Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/936285
maltatoday SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2018 33 This Week It's been a turbulent year on the island, and this is your first go at a full-length play after yet another edition of the Comedy Knights satirical variety show. How does it feel to be "biting into" this new show? Exciting. It's a completely dif- ferent pace and mood from the Comedy Knights' yearly fare, so it keeps me on my toes. I get to play the same character for more than one scene – so that's definitely a different chal- lenge to hopping from character to character (and costume to costume) when doing a sketch show. The two shows are chalk and cheese – however, both have their different challenges, and both are fun and as always, a great learning curve. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Learning how to wear the skin of a different person. In a non-Ed Gein sort of way. Speaking of the turbulent year... have recent events in Malta made you think about the power – and possibly, limitations – that artists and creative people have on the island, and those involved in the theatre scene in particular? What do you think can and should be done... from this "pulpit", as it were? Art is never 'from a pulpit' – that would make it propaganda! The purpose of art is to hold up a mirror to man and life. Satire (like Calvin Klein) is more direct – more of an 'in your face' state- ment if you wish. Other forms of theatre aren't as direct. You are right, we are in turbulent times and it is the job and the duty of artists to create possibilities for discussion and growth. The Memory of Water is pertinent in that it is about the past. A re- flection about why we need to be aware of our actions as they will impact the future. We need to pause and consider conse- quences. Going back to The Memory of Water... could you tell us a bit about the play, and your character? What drew you in to the production, and what kind of appeal will it have for the Maltese audience? I watched the play back in 2002 at the Manoel Theatre and it made me guffaw with laugh- ter and cry at its poignancy. I jumped at the chance to audi- tion for a part. On the surface, the play is about three sisters reuniting to bury their mother. Not a barrel of laughs by any stretch of the imagination. However, the humour is dark and truthful and you find your- self laughing in spite of yourself. It's not slapstick, but very very real. You know how in the most somber of situations something happens that makes you almost want to giggle? This is what this play is like. I play Mary, a doctor, who was the 'favourite' child according to her older sister Teresa. She seems confident on the outside, but she has a secret. She's also having an affair with a married colleague. And she talks to their dead mother! The play deals with family, with love, with reconnecting, with motherhood and purpose and most importantly – with memory. Our memories make us who we are, right? How well DO we remember things? How long do memories last? If our memories are gone, who are we? What do you make of the local theatrical scene, and do you think it will enjoy any tangible benefits as a result of Valletta enjoying its European Capital of Culture status this year? I find it interesting that the Artistic Director of the Val- letta 2018 Foundation seems to think that entertainment and art are the same thing. All art- ists are entertainers, but not all entertainers are artists. What's our focus to be – substance or artifice? Art transforms us. En- tertainment merely amuses us. Art can, of course, amuse us too – however, that's not where it stops. Consider the consequences close forensic studio observa- tion of natural phenomena, but I also employ a spontane- ous method of 'on-the-spot' figurative painting. Nature is probably the only good thing about this world. I paint a lot from observation and 'on-the- spot' and then I develop these ideas and sketches further. Ef- fectively, what I do is combine outdoor painting with studio practice. Painting is definitely the highest and the most im- portant form of art for me... it takes a whole lifetime to learn about it. How would you say the works presented in 'Embedded' compare to some of your previous efforts, and what do you hope the audience will get out of the exhibition? Embedded is a 'collection' of abstract, biomorphic paintings. I don't think I will ever make this kind of 'series' again. It's a specific subject and a specific visual language. In fine art, the term 'Biomorphic Abstraction' describes the use of rounded abstract forms based on those found in nature. 'Biomorphic' comes from combining the Greek words 'bios', meaning life, and 'morphe', meaning form. The term came into use around the 1930s to describe the imagery in the more ab- stract types of surrealist paint- ing and sculpture particularly in the work of Joan Miró the British sculptors Barbara Hep- worth or Louise Bourgeois. However, the subject of the exhibition is not all that im- portant anymore – I would rather people just looked at the paintings themselves. The work included in this exhibi- tion will highlight my personal interpretations. Contempo- rary shapes, use of colour and visual language are a stark and playful contrast to that which is embedded on our Maltese shores. There is a lot to reflect on through this project – life, death, time, past and present, Earth's natural phenomena or simply nature's intrinsic origi- nality. I think we should look at eve- ry painting in this show indi- vidually, even if they form part of a series. Each of them tells a story. I personally find them very 'feminine', just like ma- rine fossils themselves – brit- tle, unbreakable, timeless. What do you make of the local visual arts scene, and what would you change about it, especially now that Valletta is serving as European Capital of Culture in 2018? I'm glad to see a lot of new galleries open in Valletta. It's a good sign. I'm hoping to see more of a better quality 'art ex- hibitions' around. It's not about quantity in the end, but about quality. Malta needs a proper art school and art education to start with. I don't always agree that an art education is a good thing, necessarily, however, this is a very important start- ing point for young artists. You can't call yourself an artist af- ter completing a one or two- year course. You just simply don't have the knowledge, ex- perience and practice. In Malta everyone is an art critic and everyone is an artist. But the truth is that it takes a whole life time to learn about what you're doing (unless, of course, you're a genius). I see a lot of 'art' around, but not all that much passion. And art is all about passion. I'm very happy to be able to showcase my work during Val- letta's year as European Capital of Culture, since I've been liv- ing and working on the island over the past nine years, and this exhibition has been a long time coming. Not to mention that, like any other exhibition, it was a costly affair that took up a lot of time. So it feels re- warding to be able to showcase this work during this crucial period for the city, and for Malta as a whole. What's next for you? I'm going back to Slade again this year, and I'm currently de- veloping some ideas for a more figurative body of work. But the most exciting bit of 'news' that I could give myself, personally, is that I will continue painting. The Memory of Water will be staged at Blue Box, M Space, Msida on February 16-18; 23-25. A Masquerade production, the play is being directed by Stephen Oliver and the rest of the cast includes Nadia Vella, Coryse Borg, Kate De Cesare, Stefan Farrugia and Chris Dingli. Bookings: 7979 3737, www.bluebox.com.mt Embedded will remain on display at Palazzo De La Salle until March 1. Opening times: Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 19:00, Saturdays from 08:30 to 13:30. The exhibition is curated by Sandra Zafferese Actress Pia Zammit speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about her role in The Memory of Water – a Masquerade production of Shelagh Stephenson's Lawrence Olivier Award-winning comedy about the fraught dynamics of both sisterhood and memory Abstraction Wioletta Kulewska: "Nature is probably the only good thing about this world" The female cast members of The Memory of Water (from left): Coryse Borg, Pia Zammit and Nadia Vella. Back: Kate De Cesare Pia Zammit and Stefan Farrugia