Open any newspaper and the images staring you in the face will likely represent revolts, protests and tremendous conflict.
With war being a possible if not likely option, for some at least, I find myself being quasi seduced by the emerging warrior-like personalities, by the courage of some and, most importantly, by the will of so many to bring about change. So ’tis no wonder that I keep recollecting, in flash imagery, a series of portraits of “army men” currently on show in Valletta. And I’m inspired, which is not commonplace for a Monday morning (when I started writing this).
These pictures in my mind – these portraits – are a series of five works titled Deliberate Void (1-5) by Julien Vinet. Born in Paris, Mr Vinet is a fine artist and illustrator currently residing in Malta after having lived and worked in Japan for several years.
His debut show, titled [MU] On The Paradox Of A Graphic Representation Of Emptyness, is a humble introduction, yet a potent one at that. Pure black on white, his work comes as a welcome and refreshing change – no matter how clichéd that may sound – simply because his paintings are so unexpectedly different.
Depictions of war are still very rife in 21st century art, with pop culture consistently paying “tribute” to the everyday reality which violence has come to represent. Yet there is nothing overtly violent in Mr Vinet’s portraits. A bunch of men wearing helmets... they could be in costume for all I know. Yet the iconic scenes seem the result of some bloody aftermath denoted by the urgency and quiver of his line, as well as the sharp or dramatic angles and forlorn stances.
These portraits also speak a somewhat German expressionist tongue and have that unique type of strength that the haunting works of Käthe Kollwitz or Jakob Steinhardt possess; these army men only lack the power of speech. But Mr Vinet’s figures have an added, almost disturbing element, one which is not too commonly seen in paintings – hollow eyes. It is a trait often seen in Modigliani’s female sitters, yet more sinister and enduring in Adolfo Wildt’s sculptures. Mr Vinet’s figures have blank and vacuous circular eyes, the size of an old one pound coin; they could almost pass for caricatures, albeit the un-funny kind. They say the eyes are the mirror to the soul: So does the lack of them make these figures soulless by default? I find that hard to digest when their expression and emotion is undeniable yet beautifully paradoxical.
Although Mr Vinet’s portraits more than captured and held my attention, the artist is also showing other works on paper which betray a distinct Japanese influence, largely due to the chosen ink medium. His works tend to veer towards minimalism (his work titled Cartesian Void is another personal favourite), while symbolism, references to philosophical and literary works also mark his distinct style. Mr Vinet is a spiritually and philosophically-minded man, seemingly in constant search of the depth of meaning in artistic representation.
Mr Vinet has chosen the General Workers’ Union’s Galleria Libertà as venue for his exhibition: a gallery which is unfortunately often snubbed by artists because of political affiliations. However, art should transcend political barriers of this sort, especially because the GWU offers artists a good space – which is small, yet neutral. For the setting up of photographic shows, exhibitions featuring works on paper (such as this one) or drawings, it is the ideal venue; its unpretentiousness being one of its main assets.
From what I can tell, the major problem with this gallery space, however, is its dissociation from all other cultural/commercial venues in Valletta. The space is not marketed or promoted much; there is barely anything on the exterior of the austere GWU building to indicate the presence of ongoing visual art shows. Actually, even on entering the building, there is no means of indication to inform visitors where and how to access the gallery. The space is moreover often unattended, if not inaccessible.
Unfortunately, the gallery’s “negative” association also means that audiences are limited. Again this is a great pity, because some very good shows are hosted in this space and these go relatively unnoticed by the public. I too have missed out on attending a few shows there simply because the event was kept “hush hush”.
With limited gallery/temporary exhibition venue options in the capital city, one would think Galleria Libertà would be more sought-after. And perhaps with a bit of investment, this gallery could better cater for and meet some of the demand for exhibition spaces.
Mr Vinet’s and other artists’ work should not be missed out on because of the lack of gallery exposure. This space should be taken into better consideration when a show of modest dimensions is being planned.
Malta is consistently lacking in a proper museum infrastructure to cater for contemporary art. We’re in the army now: Our reality is what it is. So we might as well embrace the situation, and make the best of what is at our disposal.
• [MU] On The Paradox Of A Graphic Representation Of Emptyness is showing at Galleria Libertà, GWU headquarters, South Street, Valletta until March 4.
www.julienvinet.com