Thirteen, sleek, sensual, pearly white beauties, resting delicately on jet black lava, barely touching, but wanting to be touched, caressed, loved, looked at, inspected, every contour, every delicate edge.

It is hard to believe where they came from, difficult to understand what they were before, but as they display themselves for our scrutiny, any shyness or insecurity they might have had swiftly fades away.

Antoine FarrugiaAntoine Farrugia

Antoine Farrugia has once again managed to encapsulate suggestiveness through a medium that is part of our daily life, more so for him since he hails from the capital of globigerina limestone, Mqabba.

His works are made out of recycled stone, many of which might have spent decades hibernating, hidden, and waiting for this moment to shine, to be the centre of attraction, to play with our imagination and flaunt the delicate contours that Antoine managed to expose with such skill, patience and sensitivity.

With every step in the process of creating these sculptures, Antoine has moved a step closer to beauty, to sublimity. These works come from deep down, from a kindred soul that is expressing beauty in a unique way, giving us enough space to create our own personal connection with his artistry and his creations.

It is fascinating to imagine all this process, in the cool, dimly-lit workshop, these stones gradually are slowly and painstakingly transformed into a thing of beauty, a joy to behold, free from the incumbency that had so far shrouded their contours, not wall flowers anymore but prima donnas ready to steal the show and absorb all the limelight.

Now they shine, emanate warmth thus totally contradicting the age-old saying stone cold.

What Antoine manages to create are not mere sculptures, but experiences. This is complexity made simple albeit through an elaborated process. The smoothness of the contours brings to mind fantasies of a beauty that one would have thought existed only in our imagination, in a parallel universe maybe.

The sharp fine edges are an epitome of both fragility and strength, a mélange that could only be represented in this fashion. It is labyrinthine and yet, Farrugia lays it down in front of our eyes on a bed of homogeneity that is hard to describe without visualising the actual end product.

Being the perfectionist that he is, Farrugia has left no stone unturned (no pun intended) to perfect his technique, not only in testing the limestone to the limit but more so in conserving its original colour and present it to us in a flawless state.

What Antoine manages to create are not mere sculptures, but experiences

He managed to achieve all this after years of experimenting with different media, and finally, lo and behold, he has found the right balance, solution and technique to reach pater. Through the acute application of tempera colour on stone, he can now preserve the natural colour of the stone, guaranteeing that this will not change even after wax and polish are applied.

Antoine considers each of his works as an experience, a journey, a love story one could say. He does not merely create beautiful shapes, he gives them a heart, an identity, almost like pumping life into them, and I am sure that if you sit with them and be patient, you could almost hear them purr in a content state.

These works are limitless, you could have them with you in your living room or on your desk and discover a new angle, a new dimension every day. You will identify with them when you’re in love or when you’re lonely and heartbroken, or you can just enjoy their company in silence as you study the luscious curves and transport your mind elsewhere.

Being aesthetically perfect, they will please the eye and consequently stir positive emotions of serenity and calm.

What mesmerises me is the fact that Farrugia has the end product firmly imprinted in his mind even when his stone is just a rough block sitting on the workbench waiting to be touched by his magical hands and tools; he knows exactly what hides in there and he expertly uncovers it, stripping away all the shyness and vesting it with lasting elegance and allure.

This has been one hell of a year, and Kamra ta’ Fuq has taken us through an incredible journey, an eclectic group of artists using different mediums, each and every one with a different style, a different story to tell and a whole new experience every time.

This tiny room in the quaint village of Mqabba has become a meeting place, an unofficial, bohemian rendezvous for artists, photographers, writers and lovers of art. It is a window that displays Maltese talent at its best and it was only fitting that a year on, this project culminated with the pulchritudinous 13 works of sublime art that Farrugia shared with us.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a long journey, a walk through the lives, works and minds of many other Maltese artists. When all this started, it was like taking a lonely first step through a misty path.

That path is much clearer now and no artist will be walking it alone thanks to the vision of Farrugia, Melanie Erixon and Johanna Uski. Xulliela Bajda is definitely a must-see, it will change the way you look at art and I am sure that after visiting you will be wondering what lies hidden inside each and every single stone you see.

Antoine Farrugia’s exhibition Xulliela Bajda, hosted by Mqabba’s Kamra ta’ Fuq and curated by Art Sweven, is on until February 15. Consult the event’s Facebook page for opening hours.

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