SOLO Christian Palmer exhibits in Floriana

Interview /Exhibition/ Malta

June - August 2022

MALTA

SAM VASSALLO

STRANGE DAYS

Australian Artist Christian Palmer To Exhibit At Green Shutters

Bold, Byron-based artist Christian Palmer is set to exhibit at Lily Agius’ new pop up gallery, Green Shutters, in Floriana this summer, in a show called Strange Days. Presenting a selection of fine art prints and paintings, the show will be a melange of new works and retrospectives, showcasing the artist’s distinct style, spanning over the years.

Palmer’s work can be described as “grunge realism”, blending lone misfit animals with lyrical, graffitistyle text. The result is an alluring, idiosyncratic take on the human condition.

“I like to choose animals that have an edge about them, animals that are representative of an outsider. From this perspective, I make sense of my own internal dialogue and the irony of the human condition,” Palmer explained to gallerist Lily Agius, who has represented the artist in Malta over a decade.

SAM VASSALLO is a Maltese journalist, writer and artist based in Berlin.

“This exhibition will be special for a number of reasons,” Agius explained. “I’ve worked with Palmer extensively over the years and its always special experiencing the public’s reception of his work. It also marks a new chapter for me as a gallerist, moving from my permanent gallery space in Sliema to a popup concept in Floriana.”

Born and educated in England, Palmer now works and lives in Australia, after travelling extensively in South America, Africa and Asia. He then landed on the idyllic island of Malta, the homeland of his mother. It is here that he experimented with painting in collaboration with a group of like-minded artists, as well as setting up a boutique graphic design company. In 2001, he moved to Byron Bay where he published the ‘Byron Bay Diaries’ photographic journal and began working as a professional as a painter.

His work lies at an intersect between the confines of his fine art background and the pull of urban contemporary street art, with its casual communication and interaction through public spaces. Years

Will it ever be the same again? What if go was one of us?

of work in graphics, illustration and painting inform his art practice, communication through canvas, wood, streetscapes and street paint, rooted through child-like writing that make up his lyrical art works. Attend the opening of Strange Days on 1st July, at Green Shutters, Floriana. The show will be on until the 23rd. For more details visit www.lilyagiusgallery. com, and follow Lily Agius Gallery on Instagram and Facebook.