tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37392427591758454442024-03-05T15:44:21.954-08:00The art of Maltese artist Christopher SalibaPainting Sculpture Etchings Photography Installation VideoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-84453214491589084762013-10-25T08:10:00.001-07:002013-10-25T08:10:31.430-07:00Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-85242052347338983992013-10-25T08:06:00.001-07:002013-10-28T05:10:12.493-07:00My project "Ageing Mirrors", which took most of my creative time during the last three years, has reached a mature stage. This experimental photographic work is a biographical and social documentary that sheds light on the continuous and influential changes taking place on the personal, the social and the political levels. This contemporary project takes a completely different stance from my artworks, mostly paintings, which were produced throughout the last ten years. Now it is a matter of deciding where and when to exhibit this collection of works.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-16984575753770478252012-12-03T00:25:00.001-08:002013-10-28T05:11:32.016-07:00Natasha Mifsud reviews Christopher Saliba's latest exhibition of paintings (The Sunday Times of Malta - December 2, 2012) <i></i><i></i>
Abstracted landscapes take centre stage at Christopher Saliba’s latest collection of works, ‘Places Revisited’, which are being exhibited at Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates, Valletta. The exhibition consists of 20 semi-abstract landscape paintings that were executed throughout the past couple of years.
Saliba’s neo-expressionist paintings, though inventive, never lose touch with their source in nature. He often draws outdoors and feeds on direct perceptions that counterbalance the more synthetic process that develops in his studio. It is the real experience of the landscape that comes through in the palpable atmospheres Saliba manages to conjure. Vibrant colour chords and carefully adjusted tonal modulations glow beneath gestural strokes, forming complex layered surfaces. Saliba’s lyrical scenes range from deftly rendered observations to nature-based concoctions with invented and autonomous colour harmonies. Crucial to his own artistic process is the stage between his sensory experience of external stimuli and the act of creating an image. This phase of internal gestation allows impressions and feelings to germinate and ripen, unconsciously and in their own time, until brought forth in the act of artistic creation. This tendency towards abstraction is determined by his inclusion of purely abstract elements. Saliba’s paintings suggest rather than describe landscape components and perspectives. The push and pull between representation and abstraction is evident in the artist’s interpretation of the local landscape genre. Spatial relationships are subverted and suggestive forms and shapes appear to be subtly dislocated. This is evident in the facture of his painted surfaces: agglomerations of distinct, often dry-brushed pigments, textures, concoctions and juxtapositions of complex fields of colour.
Saliba is bold in scale and experimental with materials, creating multi-layered works that are rich in texture and stratigraphy - the outcome of patient scraping, scouring and re-layering of paint. What finally emerges after months of hard work is a numinous, radiant and evocative body of work, fuelled by an inner light that emanates a profound spirituality. Central to Saliba’s creative approach is the desire to create and to celebrate beauty – the beauty of natural and man-made configurations, of the fragility and mutability of matter in time and place. And if beauty is about the creation of meaningful appearances, then Saliba’s abstracted landscapes are indeed viscerally beautiful artefacts, inspired by and evoking natural beauty. They are, in the artist’s own words, “freeze-framed in time and motion – specific, but always eluding and defying absolute definition.”
Saliba has put up several exhibitions since 2002 at the National Museum of Fine Arts, at St. James Centre for Creativity, at the Auberge d’Italie and at the Auberge de Castille in Valletta. His works have also been exhibited in Perugia, London, Paris and Palermo.
‘Places Revisited’ runs until May 30 at Chetcuti Cauchi, 120, St. Ursula Street , Valletta.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-8643810941942802472012-09-19T04:25:00.000-07:002013-10-28T05:12:15.634-07:00Upcoming exhibition
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cIEdlabiSHLe43MUGlv8LYOGxyIE1mGy5twWuXbpGep0ilEUc7c0PydJj0XtEmWiBZx5_USjQzbj9FCc3lwE5zgokkGWSB-fi9ngw53lRZZAbsh4SKctjIBNgBJYf7OBT92z8JTQGS1R/s1600/exhibition+feature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cIEdlabiSHLe43MUGlv8LYOGxyIE1mGy5twWuXbpGep0ilEUc7c0PydJj0XtEmWiBZx5_USjQzbj9FCc3lwE5zgokkGWSB-fi9ngw53lRZZAbsh4SKctjIBNgBJYf7OBT92z8JTQGS1R/s200/exhibition+feature.jpg" /></a>
The last time I exhibited my landscape paintings in Malta was at the
National Museum of Fine Arts in 2006. The works displayed , all of which
belong now to private and public collections, were well received by the
general public. Six years have passed by, but it was not until these
last few months that I have been toying with the idea of organising
another exhibition of this kind. It was just a matter of finding a
suitable place at the right time. Recently, I reached an agreement with Chetcuti Cauchi - a
popular legal and financial firm in Valletta - that offered me the possibility to station my
work in the heart of the city for six whole months.
Besides having the possibility to visit my gallery in Gozo,
interested art lovers would therefore be able to view my work in Malta as
well.
