DIVERSITA - Art collective exhibition, Malta

D I V E R S I T ÀCollective Art Exhibition

Louis Agius ........Philip Agius ........Mary Attard ........

Agostino Baldacchino ........Natalia Bogdanova ........

Mimmo Caruso ........Matthew Cassar ........

Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud ........Charles Mifsud ........George Muscat ........

Luciano Schifano ........

photographypaintingphotographyphotographypaintingarraspaintingceramicsphotographyceramicspainting

Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle,219, Republic Street, Valletta

30th January - 25th February 2015Cavalieri Art Hotel, St Julians

29th March - 23rd April 2015

D I V E R S I T ÀIt is a singular effort to bring together foreign and local artists to exhibit their creative works in two different venues: at the Malta Society of Art premises at Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta and at Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julians which has transformed its foyer into an open window of artistic expression.

While the former venue is a college with magnificent exhibiting halls and a steel and glass covered courtyard, the four star hotel has clients from all over Europe and has managed to organize 50 art exhibition in less than 5 years. The present collective includes photography, ceramics, painting and arras by ten artists.

Mary Attard, Louis Agius, Wistin Baldacchino and Charles Mifsud present a photography section.

Louis Agius impresses with: ‘Exact geometry, clinical cleanliness, mathematical precision, meticulous, methodical accuracy of basic forms, shapes and volumes in sharp definition, in space. This is the first impression that emanates from a collection of monochrome photographs on one theme: architecture. This one treatment to such formula or theorem to structure is a rational, balanced approach to symmetry that exposes the engineering background of a professional photographer of quality’.

12. Louis Agius | Underground Hall | 2011 | photography | 53 x 71 cm

Mary Attard presents works redolent with romantic sentiment and feeling. She prefers to capture the lyrical poetry of a setting sun or the magnetic tape reflection in water. On her recent visit to China she was inspired by a 700-year-old tree in a Confuscius Temple in Beijing. Her interpretation of this subject exposes her creative powers transforming the bark of the tree into a petrified fossil, presenting the part for the whole.

Wistin Baldacchino who has won international acclaim is a magician in the way he transforms an image captured in a split second into an argument worth several hours of discussion. His strength is human character and though he gives importance to body language he focuses on facial expression. He loves humanity and captures the poor and rich alike but he is known best for expressing the suffering and pain of emarginated members of society as he excels in human pathology.

Charles Mifsud is a reflective and meditative photographer keen on capturing poetic and lyrical instances on his camera lens. An enthusiastic traveller he loves tradition and culture and documents people and places for mood, atmosphere and character. Some of his best work captures the tragedy in life while other work focuses on tranquillity, serenity, peace and the joy of living. His work is penetrating and profound, pertinent both psychologically and socially. A seagull caught flying in front of a girl on a scooter is quite impressive.

23. Mary Attard | 700 year old Tree2014 | photography | 90 x 70 cm

95. Wistin Baldacchino | Soft2012 | photography | 60 x 80 cm

129. Charles Mifsud | Joys of Flight2013 | photography | 30 x 42 cm

George Muscat and Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud present ceramic works.

While the work of Dolores is sculptural and almost in the round, George Muscat presents flat and colourful monumental plates.

George Muscat has made a name for himself after organizing several personal exhibitions with highly expressive and emotional work of a high technical quality and a freedom of expression quite outstanding. The dynamic strength of his work is overwhelming.

Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud made her mark in a personal exhibition at the China Cultural Centre, Valletta. I was impressed with her work and

wrote: ‘Unity and disparity, an aggressive and docile touch quite rare and unique, simple and complex, poetic and lyrical, fantastic and imaginative are the result of exuberant adventure, extravagant experiment and the excitement and thrill of risk and abandon. This polarity of restraint and abandon is the hallmark of her work’.

Luciano Schifano, Domenico Caruso and Natalia Bogdanova represent our foreign participants.

The work of Luciano Schifano is a colourful display of a free and liberal spirit inspired by the life and work of the Berber nomads of the African desert, his friendship with Pablo Picasso and his love of Expressionist art. One of the best exponents of Italian

04. Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud | Anemone2012 | ceramic: stoneware | 47 x 44 x 45 cm

55. George Muscat | Tribal Shield2014 | stoneware fired | 45 cm diameter

art he died recently in Florence in 2013 after exhibiting several times in Malta.

