Wine barrels have often been used and repurposed as furniture pieces. Now they have been used as a canvas by 10 local artists who have produced fine works of art for the Bettija’rt | wine.art.living barrel exhibition organised by the Delicata winery.
The exhibition is now open to the public at Is-Suq tal-Belt, Valletta Food Market until April 24, running each day from 8 am till late.
Ten artists are collectively exhibiting their so called ‘bettija’rt’, which is an artwork made from a decommissioned wine barrel or bettija in Maltese. Each finished piece reflects “the joys of wine, art and good living in Malta today and through the ages”.
Some of the works explore unconventional techniques such as multi-patterned paintings with shape and line being driving forces. For the majority of artists, the use of colour is important and often explosive. In some cases, however, colour has been stripped away, leaving the barrel bare but covered with ingenuity and hard graft.
Following a successful call of interest for artists by Delicata, 10 artists were selected to take part in the winery’s innovative barrel art exhibition and contest organised in association with Is-Suq tal-Belt, Valletta Food Market.
This year’s exhibiting and contending artist finalists are surrealist Joseph Barbara, talented painter and model Claire Attard Vella, multi-media artist David Xuereb, globetrotting artist Caroline Said Lawrence, expressionist Carmel Bonello, palette-knife virtuoso Francis Galea, up-and-coming artist Priscilla Gatt, ceramist and painter Donald Camilleri, multi-talented artist Sara Pace and creative illustrator Zack Ritchie.
Admission is free to encourage the public to visit, view and vote for their favourite work of art at www.delicata.com/vote/.
The recipient of the 2019 Bettija’rt grand prize and the runner-up, winning cash prizes and gifts, shall be determined by a final jury panel decision. The members of the jury are Anna Grima, Kevin Casha, Mariella Pisani Bencini and Georges Meekers for the organising Delicata winery.
More information on Bettija’rt | wine.art.living can be obtained at www.delicata.com.