More or less twenty pieces shall grace the spacious
walls of this sumptuous building, with replacements being made whenever
there are any purchases. Most of the paintings displayed will feature my
personal
interpretation of local landscapes, and these would be complemented by a couple of
abstract works.The exhibition will be officially open on
30 December. More information coming up soon.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-49381164188180555372012-09-02T00:53:00.001-07:002013-10-28T05:12:54.496-07:00Measures of Blue, 2012Somewhere at the edge of a cliff, lead weights hold a wooden sheet in a precarious position. Below this cliff, waves could be heard smashing against the rocks. At the other extreme, a thin transparent glass vessel appears more fragile than ever before. 1kg of pure blue pigment is held in equilibrium, somewhere between earth, the sky and the sea. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR8q7nd7o9DNxDVoLsLMzWpEsdwVaA2rE3eWL2LYtOExNz_cDllCFnKHOo1d_LfieDWwltRNS1oyMXkK_9FlZuuwaCyaAIAm8kLc_OiPOTCn9Qp7h4dSKIpR0MFeu9mRx3H3mrG4doXJz/s1600/measures+of+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR8q7nd7o9DNxDVoLsLMzWpEsdwVaA2rE3eWL2LYtOExNz_cDllCFnKHOo1d_LfieDWwltRNS1oyMXkK_9FlZuuwaCyaAIAm8kLc_OiPOTCn9Qp7h4dSKIpR0MFeu9mRx3H3mrG4doXJz/s200/measures+of+blue.jpg" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-31933287282126548152012-08-21T02:53:00.001-07:002012-09-15T00:04:48.667-07:00I would like to thank all those who have been following my blog throughout
these years. The number of daily visits encourages me to keep this blog
active with regular updates. Some have even sent me e-mails and asked me
whether there are any exhibitions in the pipeline. I am presently
busy on a daily basis in my studio, where commissioned works take
most of my time.New works,
mostly paintings, have been unfolding regularly. A new
collection of abstract works is also gradually taking shape and I am
keeping it aside for a future show. I am taking my time to find the right
opportunity and venue to exhibit my work.
As regards contemporary art, some new ideas and projects related to
interventions on the natural environment are ready to be developed and
documented. I am very excited about the finalisation of these projects and
it is just a matter of a few months when life on the sister island becomes
less hectic and photographic documentation is facilitated by the sensual autumn light.
Roaming around unspoilt and solitary natural spaces makes me feel at ease - it is in such places where some of my ideas and thoughts are staged, away
from the hustle and bustle and formalities of everyday life.
My other project, Aging Mirrors, is still in progress and will take longer than expected to complete.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-20636584204056836392012-06-14T21:51:00.000-07:002013-10-28T05:13:39.957-07:00No.3 from The Horizon Series<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSHlX-G1ZJFAhDGYwafK3sbv_vDZ8TnDSCj24CPdYTY8N1CAuObyb1wBzJuue06eZinaBr3OajYLkv_E4Hp3mx4oVRKlJf_pslw3v5npOmXE4sPRrLbG9GBtEJBXHlRiQwsXhWTLGp9tM/s1600/IMG_1812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSHlX-G1ZJFAhDGYwafK3sbv_vDZ8TnDSCj24CPdYTY8N1CAuObyb1wBzJuue06eZinaBr3OajYLkv_E4Hp3mx4oVRKlJf_pslw3v5npOmXE4sPRrLbG9GBtEJBXHlRiQwsXhWTLGp9tM/s200/IMG_1812.jpg" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-8882586397470094122012-06-08T06:07:00.000-07:002013-10-28T05:14:32.278-07:00True Art and VisionThe history of art is first and foremost the history of vision. Technique
changes as a result of a change in the mode of seeing; it changes whenever
the method of seeing changes. It changes so as to keep pace with changes
of vision as they occur. And the eye changes its method of seeing
according to the relation man establishes with the world around him.
An individual views the world according to his attitude towards it.
Two influences affect this vision - an outer one and one from within.
As soon one realises that his vision is always a result of both
external and inner influences, it becomes a question of trust. It becomes
a dilemma between trusting more in the outer world or otherwise, more in
the inner self. Once one arrives at the point where he can differentiate
between himself and the world, when he can separate outer from inner, he
can choose to find comfort either in the outer or inner world. A third
possibility is that of halting on the boundary line between the two.
