed stones that make up traditional concrete, but rather what’s called ‘ferrous cement’ which is a thin shell concrete layered over metal mesh or woven fibres,” she explains. 

“This allows me to make things such as the peace lily head on the sculpture called Offering, using clay as a mould and forming it over this.”

Body parts are, in fact, replaced with flowers or are enlarged in some works in order to animate internal beliefs.

The Hope Fairy

She Sells, whose title comes from the popular tongue twister and children’s song She Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore, features a large shell instead of a head. It is actually a tribute to Mary Anning (1799-1847), a fossil collector and palaeontologist for whom the rhyme was written.

The artist also tries to inject some dry humour and pathos into her works, such as in My Angry Bunnies. Although speaking of frustration and impotence, the sculpture features cartoon-like ‘bunnies’ sitting atop the figure in a self-deprecating way.

Only one of the figures in the set is seemingly liberated from internal conflict. The artwork, Song, is inspired by a poem by Terrance Hayes, titled American Sonnet for My Past and Future Terrorist.

“I just loved the poem’s passion and wanted to visualise this. There is no ambiguity in this sculpture, the figure just gets to express herself without the internal conflicts shown in the other works,” Ms Morgan comments.

Flight and Other Stories will be Ms Morgan’s last show in Malta. 

Left: Flight VII. Right: She Sells

After living here for some years due to her husband’s work commitments, she feels ready to return to her native Ireland, although she confesses she will be missing the island.

“There is so much I will miss. I’m so happy we came here,” she says. 

 Through the Malta Creative Collective, she managed to engage both socially and professionally with other creatives and took part in a number of artistic initiatives and exhibitions.

“I’ve met so many brilliant artists in the time I’ve been here. The artist community is very welcoming, which is so important.”

The exhibition is opening today at 7.30pm at Lily Agius Gallery, 54, Cathedral Street, Sliema. It runs until July 13. 

For more information, visit www.lilyagiusgallery.com.

Left: Song. Right: Flight