Human Warmth Agostino Baldacchino
E V Borg
HUMAN WARMTH Agostino Baldacchino
DEDICATION
to my dear wife Rosanne and my sons Josef and Gustav
La Valette VIP Club Lounge, Malta International Airport, Luqa - December 2013 – February 2014 Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta - February 13 – March 6, 2014 Cavalieri Art Hotel, St. Julians - 18 March – May 1, 2014
Portrait: Agostino Baldacchino
HUMAN WARMTH Agostino Baldacchino
E V Borg: Curator
Pilgrims, 2009
Sabrina, 2000
HUMAN WARMTH MAN AS CENTRE STAGE by E V Borg Wistin Baldacchino is excellent in the field of photojournalism, news items based on human action. His work could be termed sociological or social realism as a genre. His spontaneous shots together with the ‘instant impact’ element produced by his sharp realism make it imperative for the spectator to participate. These two elements, together with the deep analysis his works can withstand although appearing contradictory are in fact his indelible characteristics. It is difficult to account for the way he chooses the right moment to capture human drama in his camera lens. Difficult to explain how one can feel his protagonists think or reflect – a continuous action, when he manages to freeze into permanence an ephemeral moment that takes less than a fraction of a second.
second yet interpreted in a way that is complex enough. Frames that can withstand discussion for hours on end. He denudes the actor, man as centre stage.
Wistin Baldacchino is basically interested in realism, blunt realism with maximum definition even in action. Central to his subject is the plight of man, man caught unawares in his passive and active role. Dramatic incidents are his speciality especially those moments in our life charged with the thinking mind and relationships: sweet and sour, comic and tragic. Events caught in a split
Wistin loves capturing crowds and their movement as much as lone persons or the group. He loves people. A representative work: ‘Pilgrims’ that captures a crowd is undoubtedly a procession or group of Indian women in colourful silk shawls moving slowly up a flight of steps. This work is vibrant and releases great energy. It is filled with the spirit within.
Wistin exercises his talents during his frequent travels without ignoring the inspiration stimulated by local scenes and society in Malta and Gozo. For him travelling is scholarship, it is research. And most of his phases are based on shooting sessions done abroad, in various countries but particularly in capital cities like London and Paris. His studies of skin-heads, punks and hippies are perhaps his best. But he equally likes tramps, vagrants, ostracised members of society, and primitive crafts. He has special sensitivity for women and can suggest and arouse feeling, titillation and erotism at will.
Modern Generation, 1988
Wistin’s monochrome photography with humanity as its protagonist, suffering or carefree is approached with great sympathy, empathy, concern and compassion. His tolerant, unprejudiced, undiscriminatory approach exposes his caring nature and identification wth subject. This total involvement on the part of the photographer endows his subjects with dignity and respect. ‘Dedicated Youth’ or ‘Punk Family’ is a shot which can hardly pass unnoticed or ignored completely after considering the drama it evokes and the psychological study it implies. This young family is absorbed in its intimate problems. It seems oblivious of its surroundings and focussed on pending problems of nurturing their child. Apart from the wonderful playful rhythm of black stripes on the child’s white dress there is an emotional and human approach in the eyes of the father – a look that leaves you uncomfortable with the sadness it suggests. While the father is engrossed in thought, the mother is tending to her child with loving care. The bald head of the child speaks eloquently of his father’s shaved clean. The push-chair lies near but the destination is nebulous. They are still very young, perhaps inexperienced, relatively smart and clean. What does the future beckon?
