Moodscapes, the latest collection of works by FABIO BORG, is showing for its final week at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq gallery, Mqabba. Lara Zammit speaks with the artist to find out more.

With Moodscapes, Fabio Borg’s latest collection of works, the artist seeks to venture into a fresh medium and composition, and approaches an even more abstract expressionism than in his previous works.

Running until February 4 at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq gallery in Mqabba, the idea behind the collection is to capture one mood and one feeling in each painting.

The set of paintings were exe­cuted rapidly and in a short period of time, the majority of them as works on paper through which the artist chose to maintain a raw and alla prima feel.

Moodscapes follows from the artist’s previous exhibition Innerscapes but nevertheless possesses a more distinct quality than his previous works.

“It’s a next step in my artistic journey,” he says. “The landscapes in Innerscapes are now transformed into more abstract works, but most of the works still show a ghost of landscapes. These new works are not trying to portray a specific scenery, but it’s a mix of memories and emotions.” 

The paintings in Moodscapes represent a departure from the artist’s usual medium, which he says gave him more freedom in his process of creation. He and curator Melanie Erixon hope this will lead the viewer to appreciate the works’ more abstract idiom, wherein the artist’s work is now more and more personal.

“Abstraction gives a sense of freedom in the expression,” explains the artist.

“This is something that I feel a lot when I am working. I must say that it came naturally to me. I work a lot, and when you work, you start evolving.

“Now I am more interested in expressing my feelings and emotions. I am searching within myself for inspiration and want to tell the story of what I go through in my life.”

Referencing the abstract expressionism he employs in his paintings, Borg says this helps in bringing out one’s innermost self and to describe certain issues that are hard to define.

The idea behind the collection is to capture one mood and one feeling in each painting

“These works also evoke different feelings to the viewers and sometimes also speak to them in a different way,” says Borg. 

Some of the singular aspects of this set of works is the rapidity of their execution and the selection of colours utilised which lend themselves to the complexity of works.

Erixon, who curated the exhibition, spoke of the rapidity by stating: “This condensed period of creation unifies the collection, presenting a singular feeling and a breath of innovativeness that ties them all together.”

Indeed, Borg says the works were created intentionally in a very short span of time. 

“This enabled me to create a body of works that breathes one mood, and a new style for me. Most of the works are executed on paper, which is out of my comfort zone, as I am more used to work on canvas,” he says. 

As with his previous pieces, colour plays an important element in Borg’s work, and even when describing difficult situations and emotions, colour is once again very dominant in this latest exhibition.  

“The colour palate is very harmonious,” says Borg, “which along with the aggressive and raw black lines, crea­tes a feeling of a very calm fury, a controlled anger, a restraining of emotions.”

Moodscapes, by Fabio Borg, curated by Melanie Erixon, is showing for its final week at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq gallery, Mqabba, until February 4. For more information, visit artsweven.com/ il-kamra-ta-fuq.