Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/655581
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 MARCH 2016 30 This Week Healing through nature and art TEODOR RELJIC speaks to artists Xaxa Calleja and Sara Pace as their exhibition, The Invisible, Visible, gets underway at The Fortress Builders Interpretation Centre in Valletta. Taking their cue from the natural world, the works were conceived during an artistic residency abroad How were the works conceived? Were they done with a particu- lar focus in mind, or were they brought together after the fact? Xaxa Calleja: Before going on the residency, I was thinking about studying mandalas and the circular aspect to life. Unfortunately before going on the residency I suffered from a major family tragedy. Although I did manage to keep the same framework of the mandala, the squared circle, the works that I produced were very much part of an initial healing process. At the begin- ning I was finding it hard to concen- trate and used nature and its forms to guide me in my work. I literally used bits of leaves and other organic materials that I picked up on walks as props to get me to start creat- ing. I knew that I wanted to explore certain emotions that I was feeling at the time. Towards the end of the residency I was able to tap into these emotions and my works became more abstracted and the main focus became the emotion that I was ex- ploring. Sara Pace: The works were con- ceived after a series of talks with my mentor, Dr Timothy Emelyn Jones, at the Burren College of Art, where we discussed the twelve ways of see- ing such as the Gaze, the Scrutiny, the Scan and the Glimpse. This idea of the various ways of noting our surroundings affected my thoughts towards the way we, as artists, look at our surroundings, absorb them and re-present them in a new for- mat through our unique perspec- tive. I started the works by walk- ing in various opposing ambiences such as the wide open space of the Burren in Co. Clare by the Atlantic Ocean and then exploring the en- closed space of the limestone cave at Doolin, countered by the semi-open space of the hawthorn forest by the College and noting the Pleiades in the dark, crystal clear night sky per- mitted by the lack of light pollution on the Burren. The exploration of these very different elements away from the general humdrum of life back home allowed me to reflect, and pick up objects which are gener- ally thought of as being of little or no consequence. The thought that we al- low that which is too small to pass us by without reflecting on its significance in the scheme of life weighed heavily on my mind. It also ran parallel with how we tend to treat our sur- rounding nature in Malta, where unless its put to human use, some think of it as be- ing useless, dirty or unsightly. What would you say is the connecting thread between your works, and how do your respective ar- tistic styles align in this exhibition? Xaxa Calleja: I started to see Sara's works while I was in London at the resi- dency. I could see that Sara was also look- ing to nature as her main source of inspiration. Sara was also going through a transition at that time in her life and I could feel it coming out through her works. I felt that we were both searching for something intangible and trying to capture it in the work that we produced. I think the fact that both of us felt that it was the right time to work outside of Malta is also a connection between us. We were both exploring parts of ourselves that we could not do in Malta - being away from here meant time to focus com- pletely on the w o r k . I think that our work com- plements each other, that Sara's works are a personal- ised exploration of the natu- ral world. I also used nature and my surroundings to help me through some of my grief. Sara Pace: The works conducted during a residency are part of a soul- searching experience where the art- ist immerses themselves into their work without any other preoccupa- tions or responsibilities. Thus, once one has had this experience and put such effort into the creation of these works it is only understandable that we would wish to exhibit the works, particularly in our own local artistic en- vironment. The connection stemmed primarily from the fact that we were both away from Malta on a residency program at the same time and for the same amount of time. While abroad we both noted each other's work at a similar moment through our posting of the ongoing work on social media and realised that we had a commonality in thought and execution, although this may not be immediately visible. It was in- teresting for us to consider that we were working on a similar level even though we had not been recently in contact. We could both see that there were artistic parallels taking place in the work we were separately producing, both in the media being used, particularly in the sketching phase, the freedom of line in the de- sign and the use of the circle within a square shape, which is also reflective of mandala meditation. Like many artists, you draw inspiration from the natural world. How would you describe your particular approach to it? Xaxa Calleja: I let myself be drawn to any source of inspiration from the natural world, be it a leaf, a flower, or even an image that I came across. I don't question the source of inspiration once I have it in my hands – I study it and sometimes you can see a direct link between the source and my works. In other cases, when the source of inspiration may not be so obvious, I may the use the source as my guide and the work my take on a different shape or form. Sara Pace: I am a traveller who collects natural objects on my jour- neys. I do a lot of walking and tend to look at the ground more than in front of me, searching with my eyes, reading what others have left behind and what the nature of the space has to tell. I must admit that walk- ing out into quasi-virgin nature ex- cites my eyes far more than the city landscape. I aim to take up natural objects that do not detract from the natural ambience of the place, but which give me a sense of connection with the place I have been to. For example on the Burren itself it is il- legal to move any of the stones from their natural resting place. When I was doing my performative act on the Burren, I was also looking for an area that had plenty of small stones available for me to slip the draw- ing paper under to keep the paper down from the blowing wind. I en- sured that none of the stones where moved from their original position or where marked in any way with my presence. 'Leave no trace' is a motto I abide by. What do you make of the local Sara Pace Xaxa Calleja The Wreath by Xaxa Calleja Sunflower by Xaxa Calleja Abrostola Aderis Adscita by Sara Pace Beauty in Life by Sara Pace