For artist Vince Briffa, uncertainty is a positive force because it holds the seeds of creativity while certainty, on the other hand, stifles it.

He explores the theme in Terrain Vague, an exhibition of paintings, video and photography at St James Cavalier in Valletta.

Inspired by a phrase coined by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables, Mr Briffa said the idea for this showcase was “like a word with more than one meaning”.

For the artist, uncertainty presents alternative creative possibilities not only in the way the work evolves but also in the way it is perceived and interpreted. On the other hand, certainty closes off the progress that comes from discourse and may lead to the elimination of the chance element.

The artist metaphorically uses smoke and clouds to suggest impermanence. The mixed-media paintings called Between Ash And Dust feature different degrees of smoke, sky and land and are as much about the process of painting as they are about the current war imagery lifted from tabloids and TV.

The video projection titled Smoke And Clouds shows man at the very centre between encircling smoke, clouds and distant skies while a rotating camera surveys this mysterious gap where man is destined to loom over nature.

Come To Blows – after Ajdabiya in Libya where, on April 17, rebel fighters fought off an attack by government troops – was inspired by the battle for territory and like the photographs in the Length Of Breath series, introduces the concept of measurement as an attempt at the proof of truth.

Terrain Vague runs until May 22.