Domenico Caruso is presenting marvellous, precious and exotic works in arras. He has been awarded an honour of having though persistence and hard work preserved the technical expertise of weaving masterpieces on cloth. A master craftsman and artist he has taught this wonderful craft and had his work exhibited alongside work by Leonardo. He hails from San Giovanni in Fiore, near Cosenza in Calabria. Hopefully he will fall in love with our Island and return to exhibit again and again.49. Luciano Schifano | Uomo con Basco

1970 | olio su compensato | 50 x 40 cm

34. Domenico Caruso | Natività | 2014 | arras pura seta | 210 x 150 cm

Natalia Bogdanova is a Russian artist born in Moscow where she lives and works. She has already organized a personal exhibition at Cavalieri Art Hotel and at Skyparks in Malta. Her work releases a: ‘A romantic and dreamy idealism, a nostalgic and lingering love for a past long lost in a disciplined and efficient technological world, a fascination with nature’s wonders, a sensitivity for mood and atmosphere, a love for plants and flowers and an overwhelming sweet melancholy, a wistful sentiment for hard, cold winters, rainy, wet days, and foggy and misty mornings.

Philip Agius is fond of marine landscape and perhaps his most successful work is the ‘USS Constitution’. It is a three-masted frigate tacking into the wind with billowing sails and jibs in tension, bravely reeling on one side with an exposed hull and gun ports clearly

showing. The emotion and feeling of the artist is revealed in the swell and wash the result of the dynamic forward movement of the frigate with frothed crested waves and spray flying into the wind. The sails emphasised by projected light against a clouded sky give the ‘Old Ironsides’ a sense of monumental vigour, poise and strain.

The work of Matthew Cassar is saturated with romantic fervour and intense emotional feeling. His love of the sea and especially of waves breaking on the rocks is a recurring theme in his work. His rare and unique way of capturing atmosphere, mood and character of this wild element is the result of his deep sensibility and acute sensitivity. The lyrical and poetic way in which he captures nature’s mood reveals his reverence of creation, his tremulous intensity in the awe he feels when confronted by its cosmic spirit

75. Natalia Bogdanova Rainfall2013oil on canvas50 x 70 cm

in open spaces. Matthew is an avid dreamer as he weaves reality, myth, magic and mystery.

This present collection of artistic works might create the possibility in its variety

and intensity to stimulate thought and reflection, to suggest inspiration, pleasure and excitement, to nourish culture and education.

E. V. Borg15. 01. 2015

113. Philip Agius

USS Constitution

2014oil on canvas

71 x 107 cm

59. Matthew Cassar

Dawn over the Harbour

1975oil on canvas

84 x 70 cm

AGIUS, Louis (b.1948)

EvergreenTriq it-Trunciera TwilaSan Gwann SGN 2123+356 21371522+356 [email protected]

Dedicated to photography for nearly 20 years I am still evolving my artistic expression. My photography ranges from the figurative to the abstract, artistic architecture and fine art. My photos have been exhibited in numerous collective international exhibitions and three local, personal ones. I serve as President to the Malta Photographic Society.

10. Louis Agius | Urban Jungle | 2013 | photography | 82 x 96 cm

13. Louis Agius | Art in View | 2012 | photography | 71 x 61 cm

AGIUS, Philip (b.1964)

Secret SongPhilip Gatt StreetZebbug ZBG 1250+356 21461913+356 [email protected] Agius Art Studio

Philip Agius is a talented artist with an eye for composition, balance and unity. His strength is design as his graphic work explicitly reveals. Philip has a photographic memory for the figurative, is an excellent illustrator and has a feel for actuality. Philip’s nude studies: reclining, kneeling, standing, his earliest works in the exhibition prove without doubt his excellent draughtsmanship. Perhaps they are the most artistic as they seems spontaneous sketches in watercolour washes. They are not meticulously drawn but a synthesis of previous studies done with great aplomb, with economy, vigour and intelligence. Philip teaches art and has worked wood as a career. He seems to have been reborn and looking forward to concentrate on his artistic talent and a creative surge.

E. V. Borg

91. Philip Agius | What Ship | 2014 | oil on canvas | 51 x 76 cm

116. Philip Agius | White Hat | 1998 | water colour and acrylic | 39 x 26 cm

ATTARD, Mary (b.1949)

Derby Flat 263 Triq Patri Guzepp CallejaSan Pawl il-Bahar+356 [email protected]://mary-attard.fineartamerica.comhttp://handmademalta.com/shop/wall-art

Photography is an extension of my thoughts and emotions. My camera helps me to see rather than just look, capturing textures, patterns and colours in my images. I love abstractions in nature and in urban environments. Landscapes, abstraction and minimalism in my photography are characteristic topics. My photography appeals to another level of understanding beyond what we usually consider to be the everyday life. I see a reality that I find particularly beautiful which many are unaware of. I try to share and bring forth this perception of reality through my photography.

