Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543797
MALTA'S newest contemporary art gallery, The Grist, will host Surface Tension, a powerful new exhibition by Italy-based photographer Daria Troitskaia, opening 12 March 2026. Surface Tension is a photo- graphic project exploring land- scapes from above, focusing on the fragile meeting points be- tween water, ice and land. Photographed from helicop- ters, the series reflects Troit- skaia's interest in transforming recognisable environments into near-abstract surfaces. By re- moving the horizon and mark- ers of scale, the images shift attention away from geography and towards colour, texture and structure. The works were cap- tured across Malta, Mauritius, Iceland, Switzerland and Italy, connected by recurring visual el- ements such as edges, seams and cracks, moments where materi- als meet without fully merging. Presented by the Bored Peach Club in collaboration with Far- sons' The Brewhouse, Surface Tension invites slow, attentive looking and offers space to re- flect on the fragility and ev- er-changing form of our natural environment. Curated by Fabrizio Mifsud Soler, Surface Tension marks the third exhibition at The Grist. The exhibition runs from 12 March to 10 April 2026 and is free to visit. About the artist Daria Troitskaia is an Ita- ly-based photographer born in Saint Petersburg, with a back- ground in fine arts and art direc- tion. Her work explores movement, distance and transformation, and she is best known for aerial photography shot from helicop- ters, where landscapes become near-abstract studies of tension and control. She also develops a long-term analog project on ballet, focused on discipline and vulnerability. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including so- lo exhibitions at Leica Galerie Nürnberg and Leica Galerie Tai- pei, and presentations in institu- tional and cultural contexts such as Leica Gallery Singapore and Spectrum Miami during Art Ba- sel Miami. She lives and works between Milan and Malta. About the Bored Peach Club Founded in 2023 and based in Xagħra, Gozo, the Bored Peach Club connects artists, residents and curious minds through art, workshops and shared experi- ences. It has transformed a tra- ditional Gozitan home into a flexible space for creation and collaboration. The Bored Peach Club brings together Malta-based and inter- national artists who experiment, exchange and contribute to the island's evolving cultural land- scape. 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 MARCH 2026 CULTURE A Night of Poetry at the Co-Cathedral ST John's Co-Cathedral and In- izjamed are getting together for an evening of poetry on Tues- day, 17th March, ahead of World Poetry Day on 21st March. This first-of-its-kind collaboration brings together two of Malta's foremost cultural institutions in a celebration of the spoken and written word, set against the backdrop of a gem of Baroque art and architecture. The evening takes its title — Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra — from the poem "Mestiza" by Myriam Montoya, in its Mal- tese translation by Simone Galea, published in xtaqt li kont merkurju (Inizjamed, 2022). It echoes the spirit of an evening where poetry will resound across eight chapels in as many languag- es. The event will take the form of two poetical tours through the Co-Cathedral's side chapels, each dedicated to a different lan- guage of the Knights of the Order of St John and each carrying its own distinct language and liter- ary tradition. Moving through the chapels of Castile, León and Portugal; Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre; Auvergne; Anglo-Ba- varia; Provence; France; Germa- ny; and Italy, the audience will experience poetic texts in the re- spective languages. In each case, translations in Maltese and/or English will also be provided. The first poetical tour begins at 7.30pm, led by Maria Christi- na Zammit, and the second tour (identical to the first) commences at 8.30pm, led by Jeremy Grech. Each tour romises an intimate and immersive journey through language, history, and art. The evening is being curated by Inizjamed and Inizjamed's team under the artistic direction of Leanne Ellul, with the script wo- ven together by Leanne Ellul and Jake Buttigieg and the authors' writings. A cast of readers from diverse backgrounds will bring to life works by Astrid Alben (tr. Antoine Cassar), Clare Azzopar- di (tr. Martina Reinecke), Saman- tha Barendson (tr. Gioele Galea, Dom Gabrielli), Lilia Ben Rom- dhane (tr. Immanuel Mifsud), Keith Borg (tr. Maria Frendo), Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Priscilla Cassar), Alphonse Daudet (tr. Joe Pulè), Miquel Desclot (tr. Pierre J. Mejlak), Marc Delouze (tr. Nadia Mifsud), Leanne Ellul (tr. Virginia Monteforte), Claudia Gauci (tr. Giuseppe Goffredo), Elizabeth Grech, Adrian Grima (tr. Rui Cóias), Nadia Mifsud, Dun Karm Psaila (tr. Ġużè De- lia), and San Ġwann tas-Salib (tr. Ġorġ Peresso). The readers for the evening are: Simone Azzopardi, Kit Azzopar- di, Jean Paul Borg, Kurt Borg, Jake Buttigieg, Leanne Ellul, Claudia Gauci, Marilyn Mallia, Patricia Micallef, Immanuel Mifsud, Jus- tine Somerville, Klara Vassallo, Maxine Tanti, and others. This collaboration reflects St John's Co-Cathedral's ongoing commitment to art and culture, and its openness to poetry as a living presence within its historic walls. Inizjamed's participation, meanwhile, draws on the organi- sation's long-standing dedication to translation — both into Mal- tese and from Maltese into other languages. The event is open to everyone against a donation of €10. Tick- ets can be obtained from www. stjohnscocathedral.com. Surface Tension: Aerial landscapes by photographer Daria Troitskaia open at The Grist THE EXHIBITION Title: Surface Tension Artist: Daria Troitskaia Curator: Fabrizio Mifsud Soler Presented by: Bored Peach Club Dates: 12 March - 10 April 2026 Opening: 12 March at 7:00 pm Venue: The Grist, Level 4, The Brewhouse, Mriehel Malta Price: Free admission Website: grist.boredpeachclub.com