Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1409324
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 SEPTEMBER 2021 6 ART 64a Flat 1: Burlò and Lydia Cecil's interpretations of Gozo The unforeseeable events of 2020 led artists Seb Tanti Burlo and Lydia Cecil to a flat in Xaghra. Here they set up a studio overlooking Marsalforn valley that gradually turned greener as autumn moved to winter. Hiding away from Mal- ta and London respectfully, the works they produced were directly inspired by the island of Gozo. Like many during the pandemic, home became their workplace. For Burloand Lydia, 64a Flat 1 became the site that collated their separate and complimen- tary interpretations of Gozo. Prior to the pandemic, Lyd- ia's figurative oil painting took her from London to Florence to Samoa, where she painted on location and from life. De- prived of life models to work from in 2020, Lydia turned to photography to get her figu- rative references. This opened new opportunities for captur- ing people in candid, unscript- ed moments. Taking a vast assortment of spontaneous im- agery back to 64a Flat 1, Lydia painted sensitive portrayals of Gozitans from the viewpoint of the unseen observer. Swapping the pen and ink of his political cartoons for brush and oils, Burlò's new body of work still retains his brand of social commentary born from his lived experiences on the is- land of Gozo. His still-lifes celebrate local- ly sourced produce, while his landscapes depict the dimin- ishing beauty of Marsalforn Valley and Gozo as a whole. After graduating in History from the University of Edin- burgh, Lydia Cecil trained at the London Atelier of Rep- resentational Art, and then tu- tored there prior to the Covid pandemic. She has been an Artist in Res- idence for the New Generation Festival and for the Tiapapata Art Centre, and now is a con- tributing tutor to Raw Umber Studios. Her work explores hu- man nature and its representa- tion. Seb Tanti Burlò is a politi- cal cartoonist and artist, pub- lished weekly in The Times Malta. Graduated in Architec- ture and Urban Studies from the University of Westminster (London), his work combines current affairs, art, writing and a splash of ink to create a socio-commentary of today's times. Dates From 1 October to 31 Octo- ber 2021 Marta Obiols Fornell at arthallgozo@gmail.com or +356 77051564. Opening hours: From Wednesday to Saturday from 10-13 and 17-19; Sunday from 10-12. Visit: arthallgozo.com or h t t p s : / / w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / ArtHallGozo Address: 8, Triq Agius De Soldanis, Victoria, Gozo. MALTA Ed's Existential Crisis Madonna and child at the Duke 'What are you looking at' Kristu Rendent u l-Mina