The exhibition Life Still promises to be a first in a number of ways. It is to be the first time that the evocative and intricately labyrinthine vaults of the Auberge de Castille will have hosted an art exhibition of this nature.

It is also the first exhibition for Kevin Drake and his partner Amanda as well as Drake’s first ever public foray in this particular sphere of the visual arts in almost 50 years.

Drake was better known to the Maltese for over 30 years as a broadcaster, actor and director, one-time musician and writer, with little direct connection to the world of paints and painters.

This exhibition promises to be an eclectic exposition of works, show-casing almost 140 pieces in what is one of the most stunning venues.

The works incorporate a number of paintings, drawings and sculpture created over the past two years. Both artists will also be exhibiting a number of pieces ranging over a period of three decades and more.

Having no formal training, Drake was nonetheless initiated at a very early age into the dimension of all that is considered art by his uncle and mentor artist Antoine Camilleri.

Then followed a lifelong fascination with everything connected with the processes of creativity and the explorations of the mind. Detailed ink drawings appeared to be Drake’s favoured for many years. In more recent times, colours have evidently been rediscovered with a vengeance.

For the past seven years, Drake has been battling with a progressive-degenerative, neuro-immune disease – ME. He had to curtail a lot of activities. He considers the newly-found opportunity to explore creativity pursuits with more freedom and in depth as the silver lining to this condition.

Amanda was formally trained for a number of years in the UK and then in Malta and is, by her co-exhibitor’s own definition and description, “...the real artist in the partnership”. Having lived in Malta for most of her adult life, Amanda has created a name for herself locally and abroad not only as a talented painter and portrait artist but also as an imaginative and creative designer. The arts, though, remain Amanda’s principal passions.

Life Still is the first initiative being put together by Mandrake creations and is being supported by the Malta Arts Fund.

The exhibition runs until December 14 at The Vaults, Auberge de Castille, Valletta (entrance from Merchants Street).

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.