Austin Camilleri is one of Malta’s leading artists. One who has helped give art in Malta, over the past two decades, an identity that can stand comparison with the best the contemporary international art world is producing. The good repute he has laboriously built for himself outside the parochial limitations of our small island-home have brought credit to him and to us.

Gaddafi’s face is juxtaposed to the phrase Ars Moriendi

The show at art..e Gallery, Victoria is not to be missed. You are greeted by several words and phra-ses juxtaposed into a paragraph, which has no apparent coherence, onto the large glass window that doubles as the outer wall. To Camilleri, they must, however, have some significance.

The relevance of these juxtaposed words to the exhibition, I presume, is precisely that they have no coherence. I can say this because I’ve come into close contact with Camilleri’s work in the past couple of years. These works are visually, stylistically and technically related to the art..e Gallery exhibition, and you must take them into account.

This new output is made up of works on paper executed in mixed media. Each work is composed of several physical layers, be they drawings, writing, paint, collage or other.

These works are a commentary on our society. The Pope and the Maltese Prime Minister feature (on the same work as Pinocchio), as does Muammar Gaddafi, whose face is juxtaposed to the phrase Ars Moriendi written upside down but recognisable nonetheless. A crucifix is also visible in more than one piece. They are all at once moralising and tongue-in-cheek.

This is what art should be: a reflection of the society that produces it. We are a confusing and confused society. That this is coupled with good execution makes the works all the more relevant.

What particularly strikes me about Camilleri is the beauty of his complex output, that is coupled with an extraordinary use of technique of more than one medium, be it inks, charcoal, pens, pastels and more.

The small scale of the works does not mean they are less interesting than Camilleri’s large-scale works, which he is better known for. These small works are equally interesting, and what’s more is that they come in lovely, white, ornate frames.

I love large works of art, because I find you can really lose yourself in them. But then again, I tend to prefer smaller works when they posses a freshness that is normally inhabited and more vibrant in a sketch or bozzetto. So in many ways, small is beautiful too.

This is certainly the case in these works on paper, although they are visibly not sketches or preparatory works, but finished works in their own right.

Camilleri is an artist to look out for, internationally. His works are one of Malta’s best brands.

‘Camilleri on paper’ is open at art..e gallery, 1, Library Street, Victoria, until January 6.