Punk Family, 1988
In reality this family might have no difficulties or problems. If this is so then Wistin’s talent is much sharper for the work makes one reflect, imagine and meditate. It is bristling with suggestion and interpretation. It creates another reality that of the spectator who finds it easier to accept his own predicament and learn or grow by identifying himself with the protagonists in the picture. It is total involvement and participation, the classical catharsis as stimulated in Greek drama: purgation, cleansing, abolution. Family problems and the breakdown of family ties in modern society are common to all. Being punk is not the reason. ‘Mother and Child’ and ‘Dressing Up’ both project Wistin’s gentle approach to woman. In the former he defines and interprets maternity: a natural and universal basic family tie as an international symbol – carrying, hugging and caring. The tenderness in the realationship is felt in the gesture and the backward glance of the child which draws the spectator into the picture space. The rendering of hair and the loving tactile spherical forms of both heads, mother and child is engrossing. The wonderful brilliant white of the baby’s shirt and the glancing caress of shadows are in absolute contrast to the
Dressing Up, 1985
Mother and Child, 1989
woman’s black dress and dark velvety patches or forms. It is a chiaroscuro of great harmony and balance. In ‘Dressing Up’ Wistin captures a simple and commonly habitual reflex action and endows it with the nobility of a studied effort. The careful movement of the woman in putting on her stocking with the anxiety that she might tear it in the process is highly suggestive. The sensuality evoked and the rapt attention in a boring process that needs tact but not intelligence clinch artistic levels. The common place becomes ideal! The artist reserves the same tenderness in his studies of the nude female whether monochrome or colour. In colour the sensuality and seduction of woman is captured in melting soft light and a romantic mood. Wistin exposes his compassion and deep interest in socially deprived members of our society, in the underdog in ‘Another Sip’ and ‘In Trouble’. ‘Another Sip’ is a wonderful photograph of a druken tramp gulping cider from a large bottle. A strong composition bound to the frame on two sides. Its diagonal aspect is very forceful. This man ostracised and emarginated has character though broken in spirit. The rose in his lapel
In Trouble, 1982
Silk Weavers, 2009
implies that he has not given up entirely though dejected. There is yet a glimmer of hope and he is still clinging to the edge of the cliff. He has not lost his dignity and selfrespect yet. Though his wrinkled face and worn clothes suggest a hard and bitter struggle for survival, retaining that nobility, that pathos of the fallen hero that endears him to the artist who has captured him in his camera lens to lobby for his cause. Wistin was awarded a gold medal for this work. ‘In Trouble’ is the same character as in ‘Another Sip’. The same protagonist, a British tramp or clochard finds himself in trouble with the police. The photograph has considerable journalistic value. The eyes of the tramp shine in delirium due to the amount of alcohol he has consumed. His blurred raised hand creates the middle distance between him and the police constables. The triangulation formed by the tramp’s eyes and those of the police integrate the composition in concrete three dimentional terms, creating movement, plastic distance and silent but eloquent communication. ‘Carpet Vendor’ and architectural sites are aesthetically pleasing and documentary material to record jewels of the urban fabric for posterity. The photographer often travels to North Africa to document the exotic beauty of Islamic architecture, folklore and lingering traditions. On the local scene he is enamoured by narrow winding street and urban medieval structures and urban design of the Three Cities, reserving particular attention to Borgo, Vittoriosa where he locates some of his best shots like ‘On a Sunday Morning’. This image is a stunning photograph of atmosphere and mood, a study in observation and reflection in the warmth and expressive realism it intimates. Boredom is in the air but a ray of warm sunlight filters into the street highlighting the granite steps and dispels and prevails over tristesse. An elaborate wrought-iron balcony railing mounted with rivets, at street level, executed with love and pride by a long forgotten blacksmith hardly distracts our attention from the human warmth of the pensive child and the animal instinct of a cat licking its paw with great relish. Light enhances the balcony and produces a halation around the cat. ‘Companions’, ‘Friends’, ‘In the Suburb’ are telling shots that belong to the same genre. Colour in photography is perhaps a more difficult medium to harness than monochrome. Colour might distract from sharp contrast that black and white photography naturally produces. In colour it is perhaps more difficult to attain compositional unity or delicate nuances of shade and shadow. In colour it is perhaps more difficult to avoid the vulgar, the popular and commercial. Sharp and
Carpet Vendor, 1981
blunt chiaroscuro, the basic property in monochrome photography seems more conducive to obtain classical interpretations. In fact the classical genre is somehow traditionally related to monochrome photography. Though one cannot ignore the enormous potential in colour: emotional, sensual, expressive and romantic. Colour to a certain extent is also labelled ‘modern’. Naturally these are mere opinions and there are surely diametrically opposing views that might be as valid, if not more, than those expresssed. In 1982 a renowned French photographer Frank Hovart gave a lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts extolling the properties of monochrome as compared to colour. His assistant specialized in colour photography. Perhaps the master’s predilection or preference lay in his cultural orientation, in his education. Since he had started his photographic career quite early in the 20th century he was brought up with a bias in favour of monochrome. As the proverb goes: facts are sacred and opinion is free. In the case of Wistin the circumstances differed. In monochrome photography he was lucky to find a kind,
The Call, 1992
loving, dedicated and devoted master and mentor in Joseph A. Vella of Mosta who led him on to plumb together the depths and mysteries of this genre. He was also fortunate that he joined the Malta Photographic Society in 1978, 17 years after the Society was founded in 1961. Thus he found a Society well structured and managed and was helped or influenced by several professional photographers of note including: Joe Camilleri, John D. Nunns, Charles Agius, Charles A. Daily Chores, 1997
Fruity, 1984
Herbert, Carmel H. Psaila, Anthony Blackman, and others who must have left their impression on him. In colour Wistin was his own master or he was selftaught. Such situation might have posed a problem or difficulty. Without a master to guide him his approach had perforce to be empirical. To learn by trial and error is always more tedious, difficult and problematic but perhaps more rewarding. On the other hand such a difficulty could be a wonderful opportunity to shed all influences and attain a high standard of individuality and originality. With one’s back to the wall, under the pressure and stress of being isolated, gifted artists rise to the occasion and finally succeed through hard work. In Wistin’s case his unflagging enthusiasm and total involvement with colour photography were enough to overcome the lack of tutors. After all it was his choice to study colour on his own. Maybe a watershed among his colour prints is a montage of a female nude on a pear cut in half – a juxtaposition or play with interlocking forms: the female form seen from the back and a spliced fruit. The convexities and
‘Here Comes the Rain’ and ‘Red Co-ordinates’are companion pieces. These are attempts to capture the essential of things, at breaking the image by blurring the action or capturing it out of focus to get the heart of the matter. These two works are a taste of what this photographer desires to achieve by fusing photography with painting. These two shots are more than paintings: they capture a mood, an atmosphere through delicate texture. They are the hightening of common place drama caused by a natural and basic phenomenon: rain.
