Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Exhibition in Palermo, Italy.

Ten years have passed by since my return to my homeland after four years (1997-2001) of hard work and study in Italy. This brought about the idea of reviving my connection with the Italian art scene and organising an exhibition there. Thanks to the association Maestri d'Arte, which shall start to represent my work in Italy, I will be showing my first exhibition in 2011 at the Mayor's Palace, in Palermo, Sicily. This exhibition, taking place in January, shall be followed by another one in Italy (in collaboration with Maestri d'Arte) later on during the year.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Installation - December 2010





I have recently collaborated with artist Martin Attard in the creation of an installation in conjunction with the opening of the new boys' secondary school in Gozo. The idea behind the work created was to manifest symbolically the transition from the old to the new educational premises. The underlying concept was to instill an awareness that there exist no present or future without their past. The dignity of old furniture, stored educational resources or historical documentations was restored with their presence, even though temporary, during the celebration of this transition. Abandoned objects and faded photos evoked memories of educators, students, visitors and past educational experiences. The 'ready-mades' or recycled objects displayed in the installation contrasted with the modern structures and refurbishing of the new school. A sense of nostalgy and simultaneously, the awareness of changing times, could be sensed thoroughly in the intimacy of the atmosphere created.

The display of found objects and their re-utilisation in unfamiliar contexts is not something new to my repertoire of contemporary art creations. This methodology has recurred frequently in the creation of installations displayed in my past exhibitions.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ageing mirrors - my new project

This period of the year, characterised by a number of committments related to commissioned works, is also the starting point of a new artistic project consisting mostly of photographic works.It is a long-term project based mainly on documentation, throughout which the iconographic attributes of the classical portrait are presented in stark contrast with less conventional representations of the human being. The nature of the project is conceptual. A computer programme has been created on purpose to give way to a new digital approach for developing the portrait image. The project, which revolves around the themes of life, death and human nature, is still in its initial phase but already promises to be one of my most challenging projects.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Review by Dr.Louis Lagana'

17 April 2010 http://www.independent.com.mt


Christopher Saliba is an artist who explores the unlimited possibilities abstract art could offer. Like other artists he underwent professional training in an academic art institution. In fact, during the years 1997 and 2001, he developed the technical skills in various mediums at the Accademia di Belle Arti Pietro Vannucci in Perugia, Italy. After his studies abroad, in 2002, Saliba held his first personal exhibition in Gozo, his birthplace. This is his 10th personal art show entitled Introspections.

Most of these works are not simply an abstracted re-interpretation of the visual sources that attract the artist but also an expression of the unconscious. I consider that Saliba’s latest works are a reflection of his inner vision and the spiritual condition of humankind, and therefore possess a significant symbolic content. In his latest collection of works Saliba focuses on the circular form as a major element within the composition. As stated by various psychoanalysts and art historians, the circle is a symbol of the psyche whereas the square and the rectangle are symbols of earthbound matter, of the body and reality. In his work Saliba does not make any distinction between these two primary forms. It is rather his urge to bring to consciousness the basic factors of life that really matters, symbolized by these primary forms. We know that art is not solely concerned with beauty or with aesthetic pleasure, that is, with images of objects that appear in our external world. Artists like Saliba also seek to express the non-objective work coming from the ‘inside’ world.

When we look closely at Christopher Saliba’s canvases we notice that there is always a point of departure: the exploration of light that manifests itself within organised structures or contrasting spaces. Dark and light blues, yellows, ochres and a range of reds dominate his rich palette.

Colour is freed from any objective context and becomes the subject in itself. Expansive colour fields are bound by crude but defined lines; imperfections, threads of light, scars and fissures of accumulated time are brushed into the layered medium.

Today the art of Christopher Saliba does not limit itself to the medium of painting. He also uses drawing, etching, sculpture, digital photography, installation and video art. He experiments continuously to pursue his life-long artistic journey of self-discovery and an aesthetic vision that mirrors the cultural values of contemporary society.

Introspections will run between 6 - 30 April at Auberge d’Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta. The exhibition, supported by APS Bank, Middlesea Valletta Life and Marsovin, will be open daily from 9am to 5pm. More information about the event is available on the artist’s website www.gozo-art.com.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Pure sensations, atmosphere and a dynamic spontaneity characterise Christopher Saliba’s latest exhibition of abstract paintings. The Gozitan artist’s collection, entitled Introspections was produced during the period 2008-2010. Stripped of any visual references or clues, these works are external manifestations of inner impulses that mirror the artist's state of mind at a particular moment in time. Introspections will be held at Auberge d'Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta. It starts showing on April 6 and runs till April 30. It is open daily to the general public between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

In connection with the exhibition, Christopher Saliba produced a thirty-page full-colour catalogue with images of the exhibits being presented. The catalogue also includes critical essays by Professor Joe Friggieri, head of the department of Philosophy at the University of Malta and by Dr. Louis Lagana', art historian and lecturer at the Junior College and University of Malta.

The exhibition is gently supported by Middlesea Valletta Life, APS Bank and Marsovin. A part of the proceeds will go in aid of Inspire - the Eden and Razzett Foundation.

Saturday, January 16, 2010


Coming soon: A solo exhibition featuring around 40 abstract works. If interested in having a private preview of the paintings at my studio or in attending the official opening of the exhibition, please contact me on my e-mail address: christophersaliba@gozo-art.com. The image shown above is a detail from one of the paintings.