MaltaToday previous editions

14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 APRIL 2019 CULĊTURE ART LONDON-BASED art- ist Mario Lautier Vella will be presenting his first Maltese solo exhibition at Palazzo de la Salle in Val- letta this May. 'The Two of Us' will be a homecoming of sorts for Lautier Vella, whose father grew up in Valletta, just streets away from Palazzo de la Salle. "Valletta has always been one of my favourite cities in the world, so to have my first Maltese solo exhibi- tion here is really special to me," he said. Lautier Vella's work has been exhibited in the UK, Berlin, Croatia, Portugal and Japan, but 'The Two of Us' will be his first show in Malta. The exhibition consists of a series of painted por- traits that serve as an ex- ploration of personas, hidden identities and alter-egos that lead the viewer to question aspects of the sitter's character. "'The Two of Us' ex- plores what happens when we encounter a human face – what we consider, what we can see or think we can see," he said. "I'm also inspired by ide- as around identity – how we're expected to behave and present ourselves, ver- sus what we keep hidden or unsaid, and the specu- lation that may arise." Lautier Vella was born in Qormi to Maltese parents who emigrated to the UK shortly after. His Maltese roots, as well as his experience of life as a Maltese immigrant liv- ing in the UK, are featured prominently in his work. Apart from being a well- established artist, he has been teaching art for over seven years, and has been running his own success- ful art school, The Fine Art Room, for the past year. "As an artist and art teacher, I am fascinated by the physical process of painting and what it en- tails," Lautier Vella said. "From planning through to the construction (and sometimes deconstruc- tion and reconstruction) of the artwork, my prac- tice is experimental in that I make work using a range of methods." 'The Two of Us' will be shown in the Art Galleries, Palazzo de La Salle, Val- letta, between 2 May and 23 May 2019. Entrance is free. Artist Mario Lautier Vella to make his Malta debut at Palazzo de la Salle Professor Roy Taylor from Newcastle University AWARD-WINNING artist Maree Azzopardi returns with her latest exhibition, Exquisite Corpse – I loved you more, opening tomorrow in Malta, before touring to Sweden and Italy. Azzopardi's work continues her journey of autobiographi- cal self-expression. It is a journey from dark to light, through a process of healing as she overcomes the trauma of death and love lost. Her previous show, IN- VICTUS presented a journey filled with cleansing waters and mountainous obstacles to overcome. Hilltop crucifixes reminiscent of Calvary fea- tured throughout. In Exquisite Corpse – I loved you more Azzopardi contin- ues to engage with religious symbolism. Whereas her previous exhi- bition featured oils and ink- based works, Azzopardi has chosen to return to the pho- tographic medium for her lat- est show. "I have always dealt with death through the lens," Azz- opardi said. The resulting images have been printed onto linen, har- nessing its symbolic power in Catholic ritual and iconog- raphy, especially altar cloths and the practice of shrouding the dead. "INVICTUS dealt with the trauma associated with death, break-ups and grief. Now I've come full circle to the death of my father and I'm finally able to exhibit the memento mori images, which I took of him in his casket before he was bur- ied," says Azzopardi. Azzopardi adds embellish- ments of gold thread, repre- senting the connection we maintain beyond the grave. Azzopardi says, "I find it com- forting to play into the belief that all souls connect with us, including those of ani- mals, hence my use of the gold thread in my work." These printed photographs- cum-tapestries meditate on the rituals we go through when something or some- one dies. As Azzopardi puts it, "It gets wrapped. Then it's buried, or washed out to sea, or left to the environment to break down into the earth." Camera in hand, Azzopardi will often walk along her lo- cal beach, looking for signs of death and the remains of ani- mals washed up on shore. The resulting works are on show here too. "I can't help but see something beautiful in de- composition," she says. Exquisite Corpse – I loved you more is presented under the generous patronage of Aniek Baten and sponsored by The Australia High Commis- sion in Malta. Artist Maree Azzopardi returns with Exquisite Corpse Mario Lautier Vella

• Cover