Silence Within Abundant Birdsong Exhibition

The Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture presents

SILENCE WITHIN ABUNDANT BIRDSONG

Manikata Parish Church and the Voices of its Site

Curated by Andrew Borg Wirth
Assistant Curator Sera Galea

Exhibiting Artists: Austin Camilleri, Julian Vassallo, Victor Agius & Laetitia Troisi De Menville

The Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture office is pleased to introduce its first exhibition scheduled at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta which will run from the 13 March to the 17 April 2025 titled ‘SILENCE WITHIN ABUNDANT BIRDSONG’. The exhibition curated by Andrew Borg Wirth alongside Sera Galea, seeks to celebrate fifty years since Manikata entered Malta’s churchscape and will feature works by Austin Camilleri, Julian Vassallo, Victor Agius, and Laetitia Troisi de Menville. The body of works explore the relation of the artists to the site of Manikata and the parish’s surrounding landscape, its architecture and sacredness.

In 1975, the Manikata Parish Church became a site for art installations during the Edinburgh Arts Festival. Scottish artist Richard Demarco hosted artists on a journey from the Neolithic temples of Ħaġar Qim to the stone circle of Callanish. Paolo Patelli filmed his video work within England’s newly inaugurated church, while Woody van Amen’s sculpture stood beside it. Emvin Cremona, Gabriel Caruana, Alfred Chircop, Caesar Attard engaged in collaborative actions on-site, captured in photos that redefine the term fertile ground.

That same year, the church became a parish—the first of its kind in Malta. Reflecting Vatican Council II, its altar embraced the congregation, just as its architecture embraced the land.
Fifty years later, four contemporary artists return to its periphery, drawing from its land and embedded memory. Their work, like Patelli’s performance, sits adjacent to the church rather than about it. This project is prospective, not retrospective—just as in 1975, artists are making Manikata their site once again.

Richard England’s legacy is an encounter with the divine, in both poetry and architecture. Manikata, at this anniversary, offers Austin Camilleri, Julian Vassallo, Victor Agius, and Laetitia Troisi de Menville a chance to explore their own encounter with its presence.

In collaboration with Prof. Richard England and the Parish Church of St Joseph, Manikata.

With special thanks to APS Bank, The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, RLAUTIER and Spades Wines & Spirits.

Event Poster Photo: Demarco Digital Archive, University of Dundee & The Richard Demarco Archive. Manikata Church, 1976

ANDREW BORG WIRTH – CURATOR BIOGRAPHY

Andrew Borg Wirth (b.1993) is an independent curator and architect. Through his practice, he interrogates disciplines of architecture, contemporary art, theatre and design.

Andrew graduated with an M (Arch.) Architectural Design from the University of Malta in 2017, and in 2021 concluded an MA in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. His research interests lie at the intersection between cultural and architectural discourse, dealing with nostalgia, public space, memory, monuments and trauma. Andrew is a Visiting Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty for the Built Environment at the University of Malta and has presented research at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London (UCL).

Andrew is the curator of URNA, the Malta Pavilion at the London Design Biennale in 2025, commissioned by Arts Council Malta and consults as Creative Director within the office of the Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture.

SERA GALEA – ASSISTANT CURATOR BIOGRAPHY 

Sera Galea is a multidisciplinary artist, curator and visual designer whose work explores the intersection of contemporary art, design, and curation. Sera graduated with a Bachelor of Communications (Honours) from the University of Malta and an MA in Photography and Visual Design from the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan. Sera is currently part of the PhMuseum Curae Curatorial Practice 2024/25 cohort and is one of the founding members, and one-third of NEWL Collective, whose body of work ranked 1st in Shifting Contexts III.

Sera is a Visiting Assistant Lecturer at the University of Malta’s Department of Media & Communications, within the Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences and forms part of the creative direction team within the office of the Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture.

AUSTIN CAMILLERI – ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Austin Camilleri is a freelance visual artist. He works simultaneously and non-hierarchically in painting, installation, sculpture, video, drawing and architecture to present ideas of time and transience. Drawing mainly on Western art history, popular culture and power image traditions, he explores the tension between the material and the digital, the personal and public, by layering techniques and modalities.

His works have been exhibited extensively in solo and group shows in museums, private galleries and public spaces in Europe, North Africa, America and Asia.

Image Credit: Joe Smith

JULIAN VASSALLO – ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Julian Vassallo is a Malta-based architect and photographer whose work examines the relationship between the built environment and human interaction. His architectural background informs his highly composed, large-format photographs, which capture the often-overlooked moments that shape daily life. By embracing a slow, intentional process, Vassallo invites viewers to reflect on the hidden beauty in everyday life and the delicate interplay between architecture, human presence, and time.

VICTOR AGIUS – ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Victor Agius is a multi-disciplinary artist specialising in sculpture, painting, performance, and installation. His art, deeply connected to the earth and natural elements, involves exploring primitive rituals and humanity’s relationship with nature and time. The prominent reddish ochre in his work, sourced from construction sites in Gozo, echoes ancient Maltese burial and temple decoration practices, highlighting the sacred presence of matter whilst alluding to the primordial transcendence of Mother Earth.

Image Credit: Anthony Grech

LAETITIA TROISI DE MENVILLE – ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Starting at age six, Laetitia studied piano and harp at the Malta School of Music, achieving Grade 6 in Piano Performance and later a Diploma in Harp Performance. Her harp studies include twenty years of instruction, an Erasmus exchange at the Conservatorio of Santa Cecilia, and mentorship from the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Harpist. As Principal Harpist with the Malta Youth Orchestra between 2019 and 2024, Laetitia has performed under renowned conductors. Since September 2024 she has moved to Belgium to read for a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Music (Harp Performance) at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent.

Image Credit: Maria Galea, Dress: Luke Azzopardi

Exhibition:
13 March – 17 April 2025

Official Opening:
Thursday 13 March from 6pm to 9pm

Catalogue Launch:
Thursday 10 April at 6pm
(see separate event for details)

Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts,
Palazzo de La Salle, 219, Republic Street, Valletta

Mondays to Fridays: 9am to 7pm
Saturdays: 9am to 1pm
Sundays & Public Holidays: Closed

Free