Following initial disruption due to COVID-19, Memories From Mars, an exhibition of large-scale abstract acrylic paintings by Malta-based artist Lucio Dubini will resume at the art galleries of the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta.

Dubini holding one of his artworks.

The Italian-born  Dubini originally opened his exhibition on March 5. Unfortunately, the show had to be paused due to official safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic prohibiting events.

His first solo show, now reopening on September 1,  is the culmination of a long journey of self-discovery and also the materialisation of his childhood dreams of exhibiting his work as an artist.

Memories from Mars features large, colourful and playful acrylic works with “more defined shapes than previous works”. This shift in style mainly reflects the changes which the artist went through in his personal life, which in turn led to an evolution in his artworks.

Asked to comment about his style, Dubini explains: “I do abstract art because it’s the most natural way for me to materialise my feelings, experiences and images into visual art. Through abstract art, I feel unrestricted by rigid aesthetic standards and my feelings are free to fly and to almost touch the universe. For me abstract art is pure expression.

“The inspiration comes from what surrounds me. Through my art, I re-elaborate the world that I’m seeing, the experiences and feelings that I have. Then I transform them into lines, shapes and colours. Each day has something to say to me and my art starts from there. What I like is that each viewer can travel inside my paintings and each time can find new places.”

The exhibition is curated by Roderick Camilleri, who guided the artist through various discussions and studio visits, to develop new paths related to abstraction.

“This process gave birth to this new visual content stimulated by a form of lyrical aesthetics which takes a lot from the simplicity and creative freedom of children. This is one of the dominant features which marks this series of artworks. We also decided to call the exhibition Memories from Mars – to tease out the spontaneity and playful imagination of this particular exhibition.”

Dubini is inspired by such artists as Jean Michel Basquiat, Emilio Vedova, Hans Hartung, Nicolas de Staël and Lucio Fontana and viewers might catch glimpses of these artists in his works.

He enjoys feeling and touching his art, so he often paints directly with his hands, but also makes use of other tools such as a rag, a spatula or the more traditional brush.

Memories from Mars by Lucio Dubini

Although he loves to experiment with new materials, his main medium is acrylic paint.

As a result of the pandemic, there will be no official opening.  However, the artist will be at the galleries for most of the time to meet the public and answer their questions.

As regards safety measures, the MSA will be advising visitors to use hand sanitisers upon arrival, personnel at the front desk will take visitors’ contact details and check visitors’ temperatures before being allowed to proceed into the palazzo. Visitors will be obliged to wear a mask inside the premises, no gatherings will be allowed inside the building and visitors will be obliged to respect the social distancing instructions.

Memories from Mars by Lucio Dubini runs from September 1 to 16 at the Art Galleries of Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta. The exhibition can be visited during the Malta Society of Arts’ opening hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturdays 10am to 1pm. Entrance is free.