Illegal immigration, a subject that sparks strong emotions, has inspired artist Debbie Caruana Dingli to tread into this charged territory and dedicate part of her upcoming exhibition to this topic.
The idea was born two years ago, when Ms Caruana Dingli was brainstorming with a fellow artist on potential subjects for his showcase.
She suggested immigration, and then wished she had kept the idea to herself. When the other artist discarded the concept, she quickly re-adopted it and put her energy into her watercolour paintings.
"I was keen on the subject from a human perspective. Immigration is a subject where I feel many have lost their sense of humanity due to the antagonism they feel towards this pressing issue," she said.
"I want people to get back in touch with their humanity," she said, recognising that there may be those who may skip this part of her exhibition because of their ingrained perceptions.
"There have been those who have come to see my work and were not even interested in seeing these paintings. Their attitude was, 'why would I want an immigrant hanging on my wall?' I don't know what the reactions will be."
For the first time, Ms Caruana Dingli has taken the tough decision to leave a comment book during the duration of the show, something she usually avoids since she is a very sensitive person.
"I myself am stuck on the matter. I sympathise, but I don't see a clear answer. I find it hard to understand how nobody has come up with a solution," she added.
Ms Caruana Dingli wished that there was more guidance on the subject and the Sunday Mass sermons could help fill in this void.
"The other day, my son Bruce mentioned that we spend all our life hearing about how we're supposed to love our neighbour and give them the cloak off our back, and now we're finally being put to the test and there's no guidance," she said, staring ahead at her painting.
"There's a sense of loss in their faces. Each immigrant has his or her own story. I want people to set aside their bias, view the exhibition and absorb the emotions in their own time."
Ms Caruana Dingli has dedicated 12 of the 47 paintings to immigration and each one has been inspired from photos taken by The Times photographer Chris Sant Fournier.
One of her pieces, entitled Mother And Child, has inspired a limited edition collection of 75 prints, which are selling for €100 each, where proceeds will go to the Malta Hospice Movement.
Her other work depicts village life in Siġġiewi, her home town; July's public transport strike; the culture of bikers in Malta; and images of interesting people that have crossed her path.
This is the first time the artist has chosen to tackle current affairs, and once this exhibition is over she will be returning to her favourite theme - portraits.
The exhibition opens at St James Cavalier, Valletta, on Friday and runs until October 26.