She’s half Italian, half Egyptian, and yet she has made Malta her home.
Ciao Għalikom is the title of Magda Azab’s first solo show in Malta, where she will be presenting a series of 11 new works at Solo Vinyl and Books this month.
She chose these two simple words – which can be translated into ‘Hello There’ – because together they constitute one of the most common Maltese greetings, as well as one of the first sentences she heard on moving to the Islands.
The intermingling of Italian and Arabic words and sounds established an immediate link with her background and origins. It gave her a sense of familiarity, which all at once made her feel at home.
So much so, that this greeting has come to symbolise her connection to the island, and for this reason it seemed like the most fitting title for this series of work, which celebrates what she now calls her second home.
Magda’s work is, in fact, a celebration on many levels: she illustrates those elements or details which characterise this island and which make everyday life in Malta special.
Her work illustrates anything from folklore and traditions, to the island’s flora and fauna; from the shops and architecture, to the different seasons.
She develops her work through three stages: first by note-taking and photographic research, then by translating those images into pencil drawings and, lastly, by transferring her work onto her computer and digitalising her illustrations.
Magda uses an extensive palette of often bright and captivating colours that allow her works to stand out. Her style, which can be defined as hard-edge, is unmistakeable. She uses geometrical elements and shapes effortlessly and her work often becomes a medium through which she comments and reacts to the happenings around her, the message always being simple and clear, yet strong and to the point.
The exhibition will be open until June 22. Opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday between 10am and2pm and from 4pm to 7pm and Saturdays between 11am and 6pm. For more information, visit http://solovinylbooks.com/ or http://magdaazab.it/.