Significant form, no matter whether it results from the outer or inner world, stands charged with the power to provoke aesthetic emotion in anyone capable of feeling it. The beliefs of men bear different weights during different times; the intellectual feats of one age are the follies of another; only great art remains stable and unobscure. Great art remains stable and unobscure because the feelings that it awakens are independent of time and place. It is generally assumed that people who cannot feel pure aesthetic emotions remember works of art by their subjects; whereas people who can, as often as not bypass the subject of a picture and its representative elements and prefer to talk about the shapes of forms and the relations and quantities of line, colour and texture. By doing so they win an emotion more profound and far more sublime than any that can be described or narrated through facts and ideas. The forms of art are inexhaustible, but all lead by the same road of aesthetic emotion to the same world of aesthetics.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-35786449459400457712012-05-08T08:23:00.002-07:002013-10-28T05:15:29.729-07:00Roots of an Island (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TFiogzWCFcPpkPJyqZ97UE-9qUBzreuh08t_8jGExd-62mcsS5XFh1-XBWiyIg5RwCf1Nlhyphenhyphen97kz3ESvaUO6xJwrvqy3Yi7ofKJ54HRklN8LpCsT49rAXyJXcFcsWaknWBaP99XC3w63/s1600/file1571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TFiogzWCFcPpkPJyqZ97UE-9qUBzreuh08t_8jGExd-62mcsS5XFh1-XBWiyIg5RwCf1Nlhyphenhyphen97kz3ESvaUO6xJwrvqy3Yi7ofKJ54HRklN8LpCsT49rAXyJXcFcsWaknWBaP99XC3w63/s200/file1571.jpg" /></a></div>
This image shows a selection of my semi-abstract paintings exhibited at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta throughout the month of November 2007. My dear friend and art critic Chev. Emmanuel Fiorentino passed away a few days before the official opening of the exhibition.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-4608151967647780062012-04-28T09:46:00.001-07:002013-10-28T05:15:55.151-07:00Art and PoliticsPolitics is about power relationships. Art is related to politics as well
since it is capable of becoming political by its own or by the volition of
culture, changing via the process from Art to History. All art as it
becomes known becomes political as well regardless of the intent of the
artist. When art becomes useful and relevant to culture and society in
general, it becomes History. Elsewhere in my blog I have commented that
maintaining a sophisticated stance above or outside of things is also
taking sides, for such indifference and aloofness is automatically a
support of the ruling class. A great number of artists quite consciously
support the bourgeois system, since it is within that system that their
work sells.
Irrespective of the 'avant-garde' or 'conservative', 'rightist' or
'leftist' position art institutions might assume, they remain always a
carrier of socio-political connotations. The policies of publicly financed
institutions are obviously subject to the discretion of the governmental
cultural division, whereas privately funded institutions showcase the
predilections and interests of their patrons.
In order to have an idea about the forces that elevate certain products to
the level of 'works of art', it is indispensable to look into the
economic, the selective and political underpinnings of the institutions,
individuals and groups who participate in the control of cultural power.
Artists as much as their supporters and their enemies, no matter of what
ideological affiliation, are unwitting partners in the art-syndrome and
relate to each other dialectically. Holding the strings from above we find
the administrators, dealers, critics, curators, pundits, gallery staff,
etc. These contributors, who were once considered the neutral servants of
art, have now become its masters. They gradually consolidated their role
in administering the artists' pure manifestations of freedom and in
transforming them into commodities with a pricetag on the media-market.
This is a mode of existence in which most artists accept to become
subbordinates to the blind urge to production-consumption; their work
becomes subject to scrutiny, assessment and administration by those who
are close to the sources of control in the market hierarchy. The products
change and selections occur continuously, but the process remains the
same: the ruling market sets the standard of intelligibility. The
ever-increasing promotion of an avant-gardist elite has successfully
reduced unnecessary competition, if not eliminating it altogether.
Undoubtedly, the 'permanent revolution' in art orchestrated by the market
is actively designed never to fulfil any social ideals. Contrarily, the
market system seems to predilect the celebration of the new individuality,
arrogantly set against the idea of sociality. What used to be the
production for a privileged middle-class, contemporary art has gradually
transformed itself into a spectacularly elitist production, remote even
