Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538870
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 AUGUST 2025 CULTURE Tuitio Fidei: An exhibition by Tonio Mallia 'TUITIO Fidei' is Tonio Mall- ia's latest solo exhibition of oil paintings, titled after the Knights of Malta's motto, De- fence of the Faith. It is being displayed at MUŻA's imposing Camerone Hall. Mallia's collection of large- scale works, each measuring approximately 1.7 square me- tres, was thoughtfully created in direct response to the hall's architectural rhythm, blend- ing into its peripheries. The dialogue between artwork and space is one of quiet tension: monumental, yet without dom- ination—a vessel of remem- brance for those who endured the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. In preparation for the works, Mallia deeply researched the history of 16th-century Malta to intuit life during that period. Stylistically, the paintings draw from a range of visual languages rooted in Byzantine and early Christian influences, as well as 19th-century symbolism. These references are not literal appro- priations but reinterpretations, using abstraction, texture, and aged surfaces to create contem- porary impressions. The paradoxes that coexisted during this period are brought to the fore: the sacred duty of the Hospitallers to care for the sick set against their martial discipline; the seafaring rhythm of maritime life contrasted with the stillness of waiting behind fortifications. The resilience of the Maltese population, so often consigned to the margins of grander nar- ratives, is remembered in Mes- senger— a silent tribute to their memory. Other works such as Galleys, Philerme, and Pikes delve into themes of divine intercession and votive tradi- tion—vehicles of hope. La Gar- dampe tells an achingly poetic story of a mortally wounded knight who refused help and dragged himself to the foot of the altar of St Elmo's chapel, a dying ember represented by a candle snuffed out beneath a spiritual vision of St Anne. The works don't offer easy meaning. Their layered surfaces suggest hidden depths and un- resolved truths. The absence of figures becomes meaningful in itself—these are not portraits, but reflections on what it meant to live through a time shaped by faith, fear, and survival. In this exhibition, viewers are reminded of hard realities. These paintings don't offer answers. They invite us to re- flect—to consider the emotion- al impact of conflict, and to sit with its open questions rather than its conclusions. The exhibition runs from 7 August to 21 September at MUŻA, Auberge d'Italie, Merchant Street, Valletta.