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8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 NOVEMBER 2025 CULTURE A first solo show by Andrea Tachelet – In Hindsight JO Borg Gallery welcomes the festive season by hosting An- drea Tachelet's first solo show, In Hindsight. The exhibition opened its doors to the public on the 21 November and will run through the 21 December 2025. Andrea Tachelet's ceramic practice occupies a solid stance within contemporary art's re- newed engagement with ceram- ics as a medium of aesthetic and conceptual significance. Her wheel-thrown sculptural works in stoneware and porcelain tran- scend conventional boundaries between functional design and fine art, positioning ceramics as a site where material knowledge, cultural memory, and contempo- rary artistic inquiry converge. Over the years Tachelet estab- lished a distinct voice in sculp- tural ceramics by combining different clays on the wheel and developing a language of gestural forms. At the core of her prac- tice is material knowledge that is constantly consolidated over time—an embodied understand- ing of clay and porcelain's prop- erties, behaviours, and possibil- ities. This knowledge resides in Tachelet's trained tactile mem- ory and instinctive responses to the material's potential and lim- itations—a substance that guides and constrains the artistic pro- cess, requiring the artist to read material signals and respond to the former's plastic potential. The wheel-throwing process add a layer of material litera- cy to Tachelet's work. Centring clay and shaping out forms are actions that require precise co- ordination between the hands, the eyes and the rotating clay. Tachelet's choice to work in both stoneware and porcelain demon- strates a thorough understanding of both materials—stoneware being robust and forgiving, while porcelain tending to be more challenging yet capable of creat- ing delicate paper-thin walls. Her work is witness of her fascination with the movement of materials, both on the wheel and through the glazing and firing process, whereby surface and form be- come her canvas in space. Tachelet's latest work exhibit- ed in this solo show draws sig- nificant influence from Chinese painting and Daoist philosophy, giving her work a minimalist aes- thetic, focusing on the essence of the artefact rather than the object itself, a moment captured in its marks of making. Strong value is given to empty space; the hollow surrounded by material, where the value for what exists lies in the nothingness it surrounds. Tachelet's practice is driven by her concern with the sensorial experience evoked by the phys- ical presence of her work. Her glazes are characterised by har- monious colour schemes and subtle tonal gradations that wit- ness the artist's high sensitivity to surface treatment via painterly atmospheric effects. The exhibited artefacts func- tion as objects of ritual that make space for contemplation, em- bodying values of patience and craftsmanship, which contrast with contemporary culture's speed and disposability. This ritual is both aesthetic and phil- osophical: as the viewer is drawn to look carefully, appreciate ma- terial qualities, and honour the time and skill embedded in these handmade objects. Tachelet's prior studies in an- thropology and archaeology in- form her artistic and conceptual frameworks. Cultural curiosity and material layering are at the core of Tachelet's exploration of traces, memories and pasts through a reflective personal practice. In this sense, when em- barking on her master's degree in Cardiff, the artist had already de- veloped a thorough understand- ing of how objects function with- in social contexts, how materials carry meaning, and how design practices embody cultural values. In light of this, Tachelet's prac- tice does not disregard clay's dual existence in industrial and ar- tistic contexts. On the contrary, it sheds a light on industrial ce- ramics as essential to countless technologies, whilst asserting the continuing value of embod- ied skill and knowledge residing in the artist's hands. In an era of increasing digitisation, Tache- let's wheel-thrown forms bear the timeless traces of the hand- made, offering an authenticity and materiality that still resonate in the digital age. Tachelet's work demonstrates that sculptural ce- ramics occupy a vital position in contemporary art, offering unique possibilities to explore material knowledge, cultural memory, and the social signifi- cance of making. The apparent tension between function and sculpture, informed by Tachelet's anthropological understanding and minimal aesthetics, create work that pairs traditional tech- niques and contemporary con- cerns, positioning ceramics as an inexhaustible site of artistic and philosophical inquiry. The gallery will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The artist will be pres- ent every Thursday, introducing visitors to her artistic process grounded in years of material research. Visit www.joborggal- lery.com or send an email on in- fo@joborggallery.com for more updates on this show.