Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1305625
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 NOVEMBER 2020 4 PHOTOGRAPHY AN important new temporary exhibition is being inaugurated this Saturday at Il- Ħaġar museum, in Pjazza San Ġorġ, Vic- toria, Gozo. TIME eMOTION - The pho- tography of Tommaso Vecchi is organised and curated by Valerio Ballotta GBK Malta and remains open to 1 December. The exhibition presents for the first time ever at international level works by this young Italian photographer who, though he discovered his passion for trav- el photography just two years ago, has al- ready attracted the attention of important magazines such as National Geographic and Digital Camera. In fact the photo- graphs published in these magazines will be exhibited exclusively at this event. The chosen images will also include a preview of the photographs selected for "Atlas of Humanity", a May 2021 Paris exhibition. The exhibition catalogue, in the Il- Ħaġar GEMS series, over eighty colour pages contains a collection of images, de- scribed and narrated by the photographer himself. These are the tangible result of his latest travels, starting from chaotic European capitals such as London, and those rich in art and culture (Paris), and extending to the most remote corners of the planet, in the search for distant cul- tures. The introduction of the catalogue is by Alessandro Bergamini. Tommaso Vecchi introduces us to peo- ple and tribes accustomed to living in the most alarming social conditions, giving us the opportunityto get closer to these realities. In the effort of making us touch their essence, he depicts genuinely the beauty and peculiarity which character- ise them. The exhibition tracks the pho- tographic journey of the artist, from the very first shots on the Dolomite Moun- tains, on to the travels which have deeply marked him, precisely identifying him in the travel photography genre. It is in India and Tibet that he really un- derstood what it means to travel with the objective of learning more about the cul- ture of distant and unknown populations and to share moments and experiences with them. This is what challenged him, a few months later, to confront the African tribes of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia. Tommaso, through his photographic equipment, is trying to leave in awe all those who - for a reason or another - can- not travel to such places. Because of the current directives to en- sure social distancing, there will be multi- ple opening sessions: 11.30am, 12.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and at 11.30am on Sunday. Bookings can be secured by indicating your preferred time to info@heartofgozo.org.mt All are invited: the Exhibition (moreo- ver complemented by unique movie clips which narrate the distinctive rites and ceremonies) can be visited during the normal opening hours of 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. There is no entry fee. Italian photographer's work exhibited in Gozo IX-XWEJJAĦ tal-Ġugarelli u Stejjer Oħra is the fifth collection of sto- ries for children by Patrick Sammut. Here the readers will find 17 new stories that in the past the author himself narrated to his children late at night, and later on he edit- ed and restructured them to make them good enough to be read by both children and those who went beyond the age of dreams and inno- cence. Once again, here we find stories involving both people and differ- ent animals as the main charac- ters. These stories are based both on the realities of daily life, as well as dreams, fables, realistic magic and those cartoons which we used to watch quite often on TV. Sammut uses both a flowing lan- guage as well as style, together with an idiomatic Maltese, so that the reading experience is changed into something which not only gives the reader pleasure, but also a positive message. Values, such as generosity, solidarity towards others who are different, respect to the environment we live in and the people and creatures around us abound in these stories. Other themes such as bullying, solitude, eating disorders, and the depend- ency on television, are also treated. The stories' actions in this col- lection are set up in familiar places such as national parks, public gar- dens, the library, the house, and others that go beyond that reality experienced in one's daily life. The stories in this new collec- tion by Patrick Sammut offer some time of leisure and reflection to the readers aged 10 years and over. Book Review 'Ix-Xwejjaħ tal-Ġugarelli u Stejjer Oħra' Patrick Sammut Horizons, 2020