ARTS

Improvizza! Malta Improv Festival

Malta’s first ever improvisation festival is taking place at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta from today until Sunday.

Aimed at local and international performers and improvisers, Improvizza! will be offering a number of two-day and three-hour workshops during the day, followed by performances and other events in the evenings.

A number of international improv teachers and performers will be leading the workshops and performing in the shows, which are open to all. The workshops cover a variety of skills and the performances will showcase different improv styles.

Today, a workshop titled Maestro will take place at 7.30pm. In the workshop, a group of improvisers will challenge each other for the title of 'Maestro'. During the show, which combines theatre and sport, the audience will decide who is the best performer. 

For more information and tickets, click here. One can also visit the festival’s Facebook page.

Also read the Times of Malta interview with the festival’s director.

FILM

Kino Dreams: The Reveries of Wim Wenders

Spazju Kreattiv is this month paying homage to the prolific German film-maker, screenwriter, playwright, author and photographer Wim Wenders, through a retrospective of his films.

Wenders is considered to be one of the most important figures in contemporary European film and has collaborated with many of the most influential film-makers and artists, from Michelangelo Antonioni and Nicholas Ray to Pina Bausch and Yohji Yamamoto. His films cross genres and forms and have been influenced by European and American film-making traditions.

The progamme continues today with the screening of the 1974 film Alice in the Cities (1974). The German road movie is the first part of Wenders' Road Movie trilogy, which also includes The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976) which will be showing on Saturday, September 17. 

The black and white film is about a German journalist who is saddled with a nine-year-old girl after encountering her mother at a New York airport.

After the Kings of the Road (1976) on September 17, The American Friend (1977) will be showing on September 22, The Salt of the Earth (2014) on September 24 and Pina (2011) on September 29.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Anime Festival

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is hosting its first-ever Anime Festival, showing feature-length films of some of the most popular anime series of all time.

All films are dubbed in English or are screened in Japanese with English subtitles.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission is being shown from today until September 20, when the Anime Festival will come to an end.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page and the Eden Cinemas website.

PHOTOGRAPHY

150 / Richard Ellis

The Richard Ellis Archive, consisting of 39,000+ glass negatives documenting the period in Malta and Gozo between 1861 and 1938, has been digitised in archival-grade quality for the first time in its history. 

The British-Maltese photographer (January 1842-December 1924) was one of the pioneers of photography in Malta during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Thirty large prints taken from his archive will now be exhibited at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, from today to October 23.

The exhibition is curated by Charles Paul Azzopardi and Ian Ellis.

For more information, click here.

Wiki Loves Monuments 2022

Malta is once again taking part in Wiki Loves Monuments, the Guinness World Record holder for the largest photography competition, which has reached its seventh edition.

The competition brings together photographers from around the world to take stunning pictures of Malta’s cultural heritage, which are to be shared on Wikipedia. Participation is free and open to all. The deadline for all submissions is September 30.

Photo uploading workshops will be held throughout September.

A jury composed of experts within the fields of cultural heritage, photography and Wikipedia will be selecting the winning entries and 10 submissions will be nominated for the international Wiki Loves Monuments contest, with the opportunity to win further prizes.

For details, visit www.wikimalta.org and the Wikimedia Community Malta Facebook page.

OTHER EVENTS

Exploring the future of mass transport in Malta

The EIT Urban Mobility RIS Hub Malta and Dawra Madwarna are hosting an event aiming for open, constructive and stimulating discussion on the future of mass transit in Malta.

A number of participants have been selected, through an open call, to pitch their ideas for mass transit and improved public transport in Malta. These ideas will be discussed with professionals and academia specialised in transport topics. This will then be followed by a Q&A session and netwoking drinks.

The event starts at 5.30pm. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

Mnajdra Heritage tours

As part of its Students Summer Programme 2022, Heritage Malta is this evening organising a guided walking tour at sunset to explore the nature and cultural remains in the stretch of land between Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra in Qrendi, .

Meeting point is at 6.15pm outside the Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra Visitors Centre. For tickets and more information, click here. Each ticket includes free admission for one accompanying guardian.