from its own producers' actual lives and personal problems.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-9165265505451094482011-12-06T14:06:00.000-08:002011-12-10T10:00:40.416-08:00I recommend the reading of the following article by Jonathan Jones:<br /><br /><br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/dec/06/turner-prize-spurns-george-shaw<a href="http://http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/dec/06/turner-prize-spurns-george-shaw"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-49657239962853733792011-10-03T08:21:00.001-07:002013-10-28T05:16:25.066-07:00Painting and repainting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2_sVseQBD-y8ZurojOQqDLvLyw-HFDHb12B7Q0n4tom7WXB18Z8o1GQSj1eJqPAKDvuNOhkRCMWrbcwy_8fj9mP-74uhByfkScxVyy9aRLpka_TXXyjrtUxp-U3M5_lQE2RvN_E-9UKd/s1600/crux.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2_sVseQBD-y8ZurojOQqDLvLyw-HFDHb12B7Q0n4tom7WXB18Z8o1GQSj1eJqPAKDvuNOhkRCMWrbcwy_8fj9mP-74uhByfkScxVyy9aRLpka_TXXyjrtUxp-U3M5_lQE2RvN_E-9UKd/s200/crux.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659330940054161362" /></a><br />I have always had mixed feelings about the art of visual artists Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962), often known as the Chapman Brothers. <br />I also have a low consideration of those artists who purposely try to be vulgar and offensive in order to gain recognition. Though some works of art may be considered sublime because of the feelings of awe or anguish these are capable of transpiring, few are those artists who are able to strike the right balance and simultaneously retain the dignity and moral stance required along the feeling of repulsiveness which their work tries to convey. Being excessively different from the norm is not equivalent to being outstandingly original or creative. A case in point is the work by Jake and Dinos Chapman. For those familiar with their works, their subject matter tends to concentrate on whatever is generally deemed to be appalling and offensive.The brothers have also gained international recognition for their taste in altering works of other artists.<br />In May 2008 the White Cube gallery exhibited 13 apparently authenticated watercolours painted by Adolf Hitler, to which the brothers had added hippie motifs. Jake Chapman described most of the dictator's works as 'awful landscapes' which they had 'prettified'.<br />In 2010, the artists took an Old Master crucifixion scene and embellished it, apparently with the intention of asking the viewer to consider which works might be by Jake, by Dinos or the Flemish master. Their “Brueghel” also appears to have been, like most of the Chapmans’ works, a collaboration. By coincidence, a version of The Crucifixion accepted as by Pieter Brueghel the Younger sold at an auction in Zurich a few months earlier. This was catalogued as a joint work by Brueghel and Joos de Momper, the Flemish landscape artist who painted the backdrop.<br />And then there is the price. The Zurich auction picture sold for £673,000. The Chapmans’ “Brueghel” was priced, allowing for a 10 per cent reduction to a good client, at the same level as an authentic Brueghel of the same subject. Thus, a minor Old Master painting accrued in value just because it has been doctored by the Chapmans. The White Cube would like us to believe that the Chapmans are on the same pedestal as Brueghel. <br />Now let’s consider the moral issue behind this story. It often occurs that art practitioners revisit their past works and decide to intervene with some alterations (pentimenti). In some extreme cases, such alterations may be devastating, to such an extent that a whole body of work could disappear. The denial or erasure of one's past efforts could be explained as a portrayal of failure in creating something significant back in time. There could be other motives behind such drastic actions. It often occurs that unsuccessful art practitioners or beginners come to a point when they desperately need to repaint unsold works in order to make a living. For instance, Francis Bacon once confessed that due to financial problems he repainted most of the works that characterised the initial phase of his artistic career. In fact we do not have a significant documentation related to the period of his formation. <br />Intervening on one’s own work is one thing but messing with the works of others is logically and morally unacceptable, as long as there is consent from the original creators. Duchamp notoriously drew a pair of moustache on the image of the Mona Lisa . At least, and thanks God, the image was a reproduction.<br />But painting over an original work of an old Master, no matter whether it is a Brueghel or a minor artist, is deplorable. In my opinion, such an offensive action is a shameful attack on Art and the values of dignity and respect required for appreciating it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-3376765766269489402011-08-12T00:34:00.000-07:002013-10-28T05:16:47.398-07:00A vicious cycle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccAb6ufQWk4speh403qh8aD4D1J2WT2Nfnvxd0ysT5Z94pcPoxceO9I4sFbct5xlubDHPNg32Tmb8iXIaMMXsmYhYAUPV5U5qKYM3kBgXA_CY0MiwNjPtYSNPwsIipbYJzYAri5QzByL-/s1600/domino+effect.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccAb6ufQWk4speh403qh8aD4D1J2WT2Nfnvxd0ysT5Z94pcPoxceO9I4sFbct5xlubDHPNg32Tmb8iXIaMMXsmYhYAUPV5U5qKYM3kBgXA_CY0MiwNjPtYSNPwsIipbYJzYAri5QzByL-/s200/domino+effect.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639879467830399506" /></a>
<br />Domino Effect (2011) - Mixed media on canvas, 120 x 150 cm (zoom in to see enlarged image).