Wet Times, 1984
concavities of both, the linear curve and the plasticity or curvaceous forms afford pleasant comparison and contrast. Not unlike Salvador Dalì’s expression of the female form and a guitar. ‘Fruity’ or ‘In the Core’ reminds me of Sam Haskins, a South African photographer by origin living in Chelsea who excells in nude photography as an art. The latter’s obsession lies with the apple and the female form.* Wistin artfully exploits the loins and buttocks of the female form to create a sculptural and plastic sculpture. Wistin loves recording chunks of Maltese life for posterity, those facets that are rapidly dying out through social change and continuous development. He does so by some straight or spontaneous colour photography. ‘Old Times’ is a case in point. It has two textures: one physical, the other psychological. The study of relationships is quite tender and it suggests passing time. The texture of walls, atmosphere and mood suggest a different culture, a pleasant serene era surpassed and emarginated by a fast industrial pace. ‘Daily Routine’ echoes long forgotten and patience-oriented skills (such as hand-weaving explicit in the curtain) gradually facing extinction by breakthroughs in technological mechanization. Vacuum cleaning in technologically advanced countries has almost completely replaced the manual sweeping chore. Wistin seems sensitively conscious of dying skills and social upheaval. ‘Autumn Leaves’, an almost abstracted version of floating leaves in limpid water, confirm Wistin’s technical bravura and virtuosity. It is rare or even impossible to experience such transparency and limpidity in a shallow body of virgin water; hardly ever be confronted by such astounding definition of leaf fibres parading such tensile strength and vigour. It is more than naturalism. It is a rare type of hyper-realism.
‘Wet Times’ is a related shot as water or rain is its subject, its dramatic element. This colour print was exhibited at the 21st Open Exhibition organized by the Malta Photographic Society at the National Museum of Archaeology in May 1986. In this exhibition Wistin practically dominated all sections in both monochrome and colour sections, in slide and still. This work is a spontaneous shot in a Swiss railway station at Wholen AG. It was taken in available light at 3.00pm. A large billboard is covered by a huge poster advertising a drink spilling out of its can, out of the picture frame. The drink has the power to cool and refreshen as a cold shower from a water sprinkler. Rain is pouring and two mackintoshed figures, a father and his son, hurry past drenched and bewildered. Are the protagonists being sprayed by rain Red Co-ordinates, 1987
At the Beach, 1991
Ave Maria, 1992
Fire Fighters, 1998
dramatic and at times tragic results. Some of the images are studies of conflagrations, billowing and dancing tongues of flame, clouds of smoke, furnaces, welding equipment and industrial structures.
Amor, 1996
or by the man with sprinkler in poster? This interplay of reality and fantasy makes of the image a work of art. The red headgear of the son and the blue waterproof jacket are in distinct contrast and definitely etched in a grey-blue background highlighted by a splash of orange light on a deep velvety black, an eloquent area. The red sprinkler, red spot on glass and child’s hood are musical scores in an abstract song. ‘Red for Love’ is a surreal photo-montage, an image that won him a gold medal in India in 1996. A number of orthogonal lines receeding into the picture lead the eye to a human hand (so suggestive) with fingers smeared in silver paint gleaming in the stygian darkness. The fingers manipulate red hearts with sleight of hand and dexterity of a card sharper. With ‘Turnover’ these works are quite peculiar and typical of this genre. The vehicle clutched in the talons of a bird’s claws fits in the same category. ‘From Me to You’ together with ‘Red for Love’ as the art work for the jacket of this publication are modern shots, fantastic and surreal in approach. ‘Sabrina’ a particular and unique image seems inspired by Salvador Dalì’s ‘Narcissus’ when in bravura he captures the reflection of a youth on the polished surface of a table. ‘Firefighters’ ‘Hurry Up’ and at ‘The Docks’ are reportage frames about our industrial and technological scene with
Wistin’s loyalties are divided between his family and a retail outlet in a Valletta store. Photography dominates over both of these preoccupations and it is not unlike Wistin to visualize a shot or frame, a picture in his imagination while serving customers at his business. To relax, Wistin often sits in front of television to watch a film based on character study with a romantic approach and a close-knit plot. This pastime is auxiliary to his hobby. He admits that he does not enter into a particular study or plan of action to take his shots as spontaneity is his hallmark. On the other hand related frames on the same subject (like those about punks) underline research, reflection and a thinking mind. He does not eliminate the possibility of dogged persistence, insistence and consistence – pain and labour to achieve his goals. It is not uncommon for him to wait patiently for days on end, even weeks to capture an image, a scene. He fuses spontaniety or instant-impact while achieving an image worth all our powers of reflection, observation and contemplation. Photography is what gives Wistin fullfilment, full satisfaction and pleasure. It is total release and complete relaxation in deep and intimate involvement and brimming enthusiasm. * Sandilands, John The Apple of Sam’s Eye, The Daily Telegraphy Magazine, no. 415, p.5, October 13, 1985.
