BA FINE ARTS
ICA FESTIVAL SPONSORS
ICA FESTIVAL DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
“It all starts here”. To many of us, students and lecturers alike, the opening of the Festival marks the ending of a long and laborious process. However, the title chosen this year challenges us to embark on a totally different mind shift. This is the beginning. This is the beginning for students who are concluding their studies at our Institute, planning an exciting future that lies ahead of them. This is the beginning for prospective students, who discover their ‘vocation’ during the Festival. And this is also a beginning for the Institute, each Festival being a way to evaluate the journey done so far in our contribution to the world of art, which determines the planning for the subsequent years. After last year’s success, the Institute decided to adopt once again the two-tiered system for the Festival. The first facet is the Exhibition, covering works of art from the ten departments that constitute our Institute. The second aspect is the active dimension where each department will have an evening whereby they can enter in dialogue with Industry and the public at large, about the current and future scenario of their respective departments.
These activities are definitely going to prove to be the major highlights of the Exhibition. The first night will be dedicated to the Performing Arts (30 June). Saturday 1 July will be Fine Art Night, and the day after will be dedicated to Creative Media and Photography. Monday 3 July will focus on 3D and Interiors whereas the closing day will be dedicated to the Graphic Design, Game Art and Interactive Media departments. All this has been possible thanks to the relentless energy of the staff and students who have once again succeeded in making this wonderful experience become a reality. I am sure that this same enthusiasm and zeal will be passed onto you as you become part of the reality of this year’s Festival!
Mr Tyrone Grima B.A., P.G.C.E., Pg. Dip. Dramatherapy (Roehampton), Pg. Cert. Spirituality, M.A.
LUCA AZZOPARDI
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
This sculptural series was not only intended to stimulate conversation but also the imagination. Focusing on a theme which is usually rife with direct criticism, through this work, a series of known and appropriated visuals has been re-designed and re-purposed in a new context , thus prompting the viewer’s interpretation, through evaluation and reflection.
Over the past seven years of study and research, Luca Azzopardi concentrated on a blend of traditional and non-traditional methods of conceiving and presenting art. The mediums which he has insofar gravitated towards are sculpture and digital drawing, however, Luca remains open to experimentation as well as the use of multiple sources and art forms.. His work focuses on the presentation of thought-provoking notions affecting our contemporary state of living, whether social, cultural or psychological. A self-confessed traditionalist but also a liberal opposing , Luca’s objective is to evoke traditional approaches and methods of making art, in order to combine them with contemporary ideologies and aesthetics.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
DIE. LIE. TRIUMPH Plaster H152cm x L56cm x W50cm, H74cm x L60cm x W20cm, L16cm x H10cm x W12cm luca-azzopardi.com luca.azzopardi1994@gmail.com
MARLON CHIRCOP
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
I have always been intrigued by the art of creating, however, the pivotal moment in my artistic career so far, was the introduction to printmaking.
This work deals with the sexual content found in art, pornography and advertisements. Said content is usually labelled as moral (or not), as artistic or pornographic; generally, no attempt is made at understanding the many shades of grey between these ‘extremes’. Throughout the history of art, works falling within the poles of these categories have been scrutinised and labelled, often erroneously; with artists often addressing such subjects through abstraction or innuendo for instance. Is this work pornographic, or not? Can’t you tell?
The technique, discipline and versatility found in this art form are some of the reasons why I find it so intriguing. Even though most of my work focuses on relief printing, I love experimenting with other techniques such as mezzotint, drypoint, frottage and monoprinting. Social, political and controversial subjects lie at the core of the work I produce.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
RICHARD Woodcut Print on Xuan rice paper L2200cm lonkirkop.com info@lonkirkop.com
KELSEY MAY CONNOR
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Art can be therapeutic, providing a passage way or insight into suppressed emotions that one was incapable of expressing through other means; which is why Kelsey decided to explore identity and the unconscious - in theory, as in practice. She believes the subject of an artwork should go hand in hand with the medium and technique. Kelsey’s foremost and preferred medium is pencil drawing, which allows for refined details and reveals hidden symbols throughout the image. Childhood memories and self identity are the core subjects in her work, whilst the representation of environmental issues is also given due importance. The artist believes that: ‘Art which speaks, is Art achieved’.
It’s one of my theories, that repressed memories and traumatic experiences derive from the unconscious, and become visible within our dreams. Studies have shown, that with the help of psychotherapy, one can access the unconscious part of the brain to understand the hidden meaning of dreams. In this series of work, I talk to my conscious self from the unconscious. Through psychotherapy, I unravelled the truth behind some of my recurrent dreams which have consequently been translated into intimate, surreal artworks.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS Pencil Illustrations & Acrylic H8 x W8cm (x12) kelseymayconnor.com kelseymayconnor@gmail.com
HANNAH GALEA
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
My work deals with two and three-dimensional forms, namely, sculpture and drawing. My interest lies in understanding how people feel and react towards an artwork in an attempt to condition and manipulate those same feelings. My work tends to veer towards the absurd and sinister, which is the way that I have been increasingly expressing myself through visual means. In my recent work I try to follow the theme of the uncanny, where I manipulate the human figure to explore different aspects of the body.