<br />
<br />Images and fragments of war reportage are extracted from newspapers and magazines and re-utilised in the creation of this collage/painting. Some texts and images are placed in evidence, whereas others are concealed or blurred purposefully with painting and overpainting in red. Historical facts...subjective truths...opinions constitute this horror vacui revolving around the central painted figures, inspired by the iconic group of statues - The Rape of the Sabine Women. Reports and pictures are presented tautologically - each of which is flattened with a homogeneous colour and thus given equal importance. During times of war, we often question whether the information presented by the media is reliable enough in portraying a true picture of war realities. As regards war documentation we tend to question images and chronicles from different perspectives. We also question whether actions, opinions and interpretations justify other actions in the name of warfare.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-17031435783231542652011-02-28T08:25:00.003-08:002011-02-28T22:03:01.876-08:00Automatic painting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXMjTyvmEBhVVsPLZgzNaAxRpeGnWclpmmkVx2k6jy2sdB9qmi-edK0LB-nolkvIWohPDt5r55h2ajjyynA03_S038UjXagWP7BSny5L5JJPTzx5stB7p83aOOTE6UJKWRXEd0sO6uWJk/s1600/christ+004.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXMjTyvmEBhVVsPLZgzNaAxRpeGnWclpmmkVx2k6jy2sdB9qmi-edK0LB-nolkvIWohPDt5r55h2ajjyynA03_S038UjXagWP7BSny5L5JJPTzx5stB7p83aOOTE6UJKWRXEd0sO6uWJk/s200/christ+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578778020746094594" /></a><br />The Citadel (2011)<br /><br /><br />The influence of expressionist and abstract expressionist art is evident in my personal interpretation of the various genres. I often begin my paintings with random and impulsive marks which I coax into recognisable forms so that figurative elements materialise as a kind of ‘found’ art. A tool in the loosening of gesture and, thus, of my link to nature, is the Surrealists’ 'automatic' painting technique. With fifteen years of dedicated practice, I have become firmly convinced that significant images proceed from an inner intensity. Gestures like pouring or splattering of paint enable me to convey notions of flux and impermanence inherent in physical phenomena. My compositions moved gradually from a commitment to the rational structures of nature towards the freer brushwork and spatial organisation through colour. I often depart from a sketchy representation of the surrounding environment; its visual data are just a pretext for me to start a painting. These simply ignite a whole process that leads to something which is relatively and intrinsically diverse from its original source. I consider my renderings of pure and unconditional expression as my best examples of painting.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-75574984010388390982011-02-13T11:28:00.000-08:002013-10-28T05:17:41.991-07:00Site-specific work<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErgDHDD2jMtnZ3qq-oer287PQaLwyk2pljsA3tgvHird0CztJD92NDotFeCw-1T37NUeQHu2ubWaItoKCmttMVRMJFYhxizAlako6e5MAsycqHg7DRvjmtY8A5_6my-5HKepUq31ZHsDC/s1600/smally+whitey.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErgDHDD2jMtnZ3qq-oer287PQaLwyk2pljsA3tgvHird0CztJD92NDotFeCw-1T37NUeQHu2ubWaItoKCmttMVRMJFYhxizAlako6e5MAsycqHg7DRvjmtY8A5_6my-5HKepUq31ZHsDC/s200/smally+whitey.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573258855555165090" /></a><br />Containing blue (2011)<br /><br />The ‘specific art object’ for the most part in the historical context undisputedly occupied a traditional gallery space or museum. The concern with materials or non-materials – particularly relatively formless materials – has the effect of inducing reflection upon the ‘containers’ which confer form upon them. Principal among these is the gallery space - the official arena in which normally all exhibits displayed are attributed with the status of an art object. But once the gallery itself became highlighted as constitutive of the work, rather than a neutral factor undeserving of attention, the possibility arose of making art which questions further the conventions of spectatorship. The possibility of installing or showing the work outside the gallery generated discussions upon the conditions of encounters with artworks. This was the origin of Land Art and site-specific sculpture. <br /><br />In site-specificity, the work of art appears to merge physically into its setting and appears embedded in the place where observers encounter it. Site-specific artworks are impermanent, installed in particular locations for a limited duration. These become the emblem of transience and the ephemerality of all phenomena. Because of their impermanence, moreover, site-specific artworks are frequently ‘preserved’ only in photographs. This fact is important, for it suggests the allegorical potential of photography. The appreciation of the transience of things becomes itself a concern about the rescue of ephemeral constituents for eternity. As an allegorical art, then, photography is capable of representing our desire to fix the transitory in a stable and stabilising image. <br /><br />Most of my site-specific installations are created and documented on seashores. These are ideal places which, when devoid of human activity, can reward the solitary visitors with a sublime visual experience that merges the earthly with the divine. The sea and the sky, with the horizon acting as their intermediate, appear to question the Earth’s substance. My actions are simple interventions with the use of simple objects. While acknowledging that the ‘absolute beauty’ is already manifested in the surroundings, the installations are meant to complement the ‘cosmic’ harmony that materialises in the unified oneness of the sky and the sea. Apart from the utilisation of natural objects found on site, common commercial artefacts are often included in my visual language – open containers, the purpose of which is to contain liquids or objects within their limited capacity. These recipients are placed facing the sea, which becomes a suggestive backdrop representing the infinite and the divine constituents of Nature. Due to their impermanence, the works are documented through photography. In most cases, the editing of photographic works is kept to the minimum in order to avoid extra embellishments. While showing an affinity with Land Art and Conceptual Art, the nature of my work remains predominantly symbolic… and allegorical, in the same way as its documentation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-79309150741649596732011-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:002011-02-07T12:39:24.078-08:00Big Red (2000) - Private collection - France.