Titled I Deserti Bianchi, the exhibition consists of a number of works by Coccetta, a self-described informal painter whose paintings are born from deep evocative emotions.

“I use my painting and chromatic techniques in a symptomatic way. That is to say, they are not illustrative, not a forced pre-presentation based on what the eye sees, but rather a natural representation of what we see emotionally,” the artist says.

My paintings are a natural representation of what we see emotionally

From here and through every brush stroke, the artist derives a symbolic meaning, which is brought back to the fundamental components of the picturesque language. The brush strokes, the sign, space and colour are organised on the surface so as to evoke more about what the public feels than what they can see.

The title of the exhibition was based on the infamous image that had the whole world weeping – a rescuer carrying the lifeless body of a three-year-old migrant child who died at sea during an attempt to reach the shore.

This was an event that moved everybody, including Coccetta, who has approached the event in his own particular way, wishing to represent the absurdity of a death that has happened after a journey full of suffering. The artist depicts the desert crossing where the light is white and dazzling, but underpinning a spectrum of bright colours. The contrasts represent the dangerous journeys to which vulnerable children are submitted and sacrificed, made to live the barren desert experience where everything is alien and where life is full of suffering and fear.

Coccetta has been exhibiting for over 50 years, with over 104 exhibitions held around the world, including the US, China and many other European countries, including Malta. Back in 1998, Coccetta held his first exhibition in Malta at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.