Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545300
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JUNE 2026 CULTURE IN an era where contemporary life is defined by constant accel- eration and the relentless noise of an urgent digital landscape, the act of pausing becomes fun- damental and important. The latest solo art exhibition by God- win Muscat Azzopardi specif- ically reflects this importance. With a background of decades of exhibitions, the artist returns to the local scene with a body of work that demonstrates the need for stillness. Titled In search of Stillness this collection does not merely present images to be looked at, it invites the viewer to pause, to have a break from the anxieties of modern existence. Although the works on display range from fluid semi-realism to absolute, pure abstraction there is a coherence due to the artist's ability to convey a harmoni- ous narrative independently of the technique. The overarching theme joins every canvas togeth- er: the vital human necessity to capture and inhabit moments of quiet. This seamless unity is perhaps a direct reflection of the artist's unique background. Operating within a parallel professional career for decades, his commit- ment to painting, in this case oils, is a complete dedication. His initial training was through an extensive series of master- classes and intensive training modules under French and Ital- ian masters, but a recent interest in Eastern aesthetics is apparent in some of the current works. From a technical standpoint, the hallmark of part of these works is the expert handling of soft transitions and edge control. In works like Morning Promise and The Universal Journey the artist uses the classical tradition of sfumato, yet updates it for a contemporary audience. Col- ours do not contrast; they bleed and merge into one another with an ease that is unusual in oil painting. In this set of paintings this seamless handling is par- tially tied to the artist's recent interest in Eastern artistic meth- odologies, particularly the tech- nical side of traditional Japanese composition. While Western oil painting historically prioritized dramatic light contrasts and ge- ometric precision, the Japanese tradition offered an alternative syntax focused on a minimal palette, and the deliberate use of asymmetry. Historically, the intersection of Western oil painting and Japa- nese artistic principles—known as Japonism—fundamentally transformed European modern- ism during the late nineteenth century. European artists dis- covered that empty space could carry as much emotional weight as dense form. This exhibition revives that historic dialogue, bridging Western oil layering techniques with the classical Eastern respect for the unseen and the unspoken. By allowing large sections of the canvas to remain unclut- tered, the artist allows the ma- terial properties of the paint to take centre stage. This technique is particularly effective due to the scale of the new works. Moving away from the modest dimen- sions of his past output, the art- ist presents works in larger-scale formats. These dimensions are vital to the technical success of the concept: they create an im- mersive field where the subtle shifts in tone and colour can un- fold over a wide surface. In search of Stillness is on at Gemelli Gallery in Ta Qali from 13 to 27 June. Artist Godwin Muscat Azzopardi returns to local scene with solo exhibition at Gemelli Gallery The long pause A Dialogue with Peace Perpetual motion