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7CHD7PM4g18oKNINTaFORB9MVCKuGA3pN1g_Wuc4odoo2cI8Jb7We7BvTBPg1PWiNZ8NQeRvWPofH-IjF2JrcuZn1fbUDF3PF4U1dyAIGoM6U6xBZ-7BMciBfEb30UrrhVGZnblFOuu4/s1600/Copy_of_passion_120x70.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7CHD7PM4g18oKNINTaFORB9MVCKuGA3pN1g_Wuc4odoo2cI8Jb7We7BvTBPg1PWiNZ8NQeRvWPofH-IjF2JrcuZn1fbUDF3PF4U1dyAIGoM6U6xBZ-7BMciBfEb30UrrhVGZnblFOuu4/s200/Copy_of_passion_120x70.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570647729052439922" /></a><br /><br /><br />One of the works completed during my studies in Perugia. This formed part of a series of paintings on canvas and engravings done during the period 1998-2001.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-75627446743210561622011-02-02T10:02:00.000-08:002011-02-14T22:16:46.479-08:00The interdisciplinary artistThere was a time when the traditional artist was either a painter or a sculptor, with some exceptions of course, such as the case of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Each established artist had his own ‘bottega’, where together with his assistants, he carried out his commissioned works. The art crisis brought about by the Counter-Reformation, which developed during the post-Renaissance period, obliged artists to find new patrons apart from the generous noble representatives of the Catholic Church. It was then when the attention shifted towards a new and prosperous market - that offered by the increasingly wealthy bourgeois class. This brought about the idea of specialisation in the various genres, including still-life paintings and the illustration of mundane scenes. Later on, during the Industrial Revolution, the art materials and paints became more accessible on the market, hence facilitating the individual productivity of the artists. <br /><br />It was however the invention of photography in the 1880s which brought about a significant and dramatic change in the art domain. The capacity of photography to achieve the lifelike realism sought by painters was a key factor in shifting the interest from figurative art towards abstraction. And with photography challenging the realism achievable in fine art, artists struck back with the photographic style of the Surrealists, particularly Salvador Dali. Later, Andy Warhol would use colour photography as the basis of his silkscreen work. The ever-increasing relevance of the technological factor in everyday life was also decisive in the affirmation of computer- and video-generated artworks. Artists started to explore the relationship between images, language, actions and sounds, and stage bodies in their videos. <br /><br />Another important breakthrough was the advent of the ‘ready-made’, the term coined in 1915 to describe objects appropriated by the artist acquiring the status of artworks. With his appropriation of everyday objects as ‘ready-mades’, Marcel Duchamp was revolutionary in introducing the notion of choice as an artistic gesture in itself, pre-dating conceptual art by half a century. Later, conceptual artists like Sol Lewitt would leave their designs and projects vague so that the team of assistants who carried a work out –sometimes taking weeks – were allowed to participate in the creative process.<br /><br />In brief I tried to explain how throughout the twentieth century, the art domain changed drastically in terms of development of ideas and practices. Nowadays, we are exposed to an open battlefield or arena in which what we may consider breathtakingly beautiful could be tested by what we may define as simply bizarre. Artists were and still remain capable of exciting, but they are also equipped with the tools to challenge and sometimes, offend. So does it really matter whether an artist is either a painter or a sculptor? Not really. The contemporary artist is the one who scrutinises and digests whatever develops around him and presents his perceptions and beliefs with his own visual language/s. The technique and the medium used are important in the realisation of any work of art, but these shall always remain subordinate to the idea or the concept behind the whole process. Then come of course other factors into play such as the emotions imparted and the overall structure of the work concerned. The contemporary artist can work on his own or otherwise may opt to work in collaboration with other colleagues. Some even delegate the actual implementation of their project/s or ideas to craftsmen or assistants. An artist is either an idealist or a pragmatist. He either aspires for a utopian state of being, or else questions the various existential, political and social ideologies. The artist, whether he likes it or not, lives in a continual correlation to the public, to society, and he cannot withdraw from its laws and its reforms. Anyone maintaining a sophisticated stance above or outside of things is also taking sides, for such indifference and aloofness is automatically a support of the class currently in power. Moreover, a great number of artists quite consciously support the bourgeois system, since it is within that system that their work sells. <br /><br />And