Collective exhibitions are held for myriad reasons, and there are also many reasons why collective exhibitions often look like bazaars. One of the key elements to a successful exhibition that showcases the work of more than one artist is the artists’ chemistry. This was certainly the case with the exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Andrew Diacono, Celia Borg Cardona, Debbie Caruana Dingli and Tonio Mallia at Art..e Gallery in Gozo, which closed last Friday.

Celia Borg Cardona, Kunċert f'San Ġorġ.

Simply titled Andrew, Celia, Debbie, Tonio, this exhibition has an equally straightforward raison d’être: four artist friends joined forces to showcase some recent works. The exhibited works were certainly the product of a varying temperaments and testing experiences. For these four individuals, their art is certainly the one thing they can escape to, whence they can recharge. The fact that they are all full-time artists also pushes them to challenge themselves even further.

The diversity present in the exhibition meant there was something to please different tastes. There was variety in subject matter, but also in the execution and media. There were bold textures, as well as varied atmospheres and moods.

The works differed from the romantic interpretations of land and seascapes by Mallia, to the quirky works by Diacono, to the peopled church interior scenes by Borg Cardona, and Caruana Dingli’s expressive portrait paintings.

The 13 pieces by the four artists were distributed in the gallery according to artist, each of whom had a designated space. The progression from one artist to the next was smooth, and the works married well together.

Each of the artists in this exhibition was economical in the application of detail. Each of the works demonstrated how a few brushstrokes suffice in rendering a subject matter recognisable.

Borg Cardona’s church interiors and village feast band were a case in point. The compositions employ a high vantage point and continued her people watching series. They were also reminiscent of her more recent Valletta-scapes showcased in her October 2014 Construct exhibition.

Each of the artists in this exhibition was economical in the application of detail

They were somewhat sombre paintings, confidently executed with a quasi-monochrome pa­lette, infused with some washes of colour in the central sections.

Flanking Borg Cardona’s scenes inhabited by small figures were Caruana Dingli’s three bust-length figures. The reclining female figure with unbound, disheveled Medusa-like locks titled Insomnia, was powerful in its portrayal and execution.

But  Caruana Dingli was exceptionally bold in her Self Portrait. Her penetrating glance as she looked into the mirror – and consequently out of the picture plane – was a powerful one. Paint was applied with thick yet impressio­nistic brushstrokes, and in a vast palette.

Just as the viewer could dissect her physiognomy, she was herself looking retrospectively, and intuitively captured herself in that instant. Self-portraits are extremely revealing of an artist’s state of mind, and this is certainly the case with Caruana Dingli.

Debbie Caruana Dingli, Self Portrait.

Diacono’s raw handling of any medium is made equally manifest in his sculptures and painting, be they in bronze or mixed media.

With his typical stumpy men with oversized torsos and minuscule heads, and his robust yet elegant bronze Woman, his works are anything but mundane. Typically peculiar and poking fun was Man and Chicken: a man in his tie, hat and coat casually walking his chicken.

Broad washes of colour characterised Mallia’s three paintings in which the white of the paper support remained an important protagonist in the composition.

The extensive shoreline of the windswept Xrobb l-Għaġin was beautifully and expressively captured as the sea continues to ravage the shore. It was not the only vista that has captured Mallia’s eye for its iconic natural beauty. The  painting was exhibited along­side sea­scapes that showcased remarkable man-made feats of architecture and engineering.

Albeit a small one, this was a pleasant exhibition that is gratifying despite the presence of some sober overtones.