Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 6 CULTURE Book Review MALTESE MODERN ART SERIES: HISTORY & THEORY Metal and Silence The quest for daringness and au- thenticity in the arts By Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci PREVIOUSLY thought of as 'arte da man- icomio' for its daring attempt to introduce radical new forms and the introduction of metal as an artistic material, Maltese Mod- ern art has endured years of reticence and historical concealment precisely because it presents a disquieting situation to con- front. In this book, Giuseppe Schembri Bo- naci innovatively juxtaposes Modern art's development in Malta with the concept of silence. The author enters into a number of vital albeit oxymoronic debates on the his- tory of Modern art in Malta and its notable evolutionary qualitative leaps in the post war decades. The discussion enters into un- precedented spheres of knowledge to fur- ther entrench the study of Maltese art in the complex local and international contexts. The second in the Maltese Modern Art Se- ries, Metal and Silence: The quest for daring- ness and authenticity in the arts, continues to pursue the revised methodological ap- proach for the study of Modern art by criti- cally questioning the attitudes towards artis- tic production during the twentieth century. Schembri Bonaci's conclusions on artistic genius as separated from technical skill, on the alienation of art from human values in the contemporary era, and the argument that beauty has now become a subversive act project an intriguing dialogue between mo- dernity and the present. On Monday 30 March, Francis Camilleri will present a solo piano recital of works spanning Classical-era drama and introspective Romantic elegance. Schubert's lyrical Sonata in A major D. 664 opens this programme, followed by two dramatic works in C minor: Mozart's Sonata in C minor and Beethoven's Pathétique sonata. The piano recital is being held at the Concert Hall, Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta at 5pm. Entrance will be free. Piano recital by Francis Camilleri Kafka's Insect KAFKA'S Insect is an interdiscipli- nary performance based on the short novel 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka, published in 1915. The interdisciplinary profile of this performance presents the narrative through a cycle of video-art scenes, accompanied by a live piano score and modular analog synthesizers. In Kafka's Insect, the narrative is presented through the sections in the story that portray sound, such as the prodding of feet as the furniture in Gregor's room is moved around by his mother and sister, a medicinal glass vial shattering on the floor, rain pelting against the window panes. The accessibility of the perfor- mance transcends the demand for the spoken word through the uni- versal language of images, sound and music. The video was shot with the Achro- mat lens created in France in 1839. This lens captures an illuminous soft focus with rich textured backgrounds - rarely achieved with modern lenses. The performance will be held at the Valletta Campus Theatre (ex MITP) on 21 and 22 March at 8pm.