The art of Maltese artist Christopher Saliba

2011-12-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

I recommend the reading of the following article by Jonathan Jones:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/dec/06/turner-prize-spurns-george-shaw

Painting and repainting

2011-10-03T08:21:00.001-07:00

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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

A vicious cycle

2011-08-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

Domino Effect (2011) - Mixed media on canvas, 120 x 150 cm (zoom in to see enlarged image).

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.

Latest project

2011-03-16T02:48:00.000-07:00

My latest project was the artistic design of a Learning Resource Centre within a high school for boys in East London. The space is the modern day equivalent of a school library which also houses 60 PC computers and 30 laptops. My task was to make the room inviting and inspiring for the boys to work in and visit during their spare time.

Automatic painting

2011-02-28T08:25:00.003-08:00

The Citadel (2011)

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.

Site-specific work

2011-02-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Containing blue (2011)

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.

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.

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.

Big Red (2000) - Private collection - France.

2011-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

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.

The interdisciplinary artist

2011-02-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

There 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What is art?

2011-01-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

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.
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.

Link to the exhibition at the Mayor's Palace in Palermo

2011-01-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.informazione.it/c/9326B95E-01C9-46D0-A992-BB2B8550F607/Lux-Aeterna-Sul-viaggio-della-Luce

(informazione.it - comunicati stampa)

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” .
Artista maltese che ha già evidenziato grandi doti artistiche con esposizioni in Italia e all’estero è alla sua prima esposizione in Sicilia.
La mostra promossa dall'Associazione Artistico Culturale Maestri D'Arte, curata dal Prof. Giovanni Battista Maria Falcone è Patrocinata dal Comune di Palermo.
La rassegna, ripercorre attraverso venti opere selezionate il percorso creativo dell'ultima produzione
frutto della continua ricerca dell'Artista.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mostra di grande interesse culturale se ne consiglia la visione a professionisti del settore, collezionisti e semplici osservatori.
In Mostra fino al 20 Gennaio 2011

Per informazioni contattare:
Associazione Artistico Culturale Maestri D'Arte
Tel. +39 349 3744896
e mail: maestridarte@gmail.com

The parable of the blind (2010)

2010-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

Click on image to enlarge.
Limited edition of 10 prints in mounted modern frames.
Each print is signed and numerated.
Outern dimensions of frame: 60 x 90 cm
Price: 250 euros each.

Exhibition in Palermo, Italy.

2010-12-27T05:24:00.001-08:00

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.

Exhibition January 2011 - Italy

2010-12-27T05:12:00.000-08:00

Installation - December 2010

2010-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

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.

Ageing mirrors - my new project

2010-07-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Review by Dr.Louis Lagana'

2010-04-17T04:09:00.000-07:00

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.

The Hon. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi officially inaugurating the exhibition Introspections

2010-04-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

Inauguration speeech held by the Hon. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (6-4-2010)

2010-04-07T11:26:00.001-07:00

DISKORS MILL-ONOR. LAWRENCE GONZI, PRIM MINISTRU FL-OKKAŻJONI TAL-INAWGURAZZJONI TA’ WIRJA ARTISTIKA TAS-SUR CHRISTOPHER SALIBA - BERĠA TAL-ITALJA, L-BELT VALLETTA – IT-TLIETA, 6 TA’ APRIL 2010

Waqt li l-arti m’ għandhiex skop utilitarju dirett, immedjat, kif għandhom bosta oqsma tal-ħajja tal-bniedem, bħall-politika u l-ekonomija, madankollu l-arti tikber u tgħix madwarna kullimkien, f’forom mill-aktar diversi. Hemm din id-diversità qabelxejn bejn epoka artistika u oħra, u saħansitra bejn artist u ieħor tal-istess epoka. L-artist innifsu jvarja minnu nnifsu, għaliex jesperimenta, jiddiversifika apposta u jgħaddi minn fażijiet varji.

L-arti hi anki ogħla mill-utilità normali magħrufa, għaliex tgħin lill-bniedem jilħaq il-milja tiegħu. Bl-arti l-bniedem isir aħjar, jibni l-valuri tajba tiegħu, jevita li jissimplifika, u fuq kollox isir prudenti, rispettuż. L-arti mela hi forma ta’ rispett lejn kollox u kulħadd. L-arti tfittex li teduka, temanċipa, u tirrivela dak kollu li huwa sabiħ u sublimi fin-natura, fil-bniedem stess.

Ma nistgħux nimmaġinaw ambjent uman mingħajr arti. Hekk kien sa mill-bidu nett, mill-ewwel sforzi ta’ espressjoni kreattiva sa l-aħħar sforzi fi żmienna, żmien it-teknoloġija. L-arti tfittex li tikkompeti magħha nnifisha, mal-forom kollha tal-għixien biex tipprovdi verżjoni tar-realtà, u forsi twassalna anki biex nersqu lejn il-verità.

Minn hawn ġej l-impenn doveruż tal-Gvern li jikkoltiva l-arti, jippreserva l-prodott kreattiv tal-imgħoddi, jerfgħu fil-kollezzjonijiet tal-mużewijiet, u jiftaħ il-mużewijiet u jaħdem biex jarahom mimlijin bin-nies, proprju biex isiru dejjem aktar postijiet ħajjin, vivaċi, dinamiċi b’dak kollu li mhux biss ifakkar fl-imgħoddi imma jfakkar ukoll dwar dak kollu li huwa l-preżent, il-preżent li huwa aħna stess, illum u hawn. Lilna l-kontemporanji, l-arti kontemporanja tikkomunikalna u twasslilna l-messaġġi sbieħ u veri tagħha. Kollox għandu minnu nnifsu messaġġ, u kollox huwa messaġġ. B’mod mill-aktar prominenti l-arti hi l-forma tal-messaġġ. L-istorja kollha tal-bniedem turina dan minn żmien għal ieħor u dejjem, konsistentement.

