In Valletta lies an old and, at one time, prestigious photography studio that has been reopened for the sole purpose of a one-man exhibition that closed on Friday.
The founder, John Ciancio, who started his career in 1913, was one of Malta’s foremost photographers.
The exhibition is by his grandson, Alex Attard, who received his induction to photography from his grandfather. I met Attard at the exhibition and found his nostalgia infectious to the extent of developing a fond regret of not being old enough to remember the studio.
Attard is an interesting man. He returned to the camera with a passion after a period of photographic inactivity. But this break does not seem to have dented Attard’s artistic photographic eye. What he is exhibiting is of a remarkable high quality. Architecture is his primary concern, be it Baroque Valletta, or contem-porary buildings, or the vernacular, which can be aptly called “architecture without architects”.
The theme is ‘A Few Seconds of Light’. An apt title that signifies the conscious knowledge needed during the act of creation, and the spark that makes such creations unique and special. With this, Attard relates to both the architect and the photographer who need to capture the right moment of light to achieve a perfect balance in photo compositions.
Attard’s artistic eye manages to turn the Valletta bastion restoration scaffoldings into a beautiful composition, and also finds beauty in a lone petrol station. The exhibition is a tour de force of fine art photographic prints.
It is divided into three rooms. The first features black and white photographs of imposing facades and decorative architectural details, omnipresent in Valletta, but which are often taken for granted, ignored and left to degenerate. The beauty of this ornate architecture is palpable, but also interesting is a photograph of drainpipes called Sqaq San Ġakbu.
Manipulated images such as Façade, St Paul’s Street, and Urban Collage are not only fun to look at, but proof of how photography can be much more than a mere rendition of what is actual.
The next room shines the spotlight on the humble green summer residences that have become part of the Mellieħa landscape. Unassuming constructions in pastel green or caravans have captivated Attard, and he has again managed to make something that many consider an eyesore into beautiful compositions.
In the third and last room, the photographs return to being black and white, and modern architecture is now being given prominence. Themes vary from the regenerated Tigné Point to a modern furniture showroom, and from scaffolding to the solitary Service Station. It also has something of Edward Hopper to it that is a pleasant association.