Taking off!

As said in my previous post, I managed to come to an agreement with Zurrieq Local Council to use the Xarolla Windmill, and we decided to start off immediately.  Last week, we started off with some painting on site, and loads of plans and discussions on how to use the space.
On Sunday, a group of cub scouts visited, and they had the opportunity to take photos and explore our works in their own way.  The rustic environment is ideal for exhibitions, and we also have plans to organize one day courses in printing and expressionist painting.

Me, Sarah and Sabrina are also thinking of organizing other art related events in different locations, and we already got one event confirmed.

At the space, I shall be alternating a selection of my works which, the first being 6 works from the "Kindly Adjust Your Gender" series exhibited during Milkshake exhibition.  A selection of lino prints would also be on display.



Since I am mostly working on commisions at the moment, time at the new space is serving to catch up on my own work, which hopefully would be exhibited later on this year.  I have submitted a portrait of Charles Bukowski for a collective, opening next Thursday in Valletta, and I also started to build up work for an exhibition in July at Guy Lee's Tattoo Studio in Mellieha.  I shall be exhibiting existing lino prints depicting car crashes, along with new works.

The Xarolla Project

For those who have been following my blog, it has always been my intention to set up an open studio, where anyone interested can visit, enjoy a chat, some bouncing of ideas, a coffee...basically it would be a place built around a community of artist who are fed up of working in isolation, and lacks a meeting place.

I have discussed this idea over and over again with artists, musicians and anyone who might be interested. Enthusiasm for the idea was shown, but most highlighted the difficulties we might encounter. I know people who have tried setting up a shared studio in Malta, others who have been working constantly as a loose group of artists..

While lazying around after dinner, I came across a copy of a newsletter that the local council publishes, and in which was an article that urged anyone who has ideas related to arts and culture to contact the council.  I decided that I shall give it a go, and set up a meeting in which I explained my intentions.

A week after, news arrived. The idea was approved, and a wonderful location to work in was suggested: the Xarolla Windmill, a fully functioning windmill dating from 1724.

Since another idea of mine is that isolation suffocates creativity, from the beginning I included artists Sarah Mamo and Sabrina Calleja Jackson to share this spare with me. The three of us have already been discussing the idea before, and shall develop our ideas over summer.

The project is to take off on Saturday 27th April (another reason to believe that 27, along with 13, is my lucky number.) We are to be working there on Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 9-12 am. Our works will be on display, and one can visit the building and surroundings, which includes a public garden in which one can see remains of Roman catacombs. Anyone interested in visiting can drop me a line,  so that I make sure I'll be there, even after a wild night out on Friday!

Milkshake Opening

Some photos from Milkshake opening, thanks to Kamy Aquilina.  The exhibition is now over, photos of the work shall be uploaded on my website soon.  For now, you can see some of spaces I've been using to work in for the last two years on my  Facebook page.