22. Mary Attard | Chinese Mountaintops | 2014 | photography on canvas | 19 x 52 cm

26. Mary Attard | Fossil Fantasy | 2013 | photography | 45 x 35 cm

BALDACCHINO, Wistin (b.1949)

209 ‘Petra’Triq Dun Mikiel XerriAttard+356 99803307+356 [email protected]

Critics rate mywork in the field of photojournalismas excellent. It is considered news items based on human action. My work could be termed popular or sociological as a genre of social realism. My spontaneousshots togetherwith the ‘instantimpact’ elementthey produceby their sharpand starkrealism make itimperative forthe spectator toparticipate.

99. Wistin Baldacchino | On My Way 1990 | photography | 40 x 30 cm

97. Wistin Baldacchino | Lola | 2014 | photography | 40 x 50 cm

BOGDANOVA, Natalia (b.1973)

Moscow, RussiaProfsoyuznaya StreetBlock 152 Flat 286(495) 8-905 574-61 [email protected]

Natalia Bogdanova (1973- ) was born in Russia and graduated at Stroganov’s University of Painters (2007-12) in Moscow the city where she lives and works. With a deep sensitive and sensible nature backed by academic discipline she expresses a romantic sentiment full of nostalgia for the beauty of nature. A great traveller, she has visited France and Malta several times and during her journey she invariably sketches in plein air and captures particular and peculiar scenes on her camera. She reflects on the contrasts in nature: the cold, dreary and grey atmosphere of Moscow compared to the bright dazzling light of Malta, Valletta. She loves rare moments at sunrise and sunset that she treats like a prayer or offering. She loves atmosphere and mood. She has exhibited at Cavalieri Art Hotel, St. Julians and at Skyparks, Luqa.

E V Borg

112. Natalia Bogdanova Boatsman2013oil on canvas50 x 70 cm

66. Natalia Bogdanova | Paris la Fin de XIX Siècle | 2014 | oil on canvas | 70 x 50 cm

CARUSO, Domenico (b.1965)

195, via GramsciPresso CosenzaCalabriaItalia0039 328 457 76 [email protected] Tappeti Caruso - San Giovanni in Fiore:- https://www.facebook.com/ScuolaTappetiCaruso

Domenico Caruso (b.1965) is a talented master craftsman and creative artist in the field of arras. In 1983 he was awarded the diploma of Maestro d’Arte della Tessitura and two years later he became Art Director of the Scuola Tappeti di San Giovanni in Fiore, near Cosenza. In 1993 he obtained the Diploma Accademico (corso di decorazione) at the Accademia di belle Arti of Catanzaro and in 1998 Telecom Calabria (CRAL) honoured his hard work and perseverance in keeping alive the old tradition of arras by awarding him a silver plate. In December 2013 Prof Vittorio Sgarbi visited his workshop and congratulated him on his particular technique and works. Domenico is inspired by the masterpieces of great masters interpreting them in his special technique and creates original work. The master lives in his ‘casa bottega’ at 195, via Gramsci in San Giovanni in Fiore. Maltese travellers have visited his workshop and were very impressed with his work.

E V Borg

29. Domenico Caruso | Apparizione del Santo Graal | 2005 | arras pura seta | 200 x 70 cm

37. Domenico Caruso | Ti Conosco Mascherina | 2005 | arras pura seta | 100 x 100 cm

CASSAR, Matthew (b.1946)

44 MaphjorTabija RoadRabat RBT 1971+356 21454216+356 [email protected]

My artistic vision and basic source of inspiration is light and atmosphere, dynamics and movement. I am fascinated by rough stormy seas as since early youth I used to observe and meditate rolling waves, studying their oscillatory movement and watching their progress as they rush and break on the shore. My favourite artist is Turner and I mainly work in oil.