VISUAL ARTS

Lost in the Ether

Nicole Sciberras Debono's first solo exhibition at Il-Kamra Ta' Fuq in Mqabba has been extended until tomorrow, September 16. 

Through her works, the artist brings forward esoteric narratives of a domestic familiarity, with notes on online and para-social relationships, and the reflections of a young woman in a contemporary society.

The gallery will be open this week from 6am to noon. The finissage will take place tomorrow from 7 to 10pm. For more information, visit Il-Kamra ta' Fuq Facebook page.

Read the Times of Malta review here.

Ħbieb

A group of women who meet regularly to paint together are putting on an exhibition at the Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone in Mosta.

They are Joanne Azzopardi, Audrey Vella, Judith Dingli, Fabiola Agius Anastasi, Mariuccia Zammit, Josephine Hili, Marita Fenech, Graziella Calleja, Elena Toncheva, Yvette Carabott and Maria Cauchi.

Titled Ħbieb, the collective exhibition runs until Sunday, September 18. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 6 to 8pm. On Sundays, the centre is also open from 10am to noon.

For more information, visit the Razzett tal-Markiż – Cultural Centre Facebook page.

The Summer Showcase

Bureau Iniala, in collaboration with Marie Gallery 5, is presenting a curated selection of works by a number of local artists.

These are Paul Serri, Trevor Borg, Vince Briffa, Ryan Falzon, Victor Agius, Isabelle Borg, Stefan Spiteri, Sheldon Saliba and Joseph Farrugia.

The showcase aims to be a way for artists and collectors to enjoy works that do not necessarily fit within one collective narrative.

The Summer Showcase closes on September 22. One may visit the exhibition at Bureau Iniala, 37, Treasury Sreet, Valletta, from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4.30pm. For more information and updates, visit the Facebook page of Marie Gallery 5.

Read more about the exhibition in this Times of Malta interview.

Tempus Edax Rerum 

Artist David Borg attempts to explore the representation of time and the thematic concept of the human condition through a series of woodcut prints on display at Gemelli Framing in Ta’ Qali. 

The exhibition, curated by Hannah Dowling, runs until September 24. 

For more information, visit the exhibition’s Facebook page.

Read an article by the curator here.

Paradoxes

The artist, muralist, designer and poet Damian Ebejer, and the son of playwright and novelist Francis Ebejer, is presenting an ‘autobiography’ of art and life at the Wignacourt Museum, Rabat, until September 29.

The retrospective solo exhibition features mixed media artworks and is multi-themed.

Consult the museum’s Facebook page for opening hours.

Exhibition by art group Brushes

The artistic group Brushes is putting on its eighth exhibition at Palazzo Ferreria, 310, Republic Street, Valletta.

Artists Fabiola Agius Anastasi, Adrian Camilleri, John Caruana and Madeleine Vella Satariano are taking part.

The works on display include aquarelles and acrylics and varied themes.

The exhibition will be open until September 28. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 1pm.

The Cappuccino Brigade

The ninth solo exhibition of Debbie Caruana Dingli is on display at the Palm Court Lounge of The Phoenicia, in Floriana.

Curated by Charlene Vella, the collection of watercolour works is based on the artist's observations of the native Maltese population and is named after one of the paintings on display whose heroine is a bossy woman, often pictured in the artist's colourful works.

The exhibition will be open throughout September.

Read an article by the curator here.

An Ode in Stone

Artist Joe Xuereb is presenting an exhibition of limestone sculptures at The Phoenicia's Deep Nature Spa.

His rounded figures and forms represent universal shortcomings among humans such as greed, solitude and the entrapments of love. 

An Ode in Stone, curated by Louis Laganà, runs until the end of September.

Read the Times of Malta interview with the artist.

Amelia Saint George works at The Phoenicia

Artist Amelia Saint George is exhibiting a number of her sculptures at The Phoenicia, Floriana.

The sculptures are in clay, bronze and mixed media, and portray animals, which Saint George is particularly well-known for, as well as some humorous sculptures that are more closely associated with her portrait sculptures.