On the Psychology of the Uncanny” provides a clearer insight to the project at hand: “… if one wants to come closer to the essence of the uncanny, it is better not to ask what it is, but rather to investigate how the affective excitement of the uncanny arises in psychological terms, how the psychical conditions must be constituted so that ‘uncanny’ sensations emerges.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
(Jentsch, 1906, p.3)
HER Dragonskin FX-PRO, Soma Foama Foam & Plaster H115 x W40cm hannahgalea.com hannahgalea1996@gmail.com
JULIA GALEA
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Born in 1995, Julia Galea is a visual arts student, working with sculpture and painting; however, her main interests lie in the plastic arts where she enjoys experimenting with a wide variety of materials and processes - working around conceptual properties from which formal qualities are derived. Julia’s future goals are to become a full-time practitioner, actively researching the role of sculpture in contemporary society, aiming to contribute significantly to this area, both on the local and international scene.
Digital processes have the potential to engage modalities of art making in simultaneity. By extending the notion of a digital space, one has the capability of modifying / manipulating the real world in a virtual manner. This creates the setting for mixed reality/ mixed modality scenarios, opening the realms of visual art into multi-dimensional and multi-modal areas of enquiry. The lack of physical matter associated with digital media creates volatile situations which appear as constantly mutating artworks, which work within a very fragile eco system, which is constantly in a state of growth or collapse. Digital technology extends the idea of space in multiple directions, by allowing an artwork to exist on more than just the physical plane. This work explores the artworks and their occupation of space, both in the physical and the digital plane, as well as the fluctuating nature of a digitally extended practice.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
SPACE IN VIRTUALITY Digital Print H150 x W400cm juliagalea.com julia.galea1@gmail.com
EMMA GRIMA
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Emma Grima is a mixed media artist and likes to take a methodological approach in what she does. This quite often results in works containing a powerful message. Emma enjoys getting involved in projects where she can express her concepts through installation work which may, at times, also contain an element of interaction. Emma loves being creative and experimenting with the projects she takes on. Emma is especially passionate about the medium of photography due to its versatility and immediacy.
The need for cognitive closure is a psychological term which describes the level of a person’s tolerance towards a firm answer. In order to test whether one possesses a high or low need for closure, 5 variables are taken into consideration: If one has a need for order, predictability, unambiguity, decisiveness and closemindedness, then a high need for cognitive closure is registered. Introducing any one or more of these variables into an artwork may result in the viewer being unable to appreciate the image being presented. ‘Untitled’ is a series of 7 silver gelatin prints with an unfinished and ambiguous storyline. This artwork was directly intended to address one’s need for closure. Too fragile and too valuable to be touched any longer…. Forever stalled, stranded in between a state of completion and incompletion. (Baum, 2016, p. 215)
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
UNTITLED Silver Gelatin Prints H75 x W58cm emma-grima.com emmagrima@hotmail.co.uk
JOANNA PORTELLI
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Joanna Portelli’s interests lie within intricate subject matter related to the existential realities of social and physical life, about which she keenly learns more through the process of her work. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences and other real-life situations, her work is mostly filtered through a personal point of view at the mental stage, yet tends to be created as more of a realistic depiction that invites the viewer to apply their own reasoning and unravel the energy within the work. That being said, when engaged with political art, her critical stance – usually geared towards the critique of consumer society – occasionally pushes her to employ a more direct method with the use of text.
This body of work began by investigating the limitations of a visual medium when analyzing an entity in order to truly understand its being. For example, the horse of Muybridge has revealed a truth about the course of its run, yet the artefact remains, strictly speaking, an instance (or several of them) taken from a whole that manifests in an entirely different form. Thus, when it comes to grasping the essence of an object, how far can art go whilst separating the viewer from the subject in a way that imparts a level of detachment through the external position it forces one to take?
Common themes in Portelli’s work characterize the mystery, troubles and fragility of existence, which leave space for the surfacing of certain recurrent themes, such as detachment, misunderstanding, and other measures which pertain to the adaptation of meaning.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
UNTITLED Multi-media Installation H50 x W60cm joanna-portelli.com joannaptelli@gmail.com
This voyeuristic, multi-media installation experiments with different categories of still and moving images, introducing a certain level of imposition onto those who experience it, but does so in a way which allows its viewers to distinguish between embodied experience and its abstraction through image.
DOMNICK SORACE
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Domnick Sorace was born in Italy, in 1994; his family having consequently relocated to Malta when he was young. He is currently finalising a B.A. (Honours) degree in Fine Arts.
“Interrupted Rhythm� tells a story that comfortably contains missing fragments and no intention of filling any of the gaps in the narrative. Instead, the aim was rather to omit and withhold detail and to foster an air of uncertainty thereby making every explanation as plausible as the next.
