As the annual Mcast students’ exhibition comes to an end, Johnathan Cilia speaks to director for the creative arts Tyrone Grima to find out more about the goals behind the initiative and whether these are being reached.

The Institute of Arts at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) in Mosta has many things going for it. A great location with a beautiful view of east Malta, ample parking space and, above all else, a positive and supportive stance towards young artists finding their strengths and talents in the creative arts.

And this year’s annual exhibition certainly showcased precisely these strengths and talents, honed over the last academic year. Leave A Mark turned the institute into an artistic village where students could display their best works and leave a mark, artistically, showing their growth through art in their chosen field.

“Leave A Mark was this year’s brand for the Mcast annual exhibition. Every year our aim is to expose each and every student’s passion to an ever-expansive audience, while leaving a mark on the viewers,” explains Tyrone Grima, director for the creative arts.

Tyrone, who is also a theatre director and author, is aware of the expansion of the annual event’s popularity. “This is the first time that I was curating this exhibition and I feel very privileged to have worked with a number of talented students, tutors and coordinators on this experience,” he says.

The exhibition changed its format to transform the institute into an artistic hub, giving a space to students to leave their mark with the industry and the public

In fact, Tyrone’s debut curation of the exhibition saw some new ideas being implemented with respect to the set-up of the event.

“This year, the exhibition changed its format to transform the institute into an artistic hub, giving a space to students to leave their mark with the industry and the public,” he explained. “This was achieved by offering a dual format to the audience. On one level, the audience experienced the wide scope of artistic works that our students were showcasing, demonstrating the variety of departments in our institute. On another level, each department was awarded an evening during which to engage in dialogue with the audience through a number of exciting and dynamic activities.”

The appropriate space given to each department was important, with eight departments in total – fine arts, design, photography, media, game art, graphic design, performing arts and interactive media – taking part. All these departments translate into a lot of students and works.

“The exhibition consisted of 12 display stands in the passive exhibition, which included works by some 250 students,” says Tyrone. “And, this high level of participation comes as no surprise,” he tells me.

“The industry is growing and growing at a very fast rate. Maltese society is becoming more aware of the importance of nurturing the professional status of the artist. Today, it is ‘easier’ to find full-time work, or at least to create work through a number of funded projects. It obviously requires the artist to be creative and to think outside the box – and such training is offered at the Institute itself in our entrepreneurship units. The future also looks bright and am sure that the scenario in the next 10 years, particularly in the light of V18 and its aftermath, will be even more ripe with job opportunities,” he explains.

And, this year for the first time, the institute’s annual tradition has grown through the addition of another layer, whereby each evening was dedicated to a particular department.

The evening activities covered a wide range of interactive events, including networking sessions, workshops, conferences performances and public lectures by local and international experts. Some of the highlights included Italian essayist and historian Prestinenza Puglisi and Italian art critic and politician Vittorio Sgarbi.

Tyrone also singles out, in particular, the graphics department’s display, named Pipes. “A most appropriate name in the context of an exhibition that aimed to connect people,” he says. “Their concept was extremely encapturing in its simplicity.”

One of the main goals of the exhibition was to engage with the public and allow students the space to explain their works and crafts. The audience could see the finished work, but not only that – visitors also learned about how it was made.

“In a variety of ways, the exhibition makes viewers appreciate and understand better the process that the artist is engaged in until the final product is achieved. It also challenges the audience to think and to examine matters from a different perspective. Ultimately, it offered the audience an engaging and dynamic aesthetic experience,” Tyrone explains.

With the display of the first ever 360-degree music video in Malta also happening as part of the activities, Leave A Mark was clearly a step in the right direction for one of the biggest artistic institutions in Malta. It can be a fruitful stepping stone for Malta’s young artists.

“Apart from celebrating the works of the future artists, Leave a Mark aims at fulfilling what its title promises, and that is for the students to leave a mark with all stakeholders, the public and the world outside, both locally and internationally.”

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