Gastrografija Catalogue

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Ma nufact u r in g


Gastrografija Gastronomy and photography are fused in Sean Mallia’s psyche. And here, in his first exhibition, he presents a series of photographs that are striking and thought provoking. What the photographer/artist thought when he set up the picture and what he meant to convey is all a matter of interpretation. The theme of order and disorder runs through the whole exhibition making us question all we believe is real, actual or simply perceived. The photography is worth seeing and appreciating not just for the subject matter but also for the textures, the colours, the composition and the attention to detail. The eye feasts and the soul is moved by Gastrografija.

A World of Words by Victor Calleja

I was given the tough task of delving into the photographer’s fertile mind to come up with the captions to the photos on display and the photographer’s note. All words are my responsibility; it is my interpretation as Sean gave me a free hand to pen whatever I felt about the pictorial fest you see in front of you. It was a true honour to be asked to do this—just as it is a true pleasure to know Sean Mallia, a man of many parts. A man who appreciates beauty in all its myriad forms and aspects, a man who is perceptive beyond his years. My main love is words and how they reflect all we do. Pictures have a deeper, longer-lasting effect on us but if we lacked words to express what we feel then even the most impressive photos and art could end up meaningless. Beyond words I love all things that are connected to gastronomy, art, design, photography and life itself. I imagine Sean chose me to handle the written part of Gastrografija because I am involved in writing for, and editing, magazines connected to design, architecture and food.

Framed Print Information Frame: 56cm x 76cm Mounting Border: 5cm Print: 40cm x 60 cm Price: € 150


They Crawl

Xkala: a tough shell, a great catch. Let it roam or entice it to be part of our food to satisfy our senses? Lobster: A sea monster, a sea insect terrifying to some, a delicious meal to many and a chef’s delight. The photographer’s eye captures the lobster in all its glory. Crab: Another crawler, a crab moves awkwadly in our eyes. A reef crab on textured stone, a feast for diners or a wonder to be photographed?

Sensory Bliss

Chefs are poets who feed our senses. Food on plates disappears but another artist gives them life in another way—the photo will outlast the transient food. Left: Scallops, pea puree, salmon caviar and smoked duck compote - created by Tarragon. Right: Pan fried local rock fish served with fermented beetroot, pak choi, asparagus and keta caviar - created by De Mondion.


Marble, Wood, Mushroom and Pomegranate

A fungus we eat, a fruit that gives potency; we are all a combination of differing thoughts, contradictions and contrasts. The sharpness of the lens man in not just in the result but also in the delicate preparation.

News Fish

Newspapers are no longer a source of news in our ever-changing world. Hopefully they will survive to be used to wrap up fish and chips, telling us all that the seas and the fish in them are still alive. The photographer who surveys, thinks, and adds fine detail is in evidence in this striking still life. The newspaper story is about migrants lost at sea; the sea which gives us life but which is itself threatened. And this sea is the unmarked grave of so many people who literally risked their all in the hope of finding a better life.


Monsters on a Grid

These sea monsters are pure poetry for a sensitive photographer who instinctively understands form, composition and mood.

Colour, Placement and Form

Spoon feeding, glorious baking, artichoke and more. Colour fusion and perception.


Order and Disorder - Detailed Poetry

The essence of our life is given more importance when small details are studied carefully. The core of life is so small, so infinitesimal, that many humans miss it completely. But then there are eyes that see and instil harmony in all there is.

Order and Disorder - Serious Disorder

Breakfast cereals are touted as part of a healthy lifestyle. This is the disorder of our life, our contradictions.


Order and Disorder - Textured Goodness

Milk in a carton and milk spilt; crushed packaging, milk flowing, giving life and adding goodness to some and horror to others. The lens here works brilliantly, adding even more poignancy to the background texture and the subject matter.

Eye Fest

The eye roams, the eye feasts and the shot object is all the more appetising. Description: Pigs ears with allium powder - created by Aziamendi at Iniala, Thailand.


SEAN MALLIA Sean Mallia is an interior and graphic designer, a commercial photographer and passionate about architecture. But deep down he is just an artist who sees form in all he does and all he is involved in. He produces work which pleases the eye and the soul. Sean’s sharp eye in all he does is seen in his commercial work. But in Gastrografija, his first exhibition, he has delved into photography without being tied to any client or commercial demand. The exhibition is about form, colour, food, texture and the perennial tussle between order and disorder. Even in order there is disorder and disorder in order. To Sean, life, like his photography, is all about contradictions, contrasts, interpretations. He is a perfectionist who keeps challenging himself way beyond the remit he has for any job and for any shoot. What you see displayed in Gastrografija is Sean at his studied—but rawest—best. Yet it is all an experimentation of what tomorrow can be turned completely upside down. Sean never stops, never stays too still. He is a perceptive man who adds colour to all the reality and realities we see and perceive. His works are in themselves works of art but they also make us question the realities and the contradictions we are living in. His photography is a glorious vision of food prepared and in its raw stage. But it never resembles eye candy. It is photography for the soul.

#gastrografija #seanmalliaphotographer www.seanmallia.com info@seanmallia.com +356 79411666


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