To My Love, 2009
MONOCHROME
Friends, 1990
Modern Youth, 1983
Punk Family, 1988
Punk Era, 2000
Poor Business, 1988
Josef, 1983
Mother and Child, 1989
In Trouble, 1982
Another Sip, 1982
Brigette, 1987
Tramp, 1985
Come Ye Breadman, 1984
Still at Work, 1985
Horseshoe Maker 2, 1980
Horseshoe Maker, 1980
Ballo col Toro, 1985
In a Rush, 1982
Funky, 1988
Dressing Up, 1985
Angell, 1987
Doubtful, 1983
Shakira, 2001
Passionate, 1983
Vendor in Cairo, 1999
Happy Family, 2009
Chawdru, 2009
Ram, 2009
Doulat, 2009
Rakesh, 2009
Fruit Stall, 2009
Sheer Poverty, 1990
60 Plus, 2009
Adagio, 1984
Two of a Like, 1981
One Drop too Much, 1984
The Artist, 1986
Changing Colour, 2003
Krishna Members, 1983
Entering the Harbour, 2013
COLOUR
Tutti Frutti, 2003
Pierrot in Love, 2000
Final Touch, 2002
Gondola, 1982
Venezia, 1992
Under the Arches, 1992
Sunrise in Venice, 2000
Flowering Pots, 2001
Slow, 2000
Fainted, 2000
Exhausted, 1999
Prompt Assistance, 1990
Breast Stroke, 2005
Forward, 2004
Ooops! 2003
Red Arrows, 2000
Nine Smokers, 2001
In Procession, 2001
The Vow, 2005
Fruity, 1984
Soft, 2009
Condensation, 1990
Zita, 1993
Care Worker, 2008
Bewitched, 2012
Hurry Up! 1998
Fire Fighters, 1998
Grit Blasting, 1989
Women Go Go, 2001
Unexplained, 2004
Trumpeter, 2009
Here Comes the Rain, 1986
Red Co-ordinates, 1987
Wet Times, 1984
Zebra Crossing, 2006
Companions, 1984
On a Sunday Morning, 1998
Pass it On, 1990
SW 103, 1986
From Me to You, 1993
Amor, 1996
The Lost Hat, 2001
The Call, 1993
Knights of St John, 2001
Ballroom Dancers, 2003
Transporter, 2003
The Backyard, 1999
Sisters at Work, 1999
At the Shop, 2009
Mother Care, 2009
Taj Mahal, 2009
Play Time, 2009
Ganges Ritual, 2009
Mother in Burqa, 2009
Silk Weavers, 2009 (detail)
Vinay, 2009
Purification Ritual, 2009
BIO DATA Agostino (Wistin) Baldacchino (b.1949) was born in Żebbuġ, Malta, to Carmelo Baldacchino (1928-2004) and Rosaria (b.1931) née Micallef. His father, an expert confectioner, taught his son the trade. Wistin’s own creations eventually became the talk of town and village, and such design and decoration sharpened his sense of composition and aesthetics. For him design meant function. Wistin Baldacchino is married to Rosanne nèe Debono - they have two sons Josef and Gustav. In 1978 he became a member of the Malta Photographic Society and started studying the subject in earnest with John D. Nunns (1927-2003), Charles Agius (b.1948) and Charles A. Herbert (1906-92), all seasoned photographers well known for their craft. Later he got his professional and practical training under one of our best photographers, Joseph A. Vella (b.1927) of Mosta. From Joe, Wistin imbibed a love of realism, actuality and popular themes. The work by Joe A. Vella that might have inspired Wistin most was ‘Purification’, an Indian in ritual cleansing in the Ganges, a landmark or watershed image representative of Joe’s chairoscuro technique. It was chosen among 10 prints to represent Malta among 20 countries in an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Malta Photographic Society that took place at the Foyer of the Manoel Theatre in April (12 – 20), 1986. In 1980 he won the title of Photographer of the Year (Malta). In 1983 he was awarded the Artist of the Federation of Photographic Art (AFIAP), and in 1985 he clinched the Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS). In the same year he organized a personal exhibition in Milan. Since 1982 he has won over 4,800 acceptances and about 326 awards in international salons and fora world-wide. His unassuming, gentle and prudent nature contrasts with the powerful sensual and bold realism in his works. He will perhaps be remembered for suggesting human warmth, for evoking pathos and for his empathy with man’s struggle for survival, for his compassion for suffering humanity especially in his portraits of tramps and ostracised society. His research in human suffering and pathology surfaces in his studies of abandoned and forgotten people living on the verge of society. Wistin was first mentioned in the local press in 1978 (Monday 11th September) in a short caption in Il-Ħajja. It was a report about a preliminary competition organized by the Malta Photographic Society every month with the theme ‘Taken Indoors’. His photograph represented a child with a candle in his hand in front of a statue of St. Joseph. In February 1985 Wistin Baldacchino exhibited 11 prints at the Peace Laboratory, Hal Far, Malta. This collective exhibition was inaugurated on the 16th of February and included the works of Wistin Baldacchino, Kevin Casha, Carmel H. Psaila and Joseph A. Vella on the theme: Youth and Peace 1985.
