What One Sees Is What One Is is John Paul Azzopardi’s single exhibit show, currently on view at Mdina’s Natural History Museum at Vilhena Palace.

Azzopardi has selected one of his many sculptures for this exhibition to highlight his skill with the medium he has chosen to work with for the past few years. He chose this one sculpture also because of its significance.

Fitting in with the permanent exhibits at the museum, Azzopardi’s sculpture portrays a specific kind of moth, one that is known for the human skull formation on its thorax. It was, therefore, very apt that this exhibition was held at Malta’s National Museum of Natural History.

One quickly comes to realise that there is a sinister connotation to the exhibition, and this connotation does not stop with the subject portrayed. This is further enhanced when one comes to realise that Azzopardi’s sculpture was created from discarded animal bones. As gruesome as that may sound, he has managed to produce a sculpture that is beautiful and intriguing in its intricacy.

One quickly comes to realise that there is a sinister connotation to the exhibition, and this connotation does not stop with the subject portrayed

The Acherontia Atropos is devoid of colour, with the only colour focus being limited to the boiled, cleaned and bleached bones themselves. Yet, it is a colourful exhibition in the figurative sense of the word. Azzopardi’s sculpture is tucked away in a small room on the third floor of the Museum that is draped from floor to ceiling in black fabric. The seemingly fragile sculpture is the result of careful planning of each element that is placed in a precise position, no part of which is accidental.

Azzopardi has patiently created this moth with a lace-like delicacy that is perfectly symmetrical and perched on a stand. One cannot help but look with fascination at the curvatures of the bones that make up every part of the moth.

He has paired this with a solemn setting, with light dramatically focusing on the exhibit, further enhancing the transiency of the viewer’s experience.

Azzopardi has made a name for himself for reutilising found objects in his work, especially animal bones. It has to be said that not everybody has the imagination to reclaim something that has been discarded and repurpose it, especially in an artistic piece. This is more so the case when one is dealing with bones. It takes more than just artistic ability to come up with something of the sort.

A philosophy graduate from the University of Malta, Azzopardi’s own reasoning is complexly intriguing, and goes beyond whether you could live with one of his sculptures at home or not.

Unlike with his other sculptures, this time Azzopardi has correlated the subject – the acherontia atropos known for its skull design on its thorax – with actual bones.

Moreover, the numerous bones utilised to produce the several physical layers in this sculpture are equivalent to the many layers of meaning that can be derived from this one work.

What One Sees Is What One Is is open at the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina until August 31.

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