Sculptor Ġanni Pace is celebrating Valletta’s 450th anniversary with a sculpture and terracotta exhibition, entitled Symphonic Dreams, at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta.

Considered to be one of Malta’s veteran artists, Pace is responsible for many religious statues, however, he is fascinated by Greek mythology. He also draws inspiration from patterns created by smoke as it wafts through the air.

Pace was born in Valletta in 1946 and during his childhood observed his late father Joseph draw with loving care. He first modelled clay as a child during excursions with his family to Mdina. His father’s aunt used to make pasturi that she sold from an outlet in Floriana. The pasturi were possibly his inspiration for a rustic, humble, rough and primitive approach to sculpture.

Being an expressionist, Pace’s art is considered an unrestrained outpouring of emotion, an overflowing of sentiment and feeling. He is a social realist and thus accepts life in its entirety. He embraces darkness and night, ugliness and poverty, suffering and disease, tragedy and death.

Pace has gained invaluable experience from Marco Montebello (1915-1985) and John Spiteri Sacco (1907-1996) by visiting their workshops and finally inheriting some of their tools.

He has gradually assimilated their techniques but chose Josef Kalleya’s vision and concept: a traditional technique which he coupled with a mystic vision.

Pace is in his element regardless of whether he is working with wood, stone or clay.

However,  in his own words: “If I were pressed to choose a medium, I would say terracotta is slightly more personal as each piece has the artist’s fingerprints embedded in it.”

■ Symphonic Dreams is open daily at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, from 10am to 3pm until October 31. Twenty-five per cent of the proceeds will be in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.