finally, the contemporary artist is required to be multi-lingual. Though his work revolves around the same common denominator - his beliefs and personal research - the media and languages he exercises to express himself or make a statement need to be multiple. He may not necessarily be a painter or a sculptor, considering that the painter/ illustrator uses exclusively paint to express himself whereas the sculptor is concerned with bringing forms to life exclusively in 3D. In my opinion interdisciplinarity is the operative word that defines the contemporary visual artist. The application of new media has the function of stimulating interest and increasing motivation on the part of the artist in his quest of new forms of expression. The creative person considers art as a never-ending journey of self-discovery that needs to be pursued even if it takes him down to less familiar paths. Paradoxically, he shall persist with his endeavours despite the fact that no ultimate truth shall ever be unlocked.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-83138995244252814042011-01-16T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-14T22:18:19.581-08:00What is art?Some argue that figurative art has become less fashionable since the invention of photography in the 1880s. Artists like the Impressionists, followed by the Expressionists, started to interpret in a personal way the various genres and avoid representing faithfully objective reality. Freedom of expression and spontaneity of execution were injected in the new and challenging art practices, leading eventually to pure abstraction. Nowadays other media like photography itself, installation and video are being used by artists to express their emotions and their ideas or otherwise, to make a statement. The classical canons of beauty and harmony and the mastery of techniques are being constantly undermined or challenged by unconventional and deviant aesthetical forms. Today, it has become familiar practice among internationally recognised artist to challenge, shock or provoke the art system – sometimes with the intent of making a name for themselves. Some appear more interested in assimilating and amalgamating different art languages , in questioning notions and practices without necessarily giving answers. Some even dare go a step further by confronting the opposites in their work, for instance, the sacred and the fetish, the mystical and the profane, the sublime and the ordinary, the profound and the kitsch. Such practice is most commonly adopted by conceptual artists.<br />My question is, what are the priorities of an emerging artist in such a complex system consisting of a multitude of artistic languages? While acknowledging that the possibilities are numerous, one needs first and foremost to determine which art practices are personally most at heart. An artist needs to take advantage from all the possibilities a medium can offer; regular practice allows for similar traits to develop from one piece to another. Continuous practice generates confidence and the build-up of an own and personal artistic language, consisting of its own and specific rules and dynamics. Regular production is equivalent to a disciplined approach that guarantees a more mature and successful product. Perseverance and learning through trials and errors help in the moulding of a more coherent art language. Phases of involution that occur throughout an artist’s development indicate that one needs to stop and reflect upon the possibities of assimilating new practices that would improve his or her forms of expression. Moreover, significant events in our life contribute to the definition and manifestation of one’s own artistic language. Creative output may go along financial success, but the two are not necessarily related. Financial success requires a certain extent of luck, and is dependent upon the assistance of the mass media, the contacts with the various gallery owners, art museums and institutions, art critics and art collectors. Take Malta for instance. The artists' reputation, their financial success and their vocational survival are basically dependent on the promotion made by the local media and the exposure provided by a handful of art galleries. However, it is sad to note that noone among the Maltese visual artists has yet gained international status. This shows that there is still work to be done in such a way that local contemporary art emerges on the larger scenario and meets international recognition.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-55866891198231274922011-01-12T12:09:00.000-08:002011-01-12T12:24:14.714-08:00Link to the exhibition at the Mayor's Palace in Palermohttp://www.informazione.it/c/9326B95E-01C9-46D0-A992-BB2B8550F607/Lux-Aeterna-Sul-viaggio-della-Luce<br /><br />(informazione.it - comunicati stampa) <br /><br />Venerdì 14 Gennaio alle ore 17,30 la Galleria Villa Niscemi, piazza dei Quartieri,2 a Palermo, che oltre ad essere la prestigiosa sede di rappresentanza del Sindaco, costituisce un insieme di grande interesse sia per la splendida conservazione degli interni, sia per la vastità e bellezza del parco che, confinante com'è con quello della Favorita, ne costituisce la naturale prosecuzione, formando con esso un unicum paesaggistico, verrà presentata a cura del Prof. Giovanni Battista Maria Falcone la personale dell'Artista Christopher Saliba intitolata “Lux Aeterna – Sul viaggio della Luce” .<br />Artista maltese che ha già evidenziato grandi doti artistiche con esposizioni in Italia e all’estero è alla sua prima esposizione in Sicilia.<br />La mostra promossa dall'Associazione Artistico Culturale Maestri D'Arte, curata dal Prof. Giovanni Battista Maria Falcone è Patrocinata dal Comune di Palermo.<br />La rassegna, ripercorre attraverso venti opere selezionate il percorso creativo dell'ultima produzione<br />frutto della continua ricerca dell'Artista.