He finds himself captivated by the human condition and its surrounding intrigues, which he often puts into question. This curiosity is often the starting point for his artworks - which include paintings, digital artworks, collage-making and photography. The intrigues of masculinity, gender and sexuality - specifically their social construct - are recurring topics in his work. The element of ambiguity is as frequently tackled as the afore-mentioned themes, often being integrated into his concepts and processes in order to create open ended questions. The questionable narration between characters and their surroundings allows for playful combinations, thus allowing observers to make works their own.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
Several questions come to mind on scrutiny of the scenes and tableaux; the viewer is easily compelled to attempt and unravel the happenings occurring within the narrative. And yet, there is no clue to fathom the unfathomable; the events portrayed might not even be a reflection of the past or present. The story is yours as much as it is mine.
INTERRUPTED RHYTHM Digital Photography H46 x W58cm domnicksorace.com domnicsorace@hotmail.com
SERAH STRINGER
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
I like to stick things in plastic, as well as painting, sculpting and creating installations. I believe that education is the key to a better life. I love innovation, organising and curating things, myself and other people, so as to create entertaining and unique experiences. Colour, noise, well-proportioned and balanced things make me happy. I am inspired by death, pattern and the amazingly precise and functional beauty of the natural world. All animals, reptiles and insects used in my work are either found dead or have been someone’s loved pet that has been donated upon death. All beetle cases are ethically sourced.
This is a reflection of a journey undertaken by the artist to understand people’s sensory behaviour and choices at art institutions. The people have informed the first plate through their favourite colours, choices and interactions. In the second plate, the artist chose to describe the shedding of the old and the dissolution of the traditional art institution. Whilst the third plate is a reflection of the journey of the art institute itself, where traditional art techniques are given a contemporary medium. This work is meant to be touched.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
VICISSITUDE Resin, glass & mixed media H150 x W150 cm (x2) H75 x W75cm stringergrech.com juanitavassallo5@gmail.com
JUANITA VASSALLO
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Juanita Vassalllo has always shown an interest in the visual arts, a subject which she has been studying for the last five years. Vassallo’s work has developed through experimentation, the adoption of different subjects and the use of various media. Her affinity for the dark and the morbid has led her to explore the human condition through mixed media and photography. Through her research in psychology, she has delved into the mortality of human existence, and the temporary state of the living. An interest in history also finds its way into her work. There is an underlying coherence running across each of her projects is in the way she approaches a subject through its context and history and by employing dark undertones. Her photographic work is presented in both analogue and digital formats.
Conforming to acceptable standards, “Comme il faut” is a photographic series commenting on the Church’s position towards the subject of sexuality. Despite the Church moving forward on this issue, it still adheres to old values. The series illustrates various covered and partly concealed figures in the matter of statues, which hinders the viewer from viewing the figures properly or completely. At the same time, the way the figures are presented is suggestive enough to urge the viewer to scrutinise the work further. Since the statues are barely visible, there is also a heightened eeriness to the work.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
COMME IL FAUT: CONFORMING TO ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS Photography H33 x W33 cm juanitavassallo.com juanitavassallo5@gmail.com
DORISSA VELLA
BIOGRAPHY
STATEMENT
Dorissa Vella started her calligraphic journey some 36 years ago. After practicing a number of arts she has established her identity as a calligraphic artist specialising in illumination which is the visual embellishment of manuscripts. For a number of years she gave classes in calligraphy at the Malta School of Practical Philosophy and Bir Mula Heritage. She is currently dedicating her thesis to calligraphy an art and discipline which she is attempting to revive through her work and research.
The blues of the void are pregnant with words that deliver the cosmic power of sound.
In recent times she started developing a more contemporary approach known as “Textual Art”. Adding to her traditional calligraphic portfolio she will be including more work in this new style. In her final project she emphasises and focuses on her spiritual identity and self-expression. She has incorporated calligraphy with textual art based on Roman and Sanskrit lettering accentuated through gilding. After playing with letter-forms made out of wax and other media, she has managed to obtain a flow that is less rigid than traditional calligraphy. This practice has opened a series of possibilities for future developments in this art form. She plans to take this up further in her teaching and practice.
Title Medium Dimensions Website E-Mail Address
Letters formulate out of the stillness of creation and shimmer in the silver light of reflection. The waxed words are in earnest speaking of only two concepts, that of “identity and conviction”… These are the words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. A footnote under the corner curl is unclear… yet it holds the instructions of the world. Everything is mystical yet everything is formulated by words … Behind the apparent under an angular light there is a sequence of special words… Which cannot be seen by all, but these resonate throughout the void… Unheard by acoustic ears, yet they contain the secret of life itself. The experience capture and becomes manifested into the shaping of letters… The words are trapped in memory that helps to generate another desire… Then they create another world, reflecting again the source of light… The light comes from the void and like the sound of the words return to stillness.
MORE THAN THIS THERE IS NOTHING Canvas, Wax, Acrylic & Gold H130 x W110 cm dorissavella.com vella.doris7@gmail.com
Galeas’s Art Studio 70, South Street, Valletta Mon/Fri: 8:30 -13:00 16:00 -19:00 Sat: 8:30 - 13:00
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