Thomas Heatherwick: Building the Seed Cathedral

artibus 017

Believe it or not, I can actually draw. - Jean Michel Basquiat 

Porn at the Vatican?

from wikipedia

Came across this article over at hyperallergic. I found myself asking 'why would anyone would want porn scenes on bathroom walls?, until I realised what I was asking and how obvious the answer was. The fact that it's in Vatican is even more interesting. 

The 'Stuffetta del Cardinal Bibbiena' is a private bathroom that was part of Cardinal's Bibbiena's apartment. The frescoes are the works of Raphael (or at least under his supervision) who was a close friend of the cardinal. 

Barrakka II

Barrakka II

Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work - Gustave Flaubert

Mela Darba

… in the evocative ambience of the Inquisitor’s Palace

a concluding thematic event for Ġmiel il-Ħrafa exhibition of paintings inspired by century-old folktales rich in ethnographic content at The National Museum of Ethnography, Inquisitor’s Palace Vittoriosa.

PROGRAMME

Introductory discussion with artist Rupert Cefai who will delve into the multifaceted world of folktales with precious insights into the inspirational and motivating forces behind the paintings.

Thematic Supper

§ A selection of wines and savouries
§ Traditional ‘Ravjul’
§ A selection of nuts and Maltese sweet delights

Tuesday 28th June, 19:30 Hrs onwards

Tickets: Adults (non-members): €15
Adults (members): €12
Children (non-members): €8
Children (members): €6

Tickets available from the 13th June 2011 from: HERITAGE MALTA
For more information please call on 21663731
The limited number of places available will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.

100 Artists?

Another Video from Ted.com 

How do you stage an international art show with work from 100 different artists? If you're Shea Hembrey, you invent all of the artists and artwork yourself -- from large-scale outdoor installations to tiny paintings drawn with a single-haired brush.

Artibus 016

“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it.” - Ernst Fischer

Bin id-Dmugħ

Bin id-Dmugħ - 142x86cm

Meta (s-sultan) ħareġ, bagħat għall-armla, omm is-sebat itfal, u qallha kif tifel tagħha ghad jeħles lil bintu m'n idejn id-dragun draganti u li dan it-tifel ikun bin id-dmugħ.

Lost His Head

Charles Clews lost it. Yes, literally. From today's ToM

This country is sick. Not only we do not have enough street art, the only few pieces we have are either vandalised or moved. Did not have the time to visit this sculpture yet and its already partly destroyed. 

Yet, who had the brilliant idea of having this piece in ceramic? Sooner or later this was bound to happen. Is it possible they did not have the money to have it cast in bronze? It also explains the funny chairs. Same old, same old.

Ai, Ai, Ai....

Read this piece of news on Artreview and Hyperallergic, two sites I follow regularly.

Anish Kapoor has pulled out of a proposed show in China, in protest at the country's continued detention of Ai Weiwei, reports the Daily Telegraph. Kapoor was due take part in the the UK Now exhibition, organised through the British Council, at Beijing's National Museum of China. Kapoor's move should somewhat appease the critics who criticised the artist's representative gallery, Lisson (who also represent Ai) for continuing to take part in the Art HK fair. The chief executive of the British Council, Martin Davidson, insisted that nonetheless the exhibition would continue as planned,"It is through cultural exchange that we best demonstrate the benefits of free artistic expression and build supportive links between people in the UK and China."

I totally understand and support Kapoor's stand. Had I been in his shoes, my first reaction would have probably been the same. Yet, when I think about it, British Council Chief Executive is probably right. If change is to happen in countries like China, change has to come from within. Cultural exchanges can help the seed of change grow into a healthy tree. Boycotts rarely work. Historically they never did. International art organisations should work more so that artists in such countries exhibit outside their regimes. This is the only way they can have a voice. 

Il-Ġgant u l-Iskarpan

Il-Ġgant u l-Iskarpan - 142x106cm

"Dana ma hu xejn," qabeż l-ieħor. F'dan daħħal idu fil-ġewlaq, ħareg ġbejna friska, għamel tabirruħu jiġbor ċagħka mill-art......"

Artibus 015

All art is erotic. - Gustav Klimt 

3 Ages of Women - Klimt

PBS Feature on Ġmiel il-Ħrafa

This clip about the exhibition (and related activities) titled Ġmiel il-Ħrafa, was featured on PBS evening news on the 30th of May 201. It was also featured on SBS News Australia on 5th June 2011

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

This article was first published on www.re-vu.org

http://www.re-vu.org/?p=2115

A picture says a thousand words, or so the saying goes. I was tempted to paint something to represent post referendum Malta. First I thought of a post battle scene with the victors celebrating and the losers licking their wounds but since there were no celebrations and by the looks of it, it’s not over yet, I might opt for a fully fledged battle scene depicting Deborah Schembri at the forefront calmly taking on Andre Camilleri or maybe Arthur Galea Salamone, or maybe both.

This will be a busy scene, I would need to find space for all the protagonists from both sides. JPO in shining armour is a possibility, weeping his way to battle with Varisto ‘Che’ Bartolo, the social liberator on his right, no maybe on his left or should that be Miguel ‘Che’ Briguglio? Need to think more about this. Don’t know if Mgr. Mario Grech should be painted shooting himself in the foot or shooting the Moviment LE in the back or better still putting the noose around his church’s head. And what about Oblique Clyde Attard? Should he be depicted as the Moviment Iva’s unwilling hero or the embodiment of Malta’s conservative religious right? Maybe the best place for him would be on a small hill with Angelik and Tonio Fenech, all three trying in vain to get hold of ‘Our Lady’. And that’s another scene, ‘Our Lady’ putting the phone off the hook because she couldn’t be bothered. Even She has had enough.

And the Church? That should be easy, a small city surrounded by high walls, where the siege mentality reigns supreme. Its followers blocking its doors and fighting off the Trojan horse sent by the Kattolici Iva Ghax Dritt. I also need to find space for the Facebook Battallion and the Bloggers Special Forces. Armed with personal computers, laptops, iphones and the latest gadgets this battalion of social commentators need to be at the forefront of the battle scene. Yes, I got it, Deborah Schembri is flanked on both sides by two battalions, the Facebook Battallion on one side and the printed media on the other and the Bloggers Special Forces as her guard. Wait, what about ‘Il-Mument’? They surely won’t fit with the rest of the media in this scene. Their place would be right at the back of the city walls, offering an invaluable service to those who need to defecate.

Yet, I feel that there is something missing. What about the majority of our political class? Where should I fit those ‘free voters’ that completely abdicated their responsibility to represent their fellow countrymen? They just don’t fit in this scene. Maybe I will opt for a diptych, one panel for the battle, the other for our politicians, portrayed playing the waiting game.

The more I think about it the more convinced that this painting would probably end up being a mess; too complex, too many details, too many focal points and yet very few points are clear. What is clear though is that on this rock things have changed. Don’t know when this change happened but for the first time in my life, I am seeing more people feeling detached from the powers that be, from the political parties and from the church. Now I need to start painting, still a lot of work needs to be done but I better not complain, had the ‘No’ Movement won, the only colour I would use is BLACK.