A few months later in May 1985 Wistin Baldacchino organized a personal exhibition, a collection of monochrome work in Milan. His collection included 50 photographs covering portraiture, studio photography, photo-journalism and architecture. The event was inaugurated on the 13th of May at the Circolo Fotografico Milanese in a Maltese soirée which the photographer attended as a guest of honour. The exhibits remained on show for 15 days (14 – 29 May) at Isola, Centro d’Arte e Cultura, Via Ugo Bassi 24, Milan a splendid opportunity for the photographer to mix with foreign photographers and the general public. The event left him useful contacts, precious experience and nostalgic recollections. He felt that he had never communicated his talents and shared his ideas on such a comprehensive level. He was visibly impressed with the large number of visitors who attended the event. He was also pleased with the way the exhibition was planned, hung and organized by a team of experts. In March 1986, a year after the Milan exhibition, Wistin organized a personal exhibition of 50 monochromatic works at the Malta Union of Teachers in Republic Street, Valletta, an event held to mark the 25th anniversary of loyal service rendered by Alphonse Farrugia the Union’s secretary-general. Wistin Baldacchino was invited to exhibit his works in Romania in July 1994. This event occured through an important contact with Stefan Toth AFIAP, a much respected photographer who had asked Wistin to study some of his images and who mentioned the possibility of an exhibition about five years previous to the event. In 1993 he sent Wistin a formal invitation. Wistin accepted and sent 80 works, the result of 20 years of hard work that were exhibited for two weeks. Wistin attended this exhibition that was inaugurated on Sunday 3rd July in a Romanian photographic museum: the Cine Photo Club in Oradea. The collection, some of his best work, were shots taken in North Africa and London and the themes varied from jouralistic to social realism, portraits and old age. Some of the photographers present remarked that he had no study of nudes. After his return to the Island he took such remark as a challenge and started studing the subject in earnest. In May1998 the Malta Photographic Society organized an exhibition of Wistin’s monochrome and colour prints as part of a programme of promoting its artists at Foto-Kafè, Perfection Cafè in Valletta. Wistin also took part in: Bitte Lächeln, Aufnahme! An international collective exhibition in Germany at the MartinGropius – Bau Berlin between the 16th of December 2005 and the 14th of February 2005 with 12 prints chosen from a portfolio. In all ten countries participated: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Albania, Solvenia, Germany,
Agostino Baldacchino posing with ‘The Call’
Hungary and Cyprus. The event was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of Carmel H. Psaila and Alexander Tolnay. At the inauguration Wistin was represented by Professor Joe Friggieri. A hard-bound volume or catalogue was published to commemorate and document the event. Wistin’s works: ‘Steady to Go’, athletes on the starting line, ‘Team’ and ‘The Bread Basket’ were included together with a short critical evaluation by the author. The ‘Europart – Contemporary Art from Europe’ exhibition was mounted on over 400 ‘rolling boards’ or electronic bill boards, in Vienna and Salzburg from December 27, 2005 to January 30, 2006 as part of the 25 Peaces series of projects. The pun is on the word piece/peace. Wistin was invited to participate and attended the inauguration together with his wife. The idea of placing art in public spaces instigated by Wolfgang Lorenz, Georg Springer and Eberhard Scxhrempf was very successful and publicly acclaimed as it is so practical and easier to project art in the street than having people visit museums. The year 2005 the ‘year of commemorative thought’ was chosen by Austria to recall three important dates: 1945: the end of the Second World War; 1955: the related establishment of the Second Republic and the signing of the State Treaty and again 1955: accession to the EU. The presence of the 25 Peaces Exhibition in public space extended into 2006, the year of the Austrian EU Council presidency with the project: Europart – contemporary Art from Europe’. The highlights
