Industrial designer turned artist gives life to empty house

The door to an almost dilapidated but still imposing 19th-century house in Valletta's Melita Street opens onto an exhibition by French artist Laurent Muller, who has been adopted by the capital city, his new home, and intends to give it something back.

It is not exactly where you would imagine an art exhibition would be hosted, but it works wonderfully - Mr Muller has played with the winning contrast between the rawness of the stone and his bold, vivid art to which it forms an effective backdrop... And the empty house, which is now on the market, comes alive.

It saw even more life yesterday at the inauguration of Intimate Landscapes, an exhibition of 100 paintings on glass, oil and acrylic on canvas and board, which is open until December 21.

The painting on glass allows for man's intervention on the art - something that is important to Mr Muller. "You can see your reflection and emerge into the colours; you become a part of it," he explains.

The maze of rooms, with their impressively high ceilings and coloured tiles, crawling up the four storeys of the bourgeois building, house a collection of his works, created over six months and inspired by the "space" around him.

But Mr Muller's exhibition, which he innovatively moved out of the gallery system, is not merely a show of his work; it is also a means to shine a spotlight on the capital city's stunning architecture, and he intends this to be the first of a series.

Indeed, the event has a dual role - to "discover" both the house and his paintings. And the plan is to move on, find another space and create another collection, inspired by the walls around him.

"I believe in the soul of a place; in the energy that exudes from every space. It is specific to that building and influences the colour and movement of my paintings."

So what did 88, Melita Street tell Mr Muller? The artist describes it as a "house of art". Once upon a time, it was bursting with paintings. The carpet of nails and hooks, still protruding from the walls, and the outline traces of frames on the cracking paintwork, are testament to that.

Mr Muller has created a different atmosphere in each of the rooms - it is a journey from the yellow, which has the bastions as its theme, to the red one, which has a crimson damask-draped fauteuil in its midst and portrays the more intimate and spiritual side of landscapes. Candles flicker and opera music fills the red room, while the blue one, a floor below, is quieter, "more Zen".

They have been illuminated discreetly, almost crudely, but effectively, and other than that, minimal intervention was carried out. The house was cleaned, but that was it! The paint on the walls is still peeling, and it is all part of the charm.

As the exhibition title suggests, the paintings are inspired by Maltese landscapes - "memories of my feelings for Malta; what I felt in these two years of discovery of the country I have digested and translated into my work".

The shape and movement of the paint is unconsciously linked to the sea and sky - both of which the house enjoys great views of.

Mr Muller, originally an industrial designer, has been living in Malta for the past two years after working in Paris and New York. Following a life of travel, he seems to have found his roots, his home.

He admits that he was always searching between art and industry. But three years ago, he decided to travel down the former road and become a full-time artist.

"It was a need really; not a choice. I was craving answers and I found them in art; in my painting more than in design."

Malta offers lots of opportunities and inspiration, he maintains. "It just grows on you, whether you like it or not. Its energy and spirit are amazing and there is something very romantic about it."

But Valletta, in particular, holds a special place in Mr Muller's heart. He highlights, much to his dismay, that in the 1930s, 50,000 people lived there, but that the level of occupancy has now dwindled to 10,000.

Nevertheless, "it is picking up and still attracts traffic, with its theatres and movies, bars and restaurants. It has the charm of the abandoned, and yet something is happening...

"There is lots of talk about the rehabilitation of the city, and I want to contribute. It is a shame that there are so many empty and abandoned buildings. Their architecture is impressive and they are so preserved in their own way.

"Malta is still evolving and developing, and it will happen! There is a good equilibrium between nature and the urban environment... Foreigners visit and immediately perceive that it is a very good life. You feel safe. The Maltese are so welcoming and it just becomes home.