MUSIC

The Three Palaces: Early Opera and Music Festival

The festival, organised by Festivals Malta, continues this week with a wide range of events.

British music director Steven Devine will today conduct Handel’s three-act oratorio Belshazzar with the Valletta Baroque Ensemble and KorMalta at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta at 6pm. Soloists Gillian Zammit, Marvic Monreal, Hadar Halevy, Cliff Zammit Stevens and Albert Buttigieg will also perform.

Tomorrow, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars will present a jazz evening titled Jazz Planets at the Archaeology Museum in Valletta at 7.30pm.

A puppet show titled The Emperor’s Feast – Puppetry for Children by Karromato is taking place on Thursday, at City Theatre, Valletta, at 9.30 and 11.30am, while Compass Presents will bring their award-winning restaging of the 1920s gothic cult horror silent film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, together with live music by Minima, at Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University of Malta, on Friday at 8pm.

The festival will end with the performance of the oratorio Il-Belt Rebbieħa by the late maestro Joseph Vella at St Lawrence parish church, Vittoriosa, on Saturday at 7.30pm.

For more information and tickets, visit festivals.mt/ttp.

FILM

Anime Festival

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is once again hosting an Anime Festival.

One Piece: Red is showing from today both English dubbed and in Japanese with English subtitles.

For tickets and more information, click here.

VISUAL ARTS

Manufactured Uncertainty – Pop-up exhibition

A temporary painting and photographic exhibition is open at Blank Canvas, Mrieħel. 

It is inspired by the work of German sociologist Ulrich Bech who coined the term ‘risk society’. Beck argued that, from the 1960s, humanity transitioned from an industrial to a ‘risk society’ where the rapid development set in motion a ricochet of effects and consequences that is difficult to foresee or keep up with, creating uncertainty.

The exhibition runs until tomorrow, November 9, from 2pm until 10.30pm. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

White on Black

Richard England, one of Malta’s foremost architects, is currently exhibiting some of his works on paper at ART..e Gallery of 1, Library Street, Victoria.

Titled White on Black, the exhibition investigates the artistic aspect of an architect who has become synonymous with modernism.

The exhibition is on until Friday, November 11. Consult the gallery’s Facebook page for opening hours.

Early Light

A solo exhibition of oil on canvas works by Tonio Mallia is open at Gallery 23 in Balzan until Sunday, November 13.

One may view the exhibition on Sundays, Monday and Tuesdays from 9am to 12.30pm and on Wednesdays from 6.30 to 8pm. For more information, visit the Gallery 23 Facebook page.

E..scapes 

The title chosen for the collective exhibition by Wallace Falzon, Patrick Galea and Lawrence Pavia is a play on words, offering different perspectives that the viewer is invited to investigate. 

One can consider the collection as ‘escapes’ from the discomfort of the mundane; escapist narratives expressed through artistic expression.

E..scapes is hosted by Obelisk Gallery, 234, Main Street, Balzan, until November 15. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 4 to 7pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

Read this Times of Malta review of the exhibition.

Here & There

Mona Vella is presenting a collection of recent plein air paintings at the Malta Postal Museum & Arts Hub in Archbishop Street, Valletta.

Inspired by Malta's rugged cliff faces and the varying moods of the sea, these watercolours attempt to capture atmosphere and time as experienced by the artist.

Here & There runs until November 19. The museum is open from Monday to Friday between 10am to 4pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Shadows and Light − The Wilfrid Flores Archive

Christine X Art Gallery of 17, Tignè Street, Sliema, is hosting the first exhibition dedicated to the work of this important photographer, who passed away in 1981.

Curated by photographer David Pisani, Shadows and Light − The Wilfrid Flores Archive investigates the various themes of this pioneer in Maltese photography.

The exhibition runs until November 22. For more information, visit https://www.christinexart.com/ or the gallery's Facebook page.

Also read this Times of Malta interview with the curator.

Seħer il-Baħar

A visual art exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts discloses Anna Galea’s latest evocative artistic exploration of the sea.

The artist explores the mystery and mesmerising elements of the waters surrounding the Maltese islands through different experimental watercolour and oil painting techniques. The collection weaves together her figurative and abstract interpretations.

Seħer il-Baħar, curated by Roderick Camilleri, runs at Palazzo de la Salle, Valletta, until November 24. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays: 8am to 7pm and on Saturdays: 9am to 1pm. For more information, visit artsmalta.org or the society's Facebook page.

Read more about the exhibition here.

What is Europe to You?

A photographic exhibition at the German Maltese Circle, in Palazzo Messina, Valletta, is the result of an artist's need to understand how European citizens feel about Europe.

Lisa Borgiani has been visiting the principal European cities and capitals since 2019, asking the inhabitants she photographs a simple question: "What is Europe to you?". 

