Alfred Chircop, Noosphergs, aquatint and etching.

Visiting Gozo for a laid back few hours or days is at the top of the agenda for many Maltese looking for a short break. It is gratifying, therefore, to know that Gozo can offer a cultural experience in terms of visual exhibitions with numerous such events taking place at any given time.

The last weeks of 2016 was one such occurrence. An exhibition unlike any other was The Formula of Excellence that was set up as part of the 15 and three-year anniversary celebrations at Abraham’s and Vini e Capricci in Xewkija respectively.

This successful exhibition is the first of a series of cultural events planned for 2017 by this enterprise. It showcased the work of two artists – the Milanese Alfredo Rapetti Mogol and the Gozitan artist of international renown, Austin Camilleri.

Camilleri did not cease to impress with his cerebral works on paper of restricted and intimate proportions. They were produced in a variety of techniques even on the same piece resulting in diversified textures. Once again, layers in the works reveal the several layers of meaning that can be derived from Camilleri’s output.

Antoine Camilleri, Fishermen, lino print

It is always a pleasure to be able to admire Camilleri’s works in person. He is by far one of Malta’s best artists of his generation, here presenting himself with works that were the more painterly than Rapetti’s.

This was the very first time Alfredo Rapetti Mogol ever exhibited his work on the Maltese islands. Known as Cheope, he is an author and painter who has managed to reconcile his two passions together in his art as could be seen in the series presented in Gozo. In fact, several texts are incised and inscribed onto the painted surfaces of the exhibited canvases.

Camilleri did not cease to impress with his cerebral works on paper of restricted and intimate proportions

These texts are executed in a cursive calligraphy, but the calligraphy does not present a legible text. It is abstracted, used as symbolism just like in a non-representational painting.

Camilleri’s and Rapetti Mogol’s works hung alongside each other and blended together so seamlessly. It also proves that the two artists were very much aware of what the other would be exhibiting, The two artists are, indeed, friends who clearly admire each other’s artistic endeavours resulting in this respectable collaboration that is to be immortalised in a publication. This is not always possible or easy to achieve in collective exhibitions.

The hanging was interesting and the space lent itself well to the number of works on display, such that the viewer could have the physical space to analyse each piece. This is to the credit of curator Valerio Ballotta from GBK Malta.

Albeit seemingly a bit pretentious, the title The Formula of Excellence referred to more than just the art but also the curatorship, the food selected for the inauguration and more. The inauguration also unfolded with a live artistic demonstration by the two artists.

While it is true that we do not often have the opportunity to view Camilleri’s works on paper or paintings exhibited in Malta, Camilleri was contemporaneously exhibiting two of his original prints in another exhibition held in Gozo between November and December 2016.

Camilleri was one of 10 exponents in Imprint 2 at Art..e Gallery. This collective exhibition followed the success of Imprint 1 that was held on a larger scale between January and February 2016 at St James Cavalier.

Jesmond Vassallo, Étude no.5, aquatint

Imprint 2 consisted of a refined mix of 15 original impressions produced through lino prints, etchings, engravings, aquatints and more by Maltese contemporary artists – Jesmond Vassallo, Justin Falzon, Robert Zahra, Pawl Carbonaro, Austin Camilleri, Lino Borg, three of Malta’s greatest deceased 20th-century artists –Alfred Chircop (1933-2015), Antoine Camilleri (1922-2005) and Carmenu Mangion (1905-1997) and Emanuele Li Pira, an Italian artist who has made Gozo his home.

The prints represented still lifes, nudes, abstract and representational forms, architecture and the like. It was a wonderful selection of fine prints showcasing abundant talent, creativity and commitment to this majestic technique. It served as a great lesson on the evolution of printing in Modern Maltese art to any art enthusiast.

Organised by Jesmond Vassallo and Justin Falzon, the intention was to showcase modern compositions in prints and to create a dialogue with the prints of past masters they admire. One hopes for more of these specialised exhibitions to prolong the ‘Imprint’ series as well as such high calibre exhibitions both in Malta and Gozo.