Saint George, who has made Valletta her home, is an established, award-winning contemporary sculptor who has exhibited locally and internationally. She is also the author of several books on diverse subjects and holds sculpting lessons in her Valletta studio.

One may view her works at The Phoenicia’s reception area until the end of September.

Time, Space …. and Palmyra

Artists Henry Alamango and Galina Troizky are presenting a joint exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts at Palazzo de La Salle, in Valletta.

The duo infuse two themes: the social implications resulting from the functional transformation of rural and urban space over time, and a crie de coeur reflecting a deep concern for an environment and populated space in progressive decline.

The exhibition also recalls how the ‘civilised’ world recoiled in horror in 2015 at the deliberate physical and cultural destruction wrought by IS in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, of Unesco World Heritage fame. Ironically, flashbacks of Palmyra continue to manifest themselves in Malta's spatial and cultural development, contributing also to solitary and anonymous lifestyles, loss of community, loneliness and pollution, to mention a few characteristics.

The artists ask whether we also the perpetrators – or at least the acquiescent accomplices – to an ongoing ‘Palmyra’?

The exhibition opens today and runs until October 1. Opening hours: Mondays and Fridays: 8am to 7pm; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 8am to noon and 4pm to 7pm; and Saturdays: 8am to 1pm. Entrance is free. For more information, click here.

Dying Planet

Illustrator, designer and visual London-based artist ‘iella’ (Daniela Attard) is presenting a body of illustration work and paintings focusing on climate anxiety and existential dread at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.

The artworks on display focus on the global impact of climate change with some reference to local issues and include strange figurative work and characters which serve as modern allegories.

The exhibition runs until October 9. For more information, visit www.kreattivita.org. 

Willie Apap – Colour and Light 

A retrospective exhibition of works by Willie Apap (1918-1970), considered one of Malta’s leading exponents of 20th-century art, is currently on at Il-Ħaġar – Heart of Gozo Museum in Victoria.

The 70 works on display feature portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, dancers, human figures, sacred and ethnic works in oils and inks, and are accompanied by a lavish 100-page GEMS # 20 catalogue.

The exhibition, curated by Maria Cassar, runs until October 10. Opening hours are from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

On September 25, Cassar will deliver a public lecture at 11am. Participation is free but booking on events@heartofgozo.org.mt is recommended.

The exhibition is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Gozo Ministry’s Cultural Directorate. For more information, visit the museum’s Facebook page.

Read the Times of Malta interview with the exhibition's curator Maria Cassar here.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

The Santa Marija Convoy and the George Cross – 80 Years On

Heritage Malta is honouring the heroes who valiantly gave their lives in order to ensure the victory of World War II through an exhibition at the National War Museum at Fort St Elmo, Valletta.

Visitors can see artefacts and archival documents, some of which are not usually on display, related to two of the most well-known episodes of that year – the award of the George Cross and Operation Pedestal.

The exhibition runs until September 27. Opening hours are from 9am to 4.30pm. For tickets, click here.

Lunchtime tours at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum

The Mdina palazzo is hosting a guided lunthtime tour around its significant collection, highlighting objects linked to the rich cultural heritage of the Maltese islands and focusing on its people, trades and traditions.

Gustav Café is open to guests for refreshments on the rooftop terrace of the museum.

Bookings against a suggested donation of €10 can be made via e-mail at bookings@palazzofalson.com or by calling on 2145 4512.  Pre-bookings are recommended.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday. For information about opening hours and more, visit www.palazzofalson.com. 

Meet the Phoenicians of Malta

A Phoenician stone sarcophagus excavated last year at Għajn Klieb, on the outskirts of Rabat, is one of the major attractions of an exhibition that has opened at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

The exhibition brings to light the results of months of painstaking studies by a multidisciplinary team researching the sarcophagus and two other tombs discovered in the area, as well as their contents. The three tombs, although inherently different, shed light on the burial rituals of the earliest Phoenicians on the island.

The exhibition is open until October 30. The museum in Republic Street, Valletta, is open from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple

A new 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 from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm. 

whatson@timesofmalta.com