<br />Le opere di Christopher Saliba sono un viaggio immaginifico nella luce. Luce che percorre spazi infiniti e che ci racconta di molteplici universi illuminati e poi oscurati dopo il suo passaggio.<br />Se osserviamo le sue opere, soprattutto le prime, la tessitura è intrisa di innumerevoli paesaggi che risuonano di forme e colori mediterranei. Case, paesaggi, pietra arenaria: forse alludono alla forza creatrice di una cultura spesso dimenticata e che ha perso quella valenza storica ed umana che ha generato le grandi civiltà del passato. Poi queste forme si dissolvono e divengono, in maniera più consistente nelle sue opere di genere astratto, informi, generando, quasi come vortici e tempeste, un flusso magnetico che procede verso l'universo, proprio come una Lux Aeterna.<br />L'artista si serve di luce molto fredda, quasi tendente all'azzurro, trasformando i colori come in materia metallica, in magma rigeneratore, che tutto brucia e travolge. E' una luce che produce un grande coinvolgimento emotivo, innescando un vortice di emozioni.<br />Dal pittorico figurativo alla perdita della forma, Christopher Saliba mostra di dominare gli spazi più impervi di un mondo, quello della pittura espressionista astratta, un genere alla cui base stanno sia la spontaneità del rapporto dell'artista con l'opera che il ruolo privilegiato dell'inconscio nel processo creativo.<br />Mostra di grande interesse culturale se ne consiglia la visione a professionisti del settore, collezionisti e semplici osservatori.<br />In Mostra fino al 20 Gennaio 2011<br /><br />Per informazioni contattare:<br />Associazione Artistico Culturale Maestri D'Arte<br />Tel. +39 349 3744896<br />e mail: maestridarte@gmail.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-50076971400614303232010-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:002012-04-29T02:00:31.210-07:00The parable of the blind (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9YQFcfc6rTIUkjzyZPNLh3Fn8mR3y-TTWYDNyFeZ3vXtehn_rridOdN69H0zlx3TXD44tKQN5YXeegvHPqW3g4TRZZDBOJ5CCK3xVcPxXmZOIfK1Kir-SZE3Lj-NwI6-gbvWWa3nhAg_/s1600/Picture+058.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9YQFcfc6rTIUkjzyZPNLh3Fn8mR3y-TTWYDNyFeZ3vXtehn_rridOdN69H0zlx3TXD44tKQN5YXeegvHPqW3g4TRZZDBOJ5CCK3xVcPxXmZOIfK1Kir-SZE3Lj-NwI6-gbvWWa3nhAg_/s200/Picture+058.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556156787692134850" /></a><br />Click on image to enlarge.<br />Limited edition of 10 prints.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-38899469911374156982010-12-27T05:24:00.001-08:002011-01-15T09:47:02.768-08:00Exhibition 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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-41901290561582153952010-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:002010-12-29T06:57:43.270-08:00Installation - December 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvx03mE6xr5zPQAM6Bs2MfHD2vavL9FWLsKXR7TZyhB0p4viobmEc3CHUZQ4mV-SK8uYsTVzk5Xm3inaCtImFzXK_BJnTyykDzTWl69ijvDV63FecsCcOWZ6vnFeRL4V_DpSh3g-A57Xn/s1600/art.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvx03mE6xr5zPQAM6Bs2MfHD2vavL9FWLsKXR7TZyhB0p4viobmEc3CHUZQ4mV-SK8uYsTVzk5Xm3inaCtImFzXK_BJnTyykDzTWl69ijvDV63FecsCcOWZ6vnFeRL4V_DpSh3g-A57Xn/s200/art.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548077303289068962" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxXRZMDFYeF3Zfb19IMvtL7G1aDZjU9qJmem03A_o5kc3FRtmWzD5Tw2RjbWB2g6SIRY8jRgC9RJl4RU94dEzq6UI5bX4hZ2dWsDPC853A66rfoUHwJHnUJChbVkLwn-OL2zqKCRF2X8e/s1600/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+030.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxXRZMDFYeF3Zfb19IMvtL7G1aDZjU9qJmem03A_o5kc3FRtmWzD5Tw2RjbWB2g6SIRY8jRgC9RJl4RU94dEzq6UI5bX4hZ2dWsDPC853A66rfoUHwJHnUJChbVkLwn-OL2zqKCRF2X8e/s200/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+030.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548077182200446754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzlKM_o-FxKavQMXN5DMYDquu7t7yecQJO3g1wMPPha2FALtMkkkSboJ-dmG6sR631QSK1HUmK7-peaWqOq2ddriAsre4Aqf_MIHktJYinmP2kcJSy4URn75QSCuiXimffX5beTdPdxB4/s1600/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+028.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzlKM_o-FxKavQMXN5DMYDquu7t7yecQJO3g1wMPPha2FALtMkkkSboJ-dmG6sR631QSK1HUmK7-peaWqOq2ddriAsre4Aqf_MIHktJYinmP2kcJSy4URn75QSCuiXimffX5beTdPdxB4/s200/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548075825900793490" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipObNNf-PkK6qZPd4Tsrj0IG2tsSGHkMYb0G5EfWK0aVcO3wsDmE40-_0NA50uI5oJhH-KqWCzznhKAES6dwrPv2-7s7bLMklyabI1BVuH-SXjZi05q-8sVmivIcD8rtaeUqy9zvqd-N93/s1600/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+021.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipObNNf-PkK6qZPd4Tsrj0IG2tsSGHkMYb0G5EfWK0aVcO3wsDmE40-_0NA50uI5oJhH-KqWCzznhKAES6dwrPv2-7s7bLMklyabI1BVuH-SXjZi05q-8sVmivIcD8rtaeUqy9zvqd-N93/s200/maLTA+SOCIETY+OF+ARTS+021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548075339753685538" /></a><br />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.<br /><br />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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-17078493807214775792010-07-27T08:21:00.000-07:002011-08-29T11:25:42.544-07:00Ageing mirrors - my new projectThis 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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-23705002199623142252010-04-17T04:09:00.000-07:002010-04-17T04:12:01.335-07:00Review by Dr.Louis Lagana'17 April 2010 http://www.independent.com.mt <br /> <br /> <br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739242759175845444.post-42640211317613730552010-03-15T08:05:00.000-07:002010-07-29T01:29:25.591-07:00Pure sensations, atmosphere and a dynamic spontaneity characterise Christopher Saliba’s latest exhibition of abstract paintings. The Gozitan artist’s collection, entitled <em>Introspections</em> 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. <em>Introspections</em> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05317927990479575299noreply@blogger.com0