Ta’ Qali Artisan Village hosts a number of artisans who specialise in one-off artistic pieces. Two such artisans are Eleazar Galea of Olivewood, and Paul Haber of Alka Ceramics. While they make use of different media to express their art, they share the same artistic flair.
Paul Haber, a ceramic graduate, set up Alka Ceramics as a family business way back in 1980 and opened shop at the Ta’ Qali Artisan Village for the production of ceramics intended mainly for export to the US market. Paul’s artistic style is contemporary and the first Alka Ceramics designs followed the trend in the American market. All manufactured products were initially shipped to the US and later on to Canada and Northern Europe as well.
The Maltese were also very interested in Haber’s work and production started to be shifted slowly towards the local market. By the time that the Asian market infiltrated the US with cheaper products, Alka Ceramics had a strong demand for artistic ceramics from designers, households, hotels, and the tourist market in Malta. The production of Alka Ceramics is very diverse, ranging from highly innovative to traditional pieces inclusive of designs murals, cladding, and ceramics of large dimensions for public spaces.
At Alka Ceramics one can also find a permanent gallery showing Haber’s artistic unique pieces. The premises also house ‘The Pottery Experience, a Maltese Perspective’ - a walkthrough show with life-sized figures, a small museum and a video about ceramics in Malta which spans over the history of ceramics from the prehistoric to the present day.
Alka Ceramics and its founder Haber have received numerous awards and accolades for their ceramics. Haber was also awarded the National Medal for Service to the Republic and the Gold Medal by the Malta Society of Arts.
From a young age, Eleazar Galea was always creative and interested in the arts. His grandmother lived next door to the late Anton Agius, the ‘National Sculptor’ of Malta, and this provided plenty of inspiration for Eleazar. The love for olive wood started there and continued to grow as he journeyed through Art School.
As a young man, Galea had to make the difficult decision of either becoming a full time artist and sculptor, or keep his property maintenance company. In 2005 he followed his heart, sold his business and became a full time artist. Eleazar never looked back. He lived for some time in southern Spain, learned about his beloved olive wood from nature itself, and started sellling his artworks worldwide.
In 2013 he returned to Malta to settle and raise his young children here. Soon after arriving back in Malta he and his family visited the Ta’ Qali Artisan Village – and from the first instance he knew he wanted to be there within the local artistic community. He had something new to offer to the village and an opportunity to share his love for sculpting, wood turning, and olive wood with others.
Today, Galea specializes in custom designs and unique pieces of Art sculpted in olivewood. For every piece of work, Eleazar chooses pieces of wood carefully to really show the olive wood at its best. He carves what he sees naturally in the wood. Olive wood is extremely hard, at times harder than oak. Because of this, Galea is always sharpening his tools. Once oiled, the olive wood comes to life again in all its splendour. Sculptures are Galea’s pride and joy. They take many months to carve and create, but each piece is unique.
Alka Ceramics and Olivewood can be contacted via email respectively on alkaceramics@gmail.com and eleazargalea@gmail.com, or by following or contacting them via Facebook.
The Malta Crafts Foundation