In his (so far) brief artistic career, Victor Agius has presented various facets to his creative personality. As early as 1999 ‒ that is at the young and budding age of 17 - Mr Agius took part in his first collective exhibition, and has, since then, been very active and prolific. He also had a number of solo exhibitions, whereby he established himself as an up and coming landscape and sacred artist. I use the word artist and not painter because Mr Agius often also uses ceramics as medium of expression.
Mr Agius is however letting go of his backgrounds in figurative art and embracing the idiom of abstraction evermore. The works which he is exhibiting at B'Art Gallery, are a collection of recent works which bear no shade or semblance to his earlier paintings. So much so, that one might appear incredulous as to whether these works were done by the same hand. What is also quite remarkable is the fact that the influences of his mentors and masters, such as Harry Alden or Anton Calleja, are barely, if not negligibly detectable here.
His latest paintings are a medley and collage of objets trouve and mixed media on boards and panels. Dry clay, pieces of ceramics, "left-overs" from his palette, pebbles, threads, bandages and wax are just a few of the foreign objects which inhabit these paintings. These are all used to a different effect in order to give added texture to the otherwise flat surface. In fact, on some occasions the surfaces of the paintings have been "built" up to such an extent that they resemble bass reliefs, thus giving them a strong sculptural quality. In other instances, the layer of varnish gives his works such a polished quality that one is deceived into thinking that the painting is made entirely of ceramics with a high finish glaze. This might be the outcome of Mr Agius's background and training in sculpture which could have resulted in an incessant need to give an otherwise two-dimensional work a three-dimensional "feel".
Objets trouve apart, Mr Agius uses quite an extensive palette - even his seemingly monochrome works transpire much use of colour in their underlayers. Yet, his choice of colour couldn't be less akin to that used in his former works. Gone are the many bright and vivid colours used so often to portray the local landscape and depict that unique Mediterranean light suffused with warmth. The brushstrokes in these works are expressive, if not aggressive at times. Moreover, these paintings bear no forms or shapes which the viewer might identify, recognise or interpret - this is pure unhindered abstraction which is only meant to convey and evoke emotion.
There are two works which I am particularly fond of, namely numbers 14 and 18. The former I find markedly different to the other works on show, in that it possesses the most strength of line, colour and composition. It is essentially composed of three distinct sections, the middle one a narrow band of white amid a sea of blues and yellows in which two micro-organisms seem to co-exist. Furthermore, this work seems minimalist in nature rather than expressive as are the majority of the other works on show. The other work is more comparable to the rest in this series, yet Mr Agius's choice of colours, or rather the lack of them sets it apart from the rest. It is essentially made up of creams and off-whites with faint touches of ochre while the darker patches have then been created by an open flame which has literally burnt off sections of the painting.
Besides these last mentioned works, the inclusion of the palette "left-overs" are particularly interesting elements in some of his other paintings; when looking at these works I am somehow reminded of flesh wounds or lacerated skin ‒ it is almost as though the artist were exposing his inner-most self and laying himself bare in front of the viewer. Mr Agius has presented himself in all his vulnerability by exhibiting works which belong to a new artistic venture in his career in which he has literally flipped over the coin and reinvented himself.
All in all this exhibition is a definite step forward for Mr Agius ‒ it is the unveiling of a product of a new vein of experimentation and self-discovery ‒ which he has clearly embarked upon, and which can only mature and evolve...
• Inside Out is at B'Art Gallery, 39, Amery Street, Sliema, until Monday. More information regarding Mr Agius may be obtained online: www. victoragius.com
Mr Agius is however letting go of his backgrounds in figurative art and embracing the idiom of abstraction evermore. The works which he is exhibiting at B'Art Gallery, are a collection of recent works which bear no shade or semblance to his earlier paintings. So much so, that one might appear incredulous as to whether these works were done by the same hand. What is also quite remarkable is the fact that the influences of his mentors and masters, such as Harry Alden or Anton Calleja, are barely, if not negligibly detectable here.
His latest paintings are a medley and collage of objets trouve and mixed media on boards and panels. Dry clay, pieces of ceramics, "left-overs" from his palette, pebbles, threads, bandages and wax are just a few of the foreign objects which inhabit these paintings. These are all used to a different effect in order to give added texture to the otherwise flat surface. In fact, on some occasions the surfaces of the paintings have been "built" up to such an extent that they resemble bass reliefs, thus giving them a strong sculptural quality. In other instances, the layer of varnish gives his works such a polished quality that one is deceived into thinking that the painting is made entirely of ceramics with a high finish glaze. This might be the outcome of Mr Agius's background and training in sculpture which could have resulted in an incessant need to give an otherwise two-dimensional work a three-dimensional "feel".
Objets trouve apart, Mr Agius uses quite an extensive palette - even his seemingly monochrome works transpire much use of colour in their underlayers. Yet, his choice of colour couldn't be less akin to that used in his former works. Gone are the many bright and vivid colours used so often to portray the local landscape and depict that unique Mediterranean light suffused with warmth. The brushstrokes in these works are expressive, if not aggressive at times. Moreover, these paintings bear no forms or shapes which the viewer might identify, recognise or interpret - this is pure unhindered abstraction which is only meant to convey and evoke emotion.
There are two works which I am particularly fond of, namely numbers 14 and 18. The former I find markedly different to the other works on show, in that it possesses the most strength of line, colour and composition. It is essentially composed of three distinct sections, the middle one a narrow band of white amid a sea of blues and yellows in which two micro-organisms seem to co-exist. Furthermore, this work seems minimalist in nature rather than expressive as are the majority of the other works on show. The other work is more comparable to the rest in this series, yet Mr Agius's choice of colours, or rather the lack of them sets it apart from the rest. It is essentially made up of creams and off-whites with faint touches of ochre while the darker patches have then been created by an open flame which has literally burnt off sections of the painting.
Besides these last mentioned works, the inclusion of the palette "left-overs" are particularly interesting elements in some of his other paintings; when looking at these works I am somehow reminded of flesh wounds or lacerated skin ‒ it is almost as though the artist were exposing his inner-most self and laying himself bare in front of the viewer. Mr Agius has presented himself in all his vulnerability by exhibiting works which belong to a new artistic venture in his career in which he has literally flipped over the coin and reinvented himself.
All in all this exhibition is a definite step forward for Mr Agius ‒ it is the unveiling of a product of a new vein of experimentation and self-discovery ‒ which he has clearly embarked upon, and which can only mature and evolve...
• Inside Out is at B'Art Gallery, 39, Amery Street, Sliema, until Monday. More information regarding Mr Agius may be obtained online: www. victoragius.com