CURRENT/S – Collective Exhibition Now Open

CURRENT/S

DESKO Fine Art Space is currently holding its first exhibit of the year, running until February 20. A short and sharp ten day show, it is the first ever all-female collective exhibition at DESKO, giving an opportunity to five upcoming local artists to display their works. CURRENT/S, promises a fierce energy – that being the motivation of these female artists to showcase their talents despite the pressing issue of the pandemic. CURRENT/S is also a portrayal of the very meaning of these works; whether it be through controversial subject matter, the fluctuation of feelings succumbing to the human condition or the artist’s portrayal of her personal surroundings, everything boils down to the here and now.

Featured artwork: Kimberly Vella

Within the capital city of Valletta, inclusive of this show, there is an evident cultural perseverance from the local art scene which is striving to bring back a sense of how we once knew it. Other new exhibitions will also be taking place this month. ‘Darkness at Noon’ at Splendid and {V} at Spazju Kreattiv are two amongst many shows that cannot be missed.

The flourishing artists that will exhibit at DESKO are Emma Fsadni, Rachel Bowman, Kimberly Vella and Monique Gatt, all former MCAST students who graduated with a BA Honours in Fine Art, as well as Jade Zammit, who has a foundation in Architecture. Through her studies, she obtained inspiration to include the contrast of light and shadow in her work. Zammit further applies this method by abstracting the human form into lines. Fsadni, who has taken part in several local exhibitions since 2018, executes her concepts through personal narratives. She tells these stories in the form of formal elements, and her spontaneous feelings call for her fascinating artistic execution. Expressionist artist Gatt brings to DESKO her exploration on the theme of abortion. A daring topic for conservative Malta. Nevertheless, she tackles this topic through a sensitive journalistic approach based on personal narratives obtained from field work.

Emma Fsadni
Featured artwork: Emma Fsadni

Upon entering the exhibition space, a strong female energy can be felt from the artists’ works almost immediately. In the space, an array of line drawings in different styles can be found. The dainty and humble outlines of Zammit’s human forms to the Abstract-Expressionist like mark-makings of Gatt’s series. Bowman’s scratch like and graffiti-esque marks almost demand the audience to abide to a political stance. Vella’s impressively painted creases on bed sheets appear as if someone has just gotten out of this bed, suggesting motion. A definite near presence can still be felt. Pastel hues appear as if washing over this exhibit with a range of baby pinks to baby blues. Both of these colours are seen in Fsadni’s oxymoronic concepts of shapes and lines to Bowman’s fluidity of paint, almost as if to be dripping onto an old photograph; in making the places she illustrates undecipherable. This electric charge of female energy may seem calming at first glance but if one looks at the details, Fsadni’s series suggests a primordial frustration. The use of muddy colours represent the beginning of a transition; one that led her to the freer use of brushstrokes and one that freed her from encagement.

Featured artwork: Monique Gatt
Featured artwork: Rachel Bowman

Gatt’s abortion series on first encounter looks as if to be a map with no direction. It might suggest so because of women’s lack of support on the island when it comes to abortion. The artist created two pieces in each of her series. Both lines tell the stories of women through a demonstration of text in the work that exposes their overwhelming fears coming to life.

The exhibition is presented by the gallery manager Nicole Parnis. Speaking with her about the show CURRENT/S, Parnis is thrilled to be hosting the works of these five upcoming artists, providing a steppingstone for those that aim to have their future careers in the Arts. Parnis is keen to motivate and continuously push the artistic scene in the right direction. DESKO will be hosting socially-distanced exhibitions every month for the year of 2021, aiming to remain active and current despite the longterm effects of the virus.

Featured artwork: Jade Zammit

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