Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1185664
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2019 9 CULTURE Intaglio exhibition opens at the Malta Society of Arts IT is 1961 and Malta is in the middle of an unprecedented so- cial upheaval. The Labour Party is at loggerheads with the Na- tionalist Party and the Catholic Church. Maltese society is tearing itself apart. The private world of individuals is wracked by vengeful acts. Fear, lack of trust and hate divide families and neighbour- hoods. Migration is at its height. Two families are waiting for the guar- antee papers to arrive so they would migrate to Australia. Will Australia fulfil Ninette Muscat's dream of living happily with the husband she loves? Will Australia give seventeen- year-old Rosie Farrugia a better life than the one she has on the island? Will she find the security and freedom she craves, and will she be able to reach her full po- tential? Mental illness, passion and trag- edy combine to make ECHOES an unforgettable and emotional story. This is a tender, thoughtful nov- el, rich in character and detail. It transports us to the drama of mi- gration, and takes us straight in- side the struggle individuals face during the first years of settle- ment in a new country. Echoes Books Lou Drofenik ''GRAFIKA: Of Form and Image'', a collective exhibition of over 70 intaglio works by 30 local and international art- ists, including Horst Janssen and Frank Portelli, will remain open at Palazzo de La Salle until the end of November. The exhibition forms part of a series of collective shows called 'iMprint' which was started by artist Jesmond Vassallo in 2013 with the aim of dis- seminating the appreciation and awareness of original printmaking as an artistic medium. iMprint has now become a biennial appointment ea- gerly awaited by Malta's artists and the public alike as it is Malta's only exhibition dedicated to showcasing original prints by some of the best Maltese artists and international print-makers. This year's edition titled 'Grafika: Of Form and Image' is curated by Chris- tian Attard, and presents a selection of 70 intaglio prints, including works by two very important figures in the medium: Frank Portelli and Horst Janssen. Portelli, from Malta, is well- known for his Cubist-like images, his deep spirituality, and his heartfelt melancholy that permeates most of his images. Janssen was an immensely talented German graphic artist whose images, possibly typical of many Northern artists, tackle themes such as portrai- ture, the erotic, and death. Portelli and Janssen are joined by 28 contemporary artists who are all intimately linked with Malta, either through their national status or sim- ply because they made Malta their second home. The common denomi- nator among these artists is that they are all experimenting with original printmaking, specifically the intaglio tradition. The most common techniques used are aquatint, hard-ground etching, mezzotint, sugar-lift, spit bite, and dry-point. An advantage of this me- dium is that the artist can produce an edition, in this manner making the work more widely accessible. Each and every print in the edition is an original work of art in its own right, and is signed and numbered by the artist. Led by Jesmond Vassallo, iMprint's production team is made up of artists Lino Borg and Justin Falzon. An exhibition catalog is also avail- able. 'Grafika: Of Form and Image' is open at Palazzo de La Salle, Malta Society of Arts (MSA), Valletta un- til 30 November 2019. For opening hours visit www.artsmalta.org/events or visit the 'iMprint Malta' page on Facebook. Each and every print in the edition is an original work of art in its own right, and is signed and numbered by the artist