Three is the magic number. Three’s company; but isn’t three also a crowd?
Admittedly, neither expression follows any set of rules; I guess it all depends on the context in which either is used.
When it comes to collective exhibitions and visual art shows, it’s hard to strike the right balance... even more so when the creatives concerned come from different cultural ba ckgrounds, possess particular artistic sensibilities and channel their expressive needs through separate genres, mediums and disciplines.
A craftsman, an abstractionist and a hyper realist; Maltese, French and Serb.
Kevin Attard, Julien Vinet and Aleksandar Matic have joined forces to collaborate in a three-man show titled Art: Abstraction, Realism and Craft, currently underway at the General Workers’ Union Gallerija Libertà.
Many seem oblivious of the space hidden away within the austere building on South Street in Valletta. Not that I blame them really; there is nothing visually enticing to draw potential visitors or passers-by inside. Even those familiar with the gallery have nothing much to go by – no visual aids to assist them, no “open doors” to attract them on entering the GWU’s foyer.
Which is a shame, as the space, despite being small, is a good one. The space is crying out for some attention. And artistic endeavours just don’t seem to be cutting it.
The worthiness of the obscure space apart, there have been many a well-suited show to have graced this gallery’s asymmetrical walls. In fact, I’ll admit to the space being a personal favourite, perhaps due to its intimacy; yet size matters, and it should definitely be kept in mind when “staging” a show.
Overcrowding and cramming is easy, even more so when there are three people “fighting” for space and attention.
Two strong painters and a craftsman is no easy combination; especially when the two painters both have a commanding presence.
Mr Vinet had already introduced his work a few months back in a solo show held at the same gallery. Yet his figurative war-inspired army men have no place here. He is rather presenting an entirely non-representational series of Japanese-influenced bold monochromatic ink paintings which hark back to the New York School, Abstract Expressionism and the art of Franz Kline.
Black is the colour, or perhaps the non-colour. Yet Mr Vinet’s works are highly evocative – and although clearly transcendental of his “brothers in arms” and in art, possess an aggressive sophistication which can only be a result of the years he spent in Japan and the mastery of his medium of choice.
Mr Matic’s work was new to me. Without a shadow of a doubt, his portrayals of the female body in the medium of chalk and charcoal – hardly mediums which generally lend themselves to excessive amounts of detail – were impressive, to say the least.
Collectively titled A Dozen Portraits from the Chronicles of a Spineless Time, the 12 “portraits” which I feel have been erroneously classified as such, were executed from photographs specifically taken for this project and series. Practically all the square paintings (save one) feature female figures in interiors – crouched, in the foetal position, embracing their legs, their sex, their insecurities...
Yet the series triggered a sense of déjà-vu; my visual and pictorial baggage incorporated Philip Pearlstein’s nudes with Jack Vettriano’s pre- and post-coital film noir-inspired scenarios. This resulted in the paintings lacking the freshness they could otherwise possess. Then again, Mr Matic’s work combines warmth – captured through the wooden textures and the charcoal/chalk medium – with a cold detachment. The latter is present in the drapery, flesh tones and anorexic, waif-like bodies which have been deprived of femininity and eroticism, albeit captured nude or semi-nude. Such qualities add to the paintings’ allure.
Mr Attard’s filigree jewellery pieces, fashioned to Mr Vinet’s designs, were unfortunately overshadowed by the paintings. Even the display didn’t do much to exalt his stunning creations, which were presented entrapped and suspended in balls of meshed wire.
Mr Attard’s works necessitated some form of plinth or showcase – for lack of a better word. They should not have been relegated to a side wall or simply placed on tables. These factors did his work little justice. His filigree works are intensely sophisticated and I believe that he is almost single-handedly responsible for raising the status of craft in Malta and of imparting filigree with a contemporary twist.
Despite any shortcomings, I fully enjoyed this exhibition. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered stringing together these 800 words or so. However, a collective show necessitates a theme, a binding element, otherwise it’s just three artists who are sharing a space when the coming together of artists should be the sharing of minds and concepts.
Editor’s note:
Prior to going to print, The Times was notified that one of the artists featured in this review, Aleksander Matic (fondly known as Sasha) passed away earlier this week.
Nevertheless, the above exhibition will run till December 21. Subsequently, a solo exhibition of Mr Matic’s work will take place at the same gallery.