of Contemporary Art in Europe featured, reflected social, historical and political development that have taken place in the EU. ‘Europart – Contemporary Art from Europe 2005’ is the title of a large volume published to document the event. The Photographic Society of America (PSA) placed Wistin among the first 20 photo journalists of the year during 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and once in the section of Photo Travel (2009). Wistin has organized and led the 2nd Sunday of the Month shooting session for the Malta Photographic Society know popularly as the Mixja ma’ Wistin for at least three years leading a group of Malta Photographic Society members to various towns and villages capturing varied subjects in an educative exercise. Wistin has been a member of the Malta Photographic Society for more than 32 years and has been serving as a committee member since 1980, lecturing and serving on boards as judge in various competitions of the Society and on an international level. He was nominated Honorary Member of Orizont Photo Club Sibiu, Romania since 1980. Wistin has also been conferred Honorary Member Euro Fotoart Romania in 1994. E. V. Borg, curator
La Valette VIP Club Lounge, MIA, Luqa, Dec 2013 - Feb 2014 Mixja ma’ Wistin (Photographic Outing with Wistin), B’kara 2013
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Newspapers: Caption Story, Il-Ħajja, 11. 09. 1978, p.85; Wistin Baldacchino is first mentioned in the media. Psaila, Carmel, H. et al, Summer & Photography Supplement, The Sunday Times of Malta, 13. 05. 1979, p.IX; prints: The Future Ahead, Twins, Wintry Gathering. Caption Story, Il-Ħajja, 27.05.1980, p.2; 15th Exhibition of Photography by the Malta Photographic Society at the De Porres Centre of Art, Sliema. Wistin Baldacchino declared Photographer of the Year (Junior Section 1979-80), Caption Story, In-Tagħna, p.4, 26. 06. 1980 Summer and Photography Supplement, The Sunday Times of Malta, pp VI &VII, 06. 05.1982;prints: Magic Moments; My Dwelling. Ingħata Premju Internazzjonali għall-Fotografija, In-Tagħna, p.13, 19. 03. 1984
Borg, E. V. Wirja Fotografika fir-Rumanija, In-Nazzjon, Arti, p.27, 04. 07. 1994; print: On a Sunday Morning Borg, E. V. Photographer Ventures Far, The Sunday Times of Malta, pp 40 & 41, 07. 08. 1994, Exhibition in Oradea, Rumania; Prints: On A Sunday Morning, Inferno, The Call, Basking in the Sun, here Comes The Rain. Borg, E. V. Wirja fir-Rumanija ta’ Wistin Baldacchino, IlMument, p.8, 11. 11. 1994 Borg, E. V. L-Illużjoni fir-Realtà, Suppliment ta’ In-Nazzjon, Lifestyle, p.20, 04. 11. 1994; Exhibition Oradea, Polonja, Lulju 1994; exhibition poster. In Camera – Wistin Baldacchino, The Malta Independent, First Sunday Issue, No. 23, September 1995, pp 19 & 20 The Malta Independent – Gallarija, Issue 187, cover & p.5, 21. 01. 1996; Print: Amor, Woman In Pear. Foto-Kafe - A photographic Exhibition by Wistin Baldacchino, The Malta Independent, p.16, 25. 04. 1996
Psaila, Carmel, H. et al, Summer and Photography Supplement, The Sunday Times of Malta, p X &XII 13.05. 1984; print: Dressing Up, As Free as the Birds.
The Malta Independent – Gallarija, Issue 219, cover, 01. 11. 1996; Print: Woman Behind Fishnet.
Borg, E. V. L’Arti fil-Fotografija (1) – Wistin Baldacchino (imw. 1949) Il-Ħajja, 06. 02. 1986, p.5
Psaila, Carmel H. L’Arti Fotografika Maltija – Lil Hinn mixXefaq, It-Torċa, Il-Ħadd Magazine, Fotografija, p.24, 15. 02. 1998; Print: Compact.
Borg, E. V. The Condition of Man The Sunday Times of Malta, 16. 03. 1986, p.22; personal exhibition by Wistin Baldacchino at the Movement of United Teachers (MUT) Institute, Valletta
Foto-Kafè, A Photographic Exhibition by Agostino Baldacchino, Reference, Issue 48, Foto-Kafe, June 1998
Photography Exhibition at MUT, Caption Story, The Times, Malta, 21. 03. 1986, p.6
Onorifiċenzi fil-Fotografija, L-Oriżżont, 06. 01. 2000, p.25; Agostino Baldacchino jingħata il-Fellowship.
Photo Coffee, The Sunday Times of Malta, Weekender, p.8 25. 04. 1988
Gold Award from India, The Times of Malta, News, p.4, 27. 11. 2000; Print: Amor; 100 International Awards.
Summer and Photography Supplement, The Sunday Times of Malta, pp III & XIII, 08. 05. 1988; prints: Irrigation; Port Inspection, Tramp.
Caption Story, The Sunday Times of Malta, Social, p.55, 11. 03. 2001; Distinction Fellowship Awards.
Borg, E. V. A Satisfactory Exhibition, The Sunday Times of Malta, p.21, 24. 06. 1990; Print: In Trouble.
