A naked woman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, yesterday sunbathed in front of the Valletta law courts while passers-by took photos of her – a three dimensional chalk image drawn on the ground.
Unlike the French paparazzi who took unauthorised topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge, these photos were encouraged by the street artists who used the capital’s floor as their canvas.
Lewis Zammit, an art teacher, was the one drawing the naked woman. “She is drawn from behind, so nothing shows,” he grinned.
However, he pointed out, when people positioned themselves in front of the woman to take a photo with her, the 3D effect made it seem like they were seeing her from the front. On a more serious note, he said, Malta needed such activities to encourage artists to display their talents.
Close by, Matthew Mifsud was busy bringing to life a giant 3D butterfly. A chef by trade, he liked sketching as a hobby and decided to give street painting a shot. “The idea is that when people sit here, in front of the butterfly, and put out their hand, it looks like it is about to land on them,” he said. The event was organised by YMCA Homeless, in collaboration with the Valletta local council, to raise funds for YMCA and to kick-start an annual street art festival to display talent and breathe life into Valletta, said YMCA chairman Jean Paul Mifsud.
Italian street artist Tony Cuboliquido came to Malta specifically for the event to carry out a workshop and introduce street art to Malta. Yesterday he worked on creating the drawing of an inverted tower that looked like a dark, deep spiral well going underground.
“Street art is a show for the people and the end is not the drawing itself. It creates a theatre of art as we are like actors who imitate artists. We are not interested that the drawing remains there but in those 10 minutes people spend with the art. Once people leave, so can the drawing,” he said.
Looking up at the cloudy sky, he said street artists had two enemies: police and rain. “It is forbidden to say the word rain,” he whispered.
But the skies heard him and the rain came and went throughout the day, hammering against the plastic sheets with which the artists covered their work while they waited for the clouds to blow over.
Their work evolved throughout the morning but in the afternoon, when the rain became heavier, the water washed away their work.
Determined to continue with their artistic mission, the artists will be back in Valletta drawing on the ground today. And the word “rain” will, hopefully, not be uttered.