The Archive – Malta Society of Arts’ Members’ Exhibition 2023
A collective fine art exhibition by more than 50 Members of the Malta Society of Arts
The Archive: Memories and Recollections – MSA Members’ Exhibition 2023 is a visual art project organised by the Malta Society of Arts as part of its 2023 programme of events commemorating the centenary anniversary of the Society at Palazzo de La Salle.
This artistic venture will present a selection of works created by the Malta Society of Arts’ members. The work revolves around memories and recollections generated by using different references which act as an archive. This notion is inspired by the Society’s archive which was one of the main sources of data and inspiration for this year’s artistic projects.
The exhibition will be held at the Galleries of Palazzo de La Salle from 17th August till 7th September and is directed and curated by Roderick Camilleri.
Further details
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 century-long story of the MSA and the arts in Malta. The majority 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.
List of Participating Artist Members
- Joseph Agius
- Fabiola Agius Anastasi
- Carmen Aquilina
- Kamy Aquilina
- Joanne Azzopardi
- Noel Azzopardi
- Josian Bonello
- Carm Borg
- Dione Borg
- Clint Calleja
- Dave Calleja
- Daniela Camilleri
- Josette Casha
- Adrienne Cassar
- Matthew Cassar
- Alex Dalli
- Patrick Dalli
- Maria Rossella Dalmas
- Katel Delia
- Jessica DeMers
- Damian Ebejer
- Margaret Farrugia
- Jason Fenech
- Censu Fenech
- Marita Fenech
- Michelle Gialanze
- Daniela Guevska
- Eman Grima
- Marion Gruebl
- Josephine Hili
- Sun Hui
- Eric Kaiser
- Yuexin Kong
- Edward Micallef
- Leanne Lewis
- Jordan Muscat
- Gabriela Nicolaescu
- Audrey Pace
- Nadya Peovska
- Roberto Prestigiacomo
- Joseph Pulo
- Quinn Salter
- Ethan Salter
- Valerio Schembri
- Josianne Spiteri
- Lucienne Spiteri
- Stefan Spiteri
- Darren Tanti
- Elena Toncheva
- Audrey Vella
- Tanya Vella
- Isaac Warrington
- Robert Zahra
- Charmaine Zammit
- Alison Zammit Endrich