Kull forma ta’ arti għandha dik ix-xi ħaġa speċifika li tagħmilha differenti, u li allura twassalha biex tiġbed l-attenzjoni u ċċaqlaq lill-qalb u lill-moħħ, u twassal il-messaġġ tagħha lill-ispirtu uman li jersaq lejha b’kurżità, b’gost, bil-ħsieb li jkun skopert xi aspett jew ieħor tal-ħajja. L-apprezzament tal-arti għalhekk huwa utli ħafna, u għalhekk ukoll jifforma parti mill-edukazzjoni ta’ wliedna.

L-arti varja hija studjata fil-livelli kollha tal-edukazzjoni tagħna. U hija l-intenzjoni qawwija tagħna li naraw l-arti tikseb dejjem aktar l-importanza naturali tagħha fil-ħajja ta’ kulħadd, u qabelxejn fil-postijiet edukattivi, fejn uliedna jridu jarrikkixxu l-ispirtu, il-morali tagħhom b’opri li juruhom is-sabiħ u l-veru b’mod attraenti, istruttiv.

F’din l-okkażjoni qegħdin niċċelebraw il-kontribut tal-artist Christopher Saliba, artist li llum huwa magħruf u apprezzat għat-tħaddim ta’ diversi mezzi artistiċi bħalma huma l-pittura u t-tpinġija, l-iskultura, il-video, l-istallazzjoni u mezzi oħrajn. Huwa jwassal sikwit ħsieb filosofiku li jistedinna biex nieqfu, napprezzaw u fuq kollox nirriflettu dwar il-ħajja. L-arti ta’ Christopher Saliba għandha skop evidenti ta’ komunikazzjoni li trid tirnexxi billi tħalli ħsieb jew sentiment fina. Ħarsa lejn ix-xogħlijiet diversi tiegħu turi minnufih, anki mill-ewwel daqqa t’għajn, li taħt il-forma ta’ xogħlijiet differenti hemm ħsieb insistenti, fundamentali, wieħed. Il-mortalità u l-eternità, id-dinja materjali u d-dinja spiritwali, it-tajjeb u l-ħażin, il-wiċċ tal-affarijiet u l-qiegħ profond u moħbi tagħhom ..... dawn huma kollha temi u aspetti li Christopher Saliba qiegħed jippreżenta b’mod tassew impressjonanti, li jolqotna u jistedinna nieqfu u naħsbu miegħu.

Huwa pjaċir kbir tiegħi llum li ninsab hawn biex nara bħalkom din il-wirja tax-xogħlijiet ta’ Christopher Saliba, vuċi Maltija minn Għawdex. Waqt li nifraħ magħkom lill-artist għal dan l-appuntament sabiħ li qiegħed joffri lilna u lill-pubbliku in ġenerali, bi pjaċir niddikjara din il-wirja miftuħa.

DOI – 07.04.2010

2010-03-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-01-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

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.

The Eight Beatitudes

2009-12-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

The main congregation hall of a local parish centre was recently embellished with a permanent installation of my work. I had been commissioned to develop an artistic project revolving around the theme of the Eight Beatitudes. The personal interpretation of the concept materialised into eight colourful wooden panels and a large image representng the Holy Virgin and Child.

Christopher Saliba at the President's Palace

2009-10-10T04:50:00.001-07:00

Collective exhibition by Gozitan Artists

2009-10-05T05:58:00.001-07:00

A number of my paintings shall feature in a collective exhibition displaying works by 12 Gozitan artists at San Anton Palace during the month of October 2009. The exhibition shall be inaugurated by the President of Malta, his Excellency George Abela.

TIME FRAMES 1880 - 2009

2009-10-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

In my forays into contemporary art, I have often shown my concern with the link between mankind and the natural environment. A case in point was my exhibition “Transcending the Ordinary”, held in 2004, in which I presented a photographic documentation of interventions I made on natural settings in Gozo. The sister island, in that context, was idealised and presented in its idyllic state.
In my latest creation, a video installation entitled Time Frames 1880-2009,I tend to be more critical of the phenomena that have brought drastic changes to the topographic and distinctive qualities of my native island. I found inspiration in a selection of historical photos dating back more than hundred years, that illustrate familiar Gozitan landmarks in their original setting. I revisited the actual places and took photos from the same position documented in the original photos . Eventually a confrontation could be made between the older version of Gozo and its current state. The video was shown yesterday evening in the Cabinet Room at Auberge de Castille and featured as one the events of Notte Bianca. Visitors could observe the original and historical images morph into their respective and more recent versions of the locations illustrated.
Human agency on unspoilt terrain is the overriding theme that envelopes this video. The original historical photos feature all in Nostalgias of Gozo: Images from the 1880s to the 1930s, published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti and produced by Midsea Books Ltd. This project could be made possible by kind permission of the author Judge Giovanni Bonello and publisher Pawlu Mizzi.

Still image from the video Time Frames 1880 -2009

2009-10-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION BY INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AT THE LOUVRE MUSEUM - September 2009

2009-10-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have been recently invited to participate in a collective exhibition entitled "Les Grands Maitres de demain", that shall bring together the works of several international artists at the Carrousel du Louvre, at the Louvre Museum in Paris. My abstract paintings shall feature in this prestigious exhibition to be held at the end of September.