Rikonoxximent Internazzjonali, It-Torċa, Il-Ħadd Magazin, p.3, 11. 03. 2001; Awarded Excellence Bronze FIAP.
Borg, E. V. Wirja Fotografika, In-Nazzjon Tagħna, p.15; 28. 07. 1990; prints: The Carpet Vendor; In Trouble.
Glanville, George, Agostino Baldacchino Rebaħ il-Mitt Midalja Tiegħu, It-Torċa, Il-Ħadd Magazine, cover & p.14, 14. 01. 2001; print: Companions.
Il-Ġens, Speċjali, 13. 08. 1993, p.13; Print: On a Sunday Morning.
Rikonoxximent Internazzjonali, Kullħadd, Madwarna, p.27, 11. 03. 2001
Bonello, Tonio Agostino Baldacchino, Aktar minn 100 ‘Award’ internazzjonali għal fotografu Malti, Il-Mument, Attwalità, pp 22 & 23 05. 08. 2001; Prints: Companions, Turn Over, Firefighters, The Call, Allelulia. Borg, E. V. Meeting Photographer Wistin Baldacchino, The Sunday Times of Malta, p.44, 26. 02. 2012; Event organized by the Art Discussion Group: Meeting Artist: prints: Punk Family, Carpet Vendor.
Magazines, Journals, Catalogues: Żgħażagħ u Paci, 1985, Collective Exhibition, Laboratorju tal-Paċi, Ħal Far, Malta, p.6, 16 ta’ Frar 1985; Sponsor: Bank of Valletta Ltd., participants: Agostino Baldacchino, Carmel H. Psaila, Kevin Casha, Joseph A. Vella Agostino Baldacchino – Mostra Fotografika in Bianco e Nero, Milano Mostra Personale, 14 – 25 Maggio, 1985; Isola Centro D’Arte e Cultura, Via Ugo Bassi 24, Milano; 13 Maggio: Circolo Fotografico Milanese, c/o Circolo A. Volta, Via Giusti, 16, Milano. Agostino Baldacchino, The Photographic Society (Malta) Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, p.5, September 1985 Borg, E. V. Contemporary Photography in Malta (2) – Wistin Baldacchino (Part One): The Condition of Man In Civilization, An Encyclopaedia on Maltese Civilization, Culture And Contemporary Arts, no. 38, pp 1045-1048, P.E. G. Ltd., 1988, Marsa, Malta. Borg, E. V. Contemporary Photography in Malta (2) – Wistin Baldacchino (Part Two): Breaking Into Colour In Civilization, An Encyclopaedia on Maltese Civilization, Culture And Contemporary Arts, no. 39, pp 1077-1080, P.E. G. Ltd., 1989, Marsa, Malta. In Camera – Wistin Baldacchino, The Malta Independent, First Sunday Magazine, Issue No. 23, pp 19-20, Septemper 1995, printed by Gutenberg Press, Malta.
At the Dock, 1992
6th Chhayapath International Salon of Photography, 1996; Chhayapath Calcutta, 15 - 21 November 1966, Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta – 700 029, India, 21/3, Aswini Dutta Rd., Calcutta – 700 029; Agostino Baldacchino – prints: Ole 127; Amor 128 (cover of catalogue) – Best Contemporary. Who’s Who in Photography, Photographic Society of America (PSA), Vol. 2, No. 2, p.13 May 2010, Oklahoma; Top Overseas Photo Travel Print Exhibitors: Agostino Baldacchino awarded 10th place in 2009. Borg, E. V. Artist: Wistin Baldacchino – Human Warmth, In Malta This Month, No 132, pp 66-67, March 2001, The InFlight Magazine of Air Malta, Progress Press Ltd., Valletta. Who’s Who in Photography, Photographic Society of America (PSA), Vol. 3, No. 3, p.24, May 2011, Oklahoma; Top Overseas Photo Travel Print Exhibitors: Agostino Baldacchino awarded 16th place in 2010. Member in the News – Agostino Baldacchino, Glick, The Malta Photographic Society Journal, Issue 4/2005, p.14, 2005
Publications: Borg, E. V. Agostino Baldacchino In Bitte Lächeln, Aufnahme! Fotokunst aus Den Zehn Neuen, EU –Ladern, Schmalriede Manfred & Tolnay Alexander (ed), Martin-Gropius – Bau Berlin, 16th December 2004 - 14th February 2005, p.28 Kulturjahres der Zhen, print & Art Faksimile, Berlin; an international collective exhibition. Probost Ursula Maria & Seidl Walter (ed) ‘Europart – Abtuelle Kunst Aus Europa – 25 Peaces, (Contemporary Art from Europe Exhibition) 27th December 2005 – 30th January 2006, Culture Industries Austria, Vienna and Salzburg, ISBN 3-200-00558-0. Celebrating Photography in Malta, 50 Years (1961-2011) Malta Photographic Society, 2011, Velprint Ltd., Zejtun, Malta ISBN 978-99957-0-067-6; Celebrating Photography in Malta – Mixja ma’ Wistin p.57; Album – Agostino Baldacchino p.98.