The exhibition, which runs until November 30, sees 30 selected photographs and 200 black and white self-portraits of the project's participants.

Each visitor is invited to participate in the project in two ways: at the exhibition they can use the WEYWALL digital platform to print and exhibit their own self-portrait accompanied by a comment expressing their feelings about Europe, or they can write a phrase about Europe on a brightly coloured Post-It, which they can then stick on a dedicated wall.

For more information, visit https://www.whatseurope.eu/ and the project's Instagram account.

Q’eros: Beyond the Clouds

Il-Ħaġar Museum and Community Cultural Centre in Victoria is hosting an exhibition by Italian photographer Alessandro Bergamini until November 27.

Eight of the photos on display won Bergamimi the Travel Photographer of the Year award in 2021 and five more were included in the book Humanity, which was chosen as the best photographic book for 2021 in the International Photography Awards.

They will be accompanied with some 30 photos documenting the demanding Peru expedition earlier this year among the Q'eros community in the Andes. Visitors will be able to follow the filming on their mobile.

All the material is included in the exhibition catalogue, published as Il-Ħaġar GEMS 21. Also available are copies of Humanity, an assortment of photos highlighting peoples around the world.

The museum is open everyday from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free. For more information, visit heartofgozo.org.mt/.

Celebrating Our History − A Photographic Exhibition 

This month, The Phoenicia Malta turns 75 years old. As part of its celebrations, a photographic exhibition is being held at the Palm Court Lounge.

The exhibition includes the first plans of the hotel, photos of the construction process, the original decor and of distinguished guests who stayed at the hotel.

The exhibition runs until the end of November.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Artist Darren Tanti is presenting an art project meant to shed light on the mediatic processes used to spread information about war and its effects on the viewer.

The work reflects the artist’s preoccupation with fabrication, editing and twisting of information people outside the conflict zone might be subjected to.

The project is meant to provoke viewers by a number of analytical, ironic, and at times, cynical works based on factual, fictional images and theoretical work. Different experts from journalism, film, art, education and the military fields will also contribute to the project via a number of talks and workshops.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, curated by Melanie Erixon is open at Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, and at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba, until December 4.

Consult the project’s Facebook page for more information.

Gabarrón: The Colours of Hope

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition by Spanish artist Cristobal Gabarrón dedicated to the United Nations, with his work focusing on the universe of peace, parliamentarism, freedom and human rights. 

Apart from the main exhibition, the project also includes a public installation at St George's Square, Valletta, entitled Universo de Luz (Enlightened Universe), and an AMBIT event at Ġgantija Temples, Xagħra, that brought together artistic creations on biodiversity and the values of integral heritage that will travel the five continents.

The exhibition, curated by Rupert Cefai, runs until December 11. For more information, visit kreattivita.org.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Sunetti: Minn Fomm u Qalb il-Poplu

Malta Libraries is holding an exhibition on Maltese sonnets at the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

The exhibition will be accompanied by two lectures on the subject. William Zammit will deliver a lecture on ‘Is-Sunett fil-Kuntest tal-Identità Maltija’ (the sonnet in the context of Maltese identity) on Thursday, November 10, at 6pm, while Olvin Vella will look into ‘Is-sunett ta’ Buonamico li għosfor mitt sena ilu’ (the sonnet of Buonamico which disappeared 100 years ago) on December 1 at 6pm.

The exhibition will be open to the public, free of charge, until the end of December. One may visit between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

The exhibition catalogue and a sonnet written specifically for the occasion and printed on silk (limited edition of 100) are available for sale from the Reading Room.

Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple

An exhibition at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa tells of the special relationship between the palace and the neighbouring Dominican Order, especially in the post-war years.

Enemy war bombing in 1941 had left the Dominican community without a convent and a church, and they found temporary refuge beyond Vittoriosa. But they were called back by the need to fulfil their spiritual and educational mission among their people.

Eighty years ago, in August 1942, the Dominicans asked for temporary shelter at the Inquisitor’s Palace and, for almost two decades, the palace became the community’s home and temple.

The exhibition runs until January 8. The Inquisitor's Palace is open weekly from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm.

Honor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean

An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta has opened at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

Besides honouring Frost’s considerable legacy, the exhibition aims to offer a snapshot of Frost’s work in Malta through illustrations, artefacts and even some of her diving equipment.

The exhibition runs until January 15. Entrance is free of charge. The museum is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm. 

The exhibition launch coincides with the second edition of the ‘Under the Mediterranean’ conference, being held in Malta until Sunday, November 6. The conference is organised by University of Malta, in collaboration with the Honor Frost Foundation and Heritage Malta.

whatson@timesofmalta.com