115. Matthew Cassar | Sunset on the Ocean | 2014 | oil on gesso panel | 86 x 61 cm

64. Matthew Cassar | Abstract 3 | 2005 | acrylic on canvas | 60 x 80 cm

LUNGARO-MIFSUD, Dolores (b.1964)

191, Arcade Street,Paola, PLA1211+356 [email protected]

My work gives me a deep sense of purpose, with self-indulgence that makes each piece I create unique. I strive to express a sense of organic beauty to be shared by all who come in contact with the result. It is important to me to embed this notion of uniqueness and originality in the process inducing a surreal experience and inviting people to explore, touch and enjoy looking at the works every time. I continue to pursue explorations in form and texture, bringing together rough and smooth, shiny and matt, often referencing elements of the industrial alongside the natural.

08. Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud | Turbulance | 2011ceramic paperclay stoneware | 42 x 52 x 38 cm

03. Dolores Lungaro-Mifsud | Oblique Sun | 2013ceramic stoneware, iron, fused glass, solid wood | 90 x 70 x 177 cm

I capture a myriad of colourful cultures as I delve into the essence of humanity that makes our world so unique. As a globe-trotter I enjoy travelling on my own capturing fleeting colours with their vibrations and nuances, people in their daily routine. I try to capture the essence of place and time as I do through my verses a poetic and lyrical mood.

MIFSUD, Charles (b.1963)

166 St Mary StreetŻejtun+356 21695211+356 [email protected]://photo.net: search Charles Mifsud

119. Marsaxlokk Reflection | 2013 | photography | 30 x 42 cm

120. Theresa the Gypsy Girl | 2013 | photography | 30 x 42 cm

MUSCAT, George (b.1962)

38 Triq CipruNaxxar NXR 3451+356 21438188+356 9947 [email protected]

In my opinion, art ought to reflect happy moments. Viewers should not be burdened with the difficult moments in an artist’s life. With the infusion of colours and complex design, I create a world that recalls the mysteries around us. In this manner I open a window onto the world I want the viewers to enjoy and yet there are shades of my character and soul that are shielded in each artistic piece.

53. George Muscat Migration2014 | stoneware fired 58 cm diameter

52. George Muscat | Untitled | 2014 | earthenware fired | 55 cm diameter

SCHIFANO, Luciano (1943-2013)

The primitive simplicity and the wisdom of ages that the art of Luciano Schifano (1943-2013) evokes often earns him the epithet of shaman, bard, jongleur. He sings blissfully in the wide blue sky like a lark. With the brushes of the ‘divine mystic’ (i pennelli del magico divino) he mesmerises and sooths with his hypnotic expression like a snake charmer does on his pipe. His art is therapy. It is positive and optimistic; it is composed and balanced. It is music. It is poetry. It evokes the simple pleasures of life. His painting is about nature, man and landscape. He gets excited by painting sky, clouds and birds; land, fields and flowers; sea, fish and shells. A newly ploughed field is a marvel to the man. Luciano Schifano organized a personal exhibition at the Suncrest Hotel, Qawra, at the National Museum of Art, Valletta (1998), at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta (2012) and at Cavalieri Art Hotel, St. Julians (2012).

E V Borg

0039 335 667 21 48c/o Sig. Mauro [email protected]://www.lucianoschifano.com/profilo.htm

40. Luciano SchifanoCampagna Alberata1968olio su compensato 50 x 70 cm

43. Luciano Schifano | Figura Seduta | 1970 | olio su tela | 70 x 50 cm

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Art Discussion Group (ADG)in conjunction with the

Malta Society of Arts and Cavalieri Art Hotelpresent

D I V E R S I T Àan Exhibition of Painting, Ceramics, Photography & Arras

by Louis Agius Philip Agius Mary Attard

Agostino BaldacchinoNatalia Bogdanova

Mimmo Caruso Matthew Cassar

Dolores Lungaro-MifsudCharles MifsudGeorge Muscat

Luciano Schifano

atMalta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle

219 Republic Street, Valletta30th January – 25th February

andCavalieri Art Hotel, St Julians29th March - 23rd April 2015

Malta Society of Arts • Cavalieri Art Hotel • Art Discussion Group Marsovin • VEE GEE BEE

Curator: E. V. BorgDesign & Layout: Mary Attard & E. V. Borg

Text: The Artists & E. V. Borg ©Mobile: +356 79708527;

Website: www.adgmalta.webs.comEmail: [email protected]

Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle,219, Republic Street, Valletta

30th January - 25th February 2015Cavalieri Art Hotel, St Julians

29th March - 23rd April 2015

DIVERSITA - Art collective exhibition, Malta

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