Jesmond Vassallo, Robert Zahra and Gilbert Calleja are revisiting the theme and readdressing their concerns with the human figure in their work.
The Auberge d’Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta will be hosting Bodies II, their second exhibition and collaboration which focuses exclusively on the study of the human figure and the creative development of the theme.
The works they are presenting bear testimony to the artists’ maturing personal aesthetics and are marked by a strong sense of individuality.
In Mr Vassallo’s paintings, the human figure no longer features alone; it has become part of the studio microcosm, sometimes moving away from the centre of the work and accommodating themselves within the bigger picture of activity going on within the studio. Some of Mr Vassallo’s works portray the latter in a literal manner, depict not the subject per se, but rather the act of drawing from life itself. It is the sketching or painting process that take centre stage – that is the true subject of Mr Vassallo’s works.
Contrastingly, this concern with capturing and recording the moment takes on a secondary role in Mr Calleja’s and Mr Zahra’s works each of whom have chosen to work primarily with the flesh and all the inherent literal and metaphorical meanings attached to it.
Mr Zahra is more interested in the inherent architectural structure of the body, scraping off the flesh to delineate the skeletal complexity suspending its remaining carcass. Bold lines, splashes of colour and carefully placed marks characterise the artist’s works.
Whereas Mr Calleja’s bodies are stocky combinations of chunks of flesh, often captured or portrayed in improbable stances; they are tense and full of momentum. His restricted palette, direct application of paint and strong brushmarks point towards the primitive aesthetic from which he seeks inspiration.
• Bodies II is being held at the Auberge d’Italie, Merchants’ Street, Valletta and is being supported by the Malta Arts Fund and the Farsons Foundation. The exhibition runs from October 7 till November 3.
www.robert-zahra.com
www.gilbertcalleja.com