AWARDS - a selection Colour Prints Firefighters, Fresh Fruit Amor Fruity Plums Pass it On Prompt Attention Cock Kode Breast Stroke Play Time Here Comes the Rain Sand Storm Relax
Best Photojournalism, Hong Kong, CC 1997 Best Candid, Calcutta, India, 2000 Medal India Circut 2002 Manila of Phillippines, MCE, 2002 GM, Premfoto Romania 1996 Medal, India Delhi 1994 GM, Chhayapath, Calutta, India 1996 GM, Oregon, USA 1990 GM, Pakistan 2000 Medal, Georgia, Southern USA 2002 Medal, India Circuit 2002 Medal, Georgia, USA 2005 Medal, Georgia, USA 2006 BM, Georgia, USA 2009 BM, Johannesburg 1988 Medal, Minneapolis, USA 2003 Medal, Georgia Circuit, USA 2005
Black & White Another Sip Faith Movement Passionate
GM, Commonwealth, UK BM, Southampton, UK Medal, 1st Diga, USA Medal, Malmo, Sweden
1985 2008 2007 2009
Slides Puff! Companions Allelulia Red For Love I Can See Tutti Frutti Up the Ygo Firefighters Acrobatic Team Towering Flames 4 On the Attack On the Attack Duty Chores Women Go-Go Compact
Bronze Trophy, Hong Kong, CC 1992 MCC Award, Manila of Phillippines 1991 GM, Loka, USA 2007 Medal, The Golden Cat 2002 GM, Sabah, Sandokan, Malasya 1994 Medal, South Africa 1992 GM, Golden Rose, France 2003 GM, Grace, Hong Kong 2009 GM, South East Asia, Singapore 1989 Best Still Life, Greater Lyon, USA 2010 Best Action, Golden West, USA 2004 Medal, Wisconsin, USA 2003 Medal, Secret Photo Lovers, India 2007 Medal, Secret Photo Lovers, India 2007 Best Foto, Ridge Wood Camera, USA 1997 GM, Hong Kong Circuit 1996 Medal, India Circuit 1998 Medal, Wiscosin Circuit, USA 2011 SM, Circle of Confusion, USA 2003 Best Action, Golden West, USA 2007 GM, HKCC, Hong Kong 2008 Medal, Bronze-A-Slide, Scotland 2003 GM, USA 2004 GM, Gold Photo Lovers, India 2004
Note: Since 1982 he has won over 4,800 acceptances and about 326 gold, silver and bronze awards in international salons and fora world-wide. Abbreviations: GM: Gold Medal; SM: Silver Medal; BM: Bronze Medal
In the Suburb, 1980 (detail)
E V Borg, author, and Agostino Baldacchino, photographer
Author and Curator E. V. Borg was born in Mdina in 1945 and studied drawing under the drawing master Karmenu Tonna (1910-73) (father of the late Rev. Fr. Benjamin Tonna, parish priest at St. Paul’s parish church Rabat) during his elementary schooling at Rabat (1952-56). He studied art at the Lyceum, Hamrun, under George Borg (1909-83) in 1957-58 and under Esprit Barthet (1919-99) between 1958 and 1962. He considers Esprit Barthet his mentor and friend. He studied art under Karmenu Mangion (1905-97) at St. Michael’s Teachers’ Training
College – SMTTC (1963-1965). He studied Economics and History of Economics at MCAST (1966-68) and History at the University, Malta (1977-82). He started teaching in 1962 and after 42 years in the Education Department he retired at the age of 60 in 2005 as a coordinator of ‘Systems’. He has written more than 2000 critical essays about art and curated hundreds of exhibitions even abroad. He is known locally as an educator, author, critic and curator.
Exhibition Catalogue
Human Warmth Man As Centre Stage
A Photographic Exhibition by
Wistin Baldacchino b.1949
Venues: La Valette VIP Club Lounge, Malta International Airport, Luqa, December 2013 – February 2014 Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta, February 13 – March 6, 2014 Cavalieri Art Hotel, St. Julians, 18 March – May 1, 2014 Acknowledgements: H. E. President Emeritus Dr. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici Valletta Fund Management La Valette VIP Club Lounge MIA Malta Society of Arts Cavalieri Art Hotel Art Discussion Group Marsovin Curator: E. V. Borg Design & Layout: E. V. Borg, Mary Attard Text: E. V. Borg © Printing: Best Print Co. Ltd., Qrendi, Malta ISBN No: 978-99957-0-660-9 Agostino Baldacchino AMPS , ARPS , EFIAP / B, PSA 5*
209 ‘Petra’, Triq Dun Mikiel Xerri, Attard, Malta Mob: +356 99803307 Tel: +356 21224694 Email: g.debono@maltanet.net
China Cultural Centre Malta
China Cultural Centre Malta June 2014