THE ARCHIVE: MEMORIES AND RECOLLECTIONS

The Malta Society of Arts’ members’ exhibition for 2023: Curated by Roderick Camilleri, the collective exhibition will be inspired by the Society’s extensive archive of seminal documents, which contain a treasure trove of knowledge, ready to be unearthed

The Malta Society of Arts’ members’ exhibition has become a highly anticipated event on the MSA’s calendar that brings together different creatives, artists, and art lovers to work on a unique collaborative project, layered with different inputs generated by teamwork and joint ventures.

Past members’ exhibitions, such as Perception in 2018, provided a vital boost of energy that supplied participants with a fresh sense of vigour and thirst for artistic research and innovation in their work. The collaborations that emerged from the process encouraged divergent artistic practices and experimentation to flourish; participants had the opportunity to explore different and unconventional processes and materials such as olfactory painting, kinetic sculpture, tactile drawing, and other unconventional methods of creation. The MSA members’ exhibition has become a special place where the members can find a sense of community within the institution through acts of cooperation and collaboration.

This year’s exhibition will follow on this idea; however its theme will be linked to the Malta Society of Arts’ 100th anniversary at the magnificent Palazzo de La Salle, which is being celebrated with a special programme of events taking place throughout the year. The programme was designed around themes linked with history, identity, and memory – celebrating significant landmarks that characterise a centurylong story of the MSA and the arts in Malta. Most of the events forming part of the programme are rooted in or supported by the Society’s resourceful repository of knowledge, namely, its archive.

The archive has proved to be one of the most exciting starting points for many of these projects, and the members’ exhibition was no exception. The extensive collection of documents stored at Palazzo de La Salle has provided indispensable information about past events, important information about the palace itself, and intriguing data which sheds light on the social history and the artistic context of this institution over the course of the 20th century. Moreover, the archive has been the essential source connecting the diverse elements of this multifaceted institution. The crucial aspect of the archive is that it acts as a form of matrix which generates connections through recollections and remembering.

The MSA members’ exhibition will borrow this general idea and develop it into an exhibition project. Starting from artistic research, the archival records will provide the opportunity for all the participants to develop their own take on the idea that the archive is a receptacle where recollections, identity and memory can be formulated. Some participants will probe into different modes of reminiscence and explore the phenomenon of remembering as a process of recognising or connecting. Others will explore material, tangible or intangible elements associated with the Society and its history. A few artists will use their subjective and personal memoirs to create a kind of confessional art or use elements linked with their history or memory as a source of inspiration and artistic expression.

This exhibition will involve more than 60 of the Society’s members and is curated by Roderick Camilleri. Taking place between 17 August and 7 September 2023, the exhibition will be held at the Art Galleries of Palazzo de La Salle, 219, Republic Street, Valletta. For more information, please visit www.artsmalta.org/events