Oh what a circus!
Priscilla Ainhoa Griscti tells Showtime about her art.
I was born in Castellon, Spain, in 1985. At a very young age I used to help my father, who was a prominent antiquarian; so I was always surrounded by works of art.
Since that time I used to spend my spare time drawing. In my secondary education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, I took up art as my main subject, spending most of my lunch breaks in the art room sketching and drawing.
In 1999, I entered the Malta Government School of Art in Valletta and attended private art lessons with Jessica Debattista. In 2001, I entered De La Salle College and studied practical art under the late Olaug Vethal, who encouraged me to continue my liberal approach towards drawing and painting.
Aged 17, apart from practising at home, I started to attend life drawing sessions at Alfred Briffa's studio, where I acquired a good understanding of the figure by creating a series of anatomical studies. Recently I started working at the studio of Zell Osborne in Sliema, again expressing my liberal style in clay sculpture.
In 2003 I took up History of Art under the directorship of Profs. Mario Buhagiar. I also attended lectures on Baroque studies with Dr. Keith Sciberras and Modern art with Dr. Joseph Paul Cassar. I further attended study tours under Profs. Buhagiar, where I visited various museums in Europe.
In 2004, while at university, I had my first solo exhibition at the Hotel Le Meridien Phoenicia, where I displayed works in pen and ink and aquarelles, in an exhibition entitled Hidden Illusions which received a positive response from media and public.
In 2006, I completed my dissertation on Antoine Camilleri - The Man and the Artist - and in the same year, graduated as Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Art History from the University of Malta. I also participated in the ISIDEM workshop held by the Portuguese artist Sancho Silva and exhibited collectively together with other Maltese artists in an exhibition entitled 60x60x60. This allowed me to experiment in different media including both photography and video installations. During this year I also attended the SACI Malta Restoration Internship run by Roberta Lapucci, where I followed lectures at the University of Malta and carried on practical work on the restoration of The Baptism of Christ by Mario Minniti.
Currently I am working on my MA degree in Art History and writing my dissertation on the Modern Artist and Sculptor Josef Kalleya.
Priscilla Ainhoa Griscti's solo exhibition Anima del Circo is at the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa from today until October 5.
Since that time I used to spend my spare time drawing. In my secondary education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, I took up art as my main subject, spending most of my lunch breaks in the art room sketching and drawing.
In 1999, I entered the Malta Government School of Art in Valletta and attended private art lessons with Jessica Debattista. In 2001, I entered De La Salle College and studied practical art under the late Olaug Vethal, who encouraged me to continue my liberal approach towards drawing and painting.
Aged 17, apart from practising at home, I started to attend life drawing sessions at Alfred Briffa's studio, where I acquired a good understanding of the figure by creating a series of anatomical studies. Recently I started working at the studio of Zell Osborne in Sliema, again expressing my liberal style in clay sculpture.
In 2003 I took up History of Art under the directorship of Profs. Mario Buhagiar. I also attended lectures on Baroque studies with Dr. Keith Sciberras and Modern art with Dr. Joseph Paul Cassar. I further attended study tours under Profs. Buhagiar, where I visited various museums in Europe.
In 2004, while at university, I had my first solo exhibition at the Hotel Le Meridien Phoenicia, where I displayed works in pen and ink and aquarelles, in an exhibition entitled Hidden Illusions which received a positive response from media and public.
In 2006, I completed my dissertation on Antoine Camilleri - The Man and the Artist - and in the same year, graduated as Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Art History from the University of Malta. I also participated in the ISIDEM workshop held by the Portuguese artist Sancho Silva and exhibited collectively together with other Maltese artists in an exhibition entitled 60x60x60. This allowed me to experiment in different media including both photography and video installations. During this year I also attended the SACI Malta Restoration Internship run by Roberta Lapucci, where I followed lectures at the University of Malta and carried on practical work on the restoration of The Baptism of Christ by Mario Minniti.
Currently I am working on my MA degree in Art History and writing my dissertation on the Modern Artist and Sculptor Josef Kalleya.
Priscilla Ainhoa Griscti's solo exhibition Anima del Circo is at the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa from today until October 5.