MUSIC

Levant Music Festival

A two-day music festival is being held near the Xewkija heliport in Gozo today and tomorrow.

Performing tonight will be local bands MAE and The Travellers, and Kazakh DJ and record producer Imanbek. The latter won a Grammy award for his remix of Saint Jhn's Roses in 2021.

Local acts Rubberband, deejay Junior B and Tribali will be performing tomorrow.

The free event, which starts at 9pm, is sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Directorate, Ministry for Gozo. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

Luqa Alive

The locality of Luqa is coming alive tonight with a concert featuring the Palace String Orchestra, a string ensemble of more than 20 musicians under the direction of Ryan Paul Abela, and singers Amber, Klinsmann, Aidan and Denise.

There will also be a car show during the activity, with donations going towards Puttinu Cares. 

The event starts at 7pm in Luqa square. For more information and updates, look up the event’s Facebook page.

THEATRE

MADC One-Act Play Festival

The 43rd edition of the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club’s (MADC) One Act Play Festival is being held until Sunday at the MADC Playhouse in Santa Venera.

This year’s line-up offers a mix of dramas and comedies.

Silence by Harold Pinter, What’s for Pudding? written by David Tristram and Is This Seat Taken? by Sean Baker will be presented today and on Sunday. Say What???, an adult comedy written by Ashley Nader, The Fourth Wall by Michael Mangion, and Darlings, You Were Wonderful! written by Derek Lomas, will be staged tomorrow.

A number of awards will be handed out after the performance of the final play on Sunday.

For tickets and more information, visit www.madc.com.mt.

Ma Kuraġġ u Wliedha

The anti-war play, written by exiled German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and translated into Maltese by Loranne Vella, is being staged again this weekend at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

Set in 17th-century Europe, the Ma Kuraġġ u Wliedha (Mother Courage and Her Children) follows Anna Fierling and her three children as she operates a rolling canteen business during the Thirty Years War. She fiercely travels across Europe in a covered wagon, selling goods to locals and alcohol to soldiers to make a head-earned living.

The Teatru Malta co-production with the Manoel Theatre stars Josette Ciappara in the main role, together with Rebecca Camilleri, Matthew Dimech Genius, Jamie Cardona, Simone Spiteri and Mark Mifsud, among others. 

It is directed by Jean-Marc Cafa’ with musical direction by Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur, costumes by Isabel Warrington and set design by Romualdo Moretti.

The play in Maltese, certified 12+, is being staged again today, tomorrow and on Sunday at 8pm. For more information and tickets, click here.

The production is supported by the German Embassy in Malta.

FILM

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, including Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia.

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

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is currently being shown.

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

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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.

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OTHER EVENTS

Malta Pride Week

On the eve of the Malta Pride March and Concert tomorrow, the clubbing event Lollilop - Spice Up Your Pride! will be held at Uno Main Room in Ta' Qali from 10pm onwards.

The party will feature performances by St John, Yan Valer, Mari Mars, Chester Hayes, Dennixx, Logan Moore, Roberto Caccamo, Walter Mazzanti, Alexis Saint Peter, Sasha Flexy and Jake.

There will also be a Queer Art Pop Up at 19, St John Street, Valletta, today and tomorrow, from 4pm onwards. The event aims to convene a diverse network of artists, performers and creatives to offer an array of public programming and interactive projects to bring the community together.

For more information, visit the Malta Pride Facebook page and maltapride.org.

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 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.

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EXHIBITIONS

Bellum in Mundum

After a seven-year hiatus, artist Tonio Mallia is presenting a new series of works that reimagine a world shaken beyond its tipping point, where the tensions between the human and natural world are no longer at play, nor are they creative or life-giving; they have devolved into a tyrannical order in which mankind becomes subject to its own freedoms.

The exhibition, curated by Giulia Privitelli, runs at MUŻA – Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta until Sunday, September 11. For more information, visit muza.mt.

One may also read the Times of Malta interview with the artist.

Disrobed

A collective exhibition by more than 10 artists is on display at the Art by the Seaside gallery in Senglea until Sunday, September 11.

These include Gabriel Spiteri, Trevor Diacono, Feng Hongzhao, Patrick Scicluna, Alison Agius, Ray Agius, Amber Fenech, Alexia Baldacchino, Edoardo La Francesca, David Debono and Chris Ebejer.

For opening hours and more information, visit the Facebook page of the gallery found at 65, Triq il-Mina, Senglea.

Lost in the Ether

Nicole Sciberras Debono is presenting her first solo exhibition at Il-Kamra Ta' Fuq in Mqabba. 

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 exhibition runs until Monday, September 11. It will be open today and tomorrow from 6am to noon, on Sunday from 7am to noon and on Monday from 6am to noon. For more information, visit Il-Kamra ta' Fuq Facebook page.

Read the Times of Malta review here.

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.

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 to the public until September 28. Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday 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

An exhibition of limestone sculptures by artist Joe Xuereb has opened 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.

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.

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.

[attach id=1227515 size="large" align="left" type="image"]Brazilian Women by Willie Apap[/attach]

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