Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542709
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 JANUARY 2026 CULTURE Cockadoodledoo exhibition opens at Arthall Gozo, exploring awakening in an age of apathy A new contemporary art exhibi- tion titled Cockadoodledoo opens at ArtHall Gozo on Friday, 13 February, with an opening night scheduled for 7.30 pm. The ex- hibition brings together four in- ternational artists, Anže Gallus Petelin, Heiko Jörges, Tomas Hed and Johannes Gustafsson—for a multidisciplinary exploration of consciousness, complacency and the struggle to remain awake to life's deeper realities. Running from 14 February to 8 March 2026, Cockadoodledoo takes its conceptual cue from Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, specifically the met- aphor of the cock's crow as a call to awakening. While the sound of the rooster remains a familiar presence at dawn in Gozo, the exhibition uses it as a symbolic device rather than a celebration of rural life, posing questions about modern anaesthesia, cognitive passivity and the gradual disap- pearance of "abysmal thoughts" in an era of scrolling, swiping and distraction. The exhibition examines wheth- er contemporary life allows space for depth, complexity and dis- comfort, or whether society is drifting toward a "zombie" mode of existence, numbed by conven- ience and painless experiences. Through painting, sculpture and mixed media, the artists present different forms of "cock-crow- ing,"acts that challenge viewers to confront pain, joy, suffering and vitality as inseparable elements of being alive. Slovenian painter Anže Gallus Petelin, internationally recognised for his distinctive rooster paint- ings, contributes works that merge raw materials with symbolic uses of light, creating a visual language aimed at transcending time and space. Swedish-born Tomas Hed, now based in Gozo, brings a pro- vocative and polemical approach shaped by years as an art director in Stockholm, challenging social "bubbles" and entrenched values. Heiko Jörges, a German-born sculptor who previously lived and worked in Berlin, presents mixed-media sculptures informed by everyday impressions and street life, drawing on his diverse background in law, music, film and photography. Completing the quartet is Johannes Gustafsson, originally from Sweden and now based in Switzerland, whose mini- malistic works featuring small fig- ures translate relatable emotions into deceptively simple forms that invite closer inspection. Cockadoodledoo will be held at ArtHall, 8 Triq Agius de Soldanis, Victoria, Gozo. Opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm, and Sunday from 10am to 12pm. The venue is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Further informa- tion is available at arthallgozo. com or via email at arthallgozo@ gmail.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook and Instagram at @arthallgozo. Tomas Hed - A room with a view Tomas Hed - Complicado Anze roosters