An artist is currently exhibiting a beautiful and emotional piece of work centred around the grief of Maltese parents who lost their children.

“‘Dmugħ’ was an emotional voyage over time, seeing the grief and love still held in the hearts of parents who have lost their children: Darrin Zammit Lupi (Rebecca), Isabelle Bonnici (Jean Paul Sofia), and Catherine Schembri (Andrew), through a collection of photography, video, music, and a Tamarix Bonsai,” Evan Demicoli told Lovin Malta.

This art piece was prompted by Demicoli’s own grieving process, as he coped with the loss of his close friend Andrew.

“We were good friends, we grew up together. His death triggered something in me, making me feel like I needed to do something. So my grieving process was done a little differently – it was done through my artistic journey.”

“Past, Present, Future: This piece has two and three stages in the process of viewing. There are actual photographs of raw grief, and then there are three screens on three chairs, where the audience can experience the parents’ journey personally. The bonsai tree showcases hardiness and future perspective.”

The past is represented by photos of the children, the present involves conversations with the grieving parents, and the future is split into two parts: a bonsai tree and a wall.

Demicoli met with Catherine, Darrin, and Isabelle. He sat with them for almost two hours each and cut their conversations down to three seven-minute clips.

In the exhibition, three screens are placed on three chairs with three other chairs set opposite for the viewer to sit and listen, mimicking the setting of a conversation.

During the interviews, the grieving parents speak about how it feels to lose someone they love so greatly. The conversations display the different ways grief is felt and endured.

For Darrin, he does a lot of little things that keep his daughter, Rebecca, alive. For Isabelle, she’s set herself on a path for justice, to make sure that the death of her son, Jean Paul, will never be in vain.

Darrin, Isabelle and Catherine all convey a profound pain that is deeply intertwined with love. Watching them speak about the simplicity of the things they value most about their children like their smiles, their hugs, and their words – and their intense longing to experience those parts of them again is very powerful. It instils an important perspective on life that people so often lose sight of.

“The fact that I got to speak with them for around two hours each helped me understand this pain that was intertwined with love. I got a front row seat to these raw emotions and as someone who wants to become a parent, that sort of helped prepare me,” Demicoli said.

One particularly beautiful element of Demicoli’s work is his symbolic use of a bonsai tree.

The plant is the first thing viewers see when they walk into his section of the exhibition, but it forms part of the third stage – the future. He chose a bonsai because it is a tamarisk which is the only type of plant that drinks salty water.

A tamarisk separates water from salt and uses the salt to protect itself and help it grow, he explained. Tears are composed of salt and water and they often go hand-in-hand with grief.

“Us humans also grow from our grief and our tears.”

There’s more depth to his use of the bonsai, but you’ll have to check out the exhibition to know.

The second part of the future stage is a wall where visitors can go and write anything they want related to their own grief or the work. The wall is already filled viewers’ words.

Despite the work being so intimate and non-divisive, Demicoli’s wall was vandalised by some inappropriate messages and drawings. Demicoli was close to painting over these depictions, explaining that this wall is sacred, but eventually changed his mind.

“As I was watching who was coming and writing on the wall, I noticed that those being inappropriate weren’t even watching the videos in the first place. They didn’t bother to sit and empathise. This is important because they’re a reflection of society. If you don’t take the time to listen and understand someone’s pain and where it comes from, the response will likely be inappropriate and you will cause more pain.”

“It was quite a lesson because this space was also part of my grief process, triggered by somebody in my life who I lost. Seeing a penis drawn on this wall was very painful, but it was mirroring what society is going through: we don’t take the time and sit and listen.”

As part of the project, Demicoli had to submit a portrait, but even that held incredible depth.

The talented artist explained that from the start, he felt that this piece was not just his, he was being guided by Andrew, Rebecca, and Jean Paul, so he wanted them to be presented as artists too.

He got the parents to each take a photo of him and used each one in the final portrait through a mosaic effect that puts all three images into one.

Demicoli also explained how Spazju Kreattiv is the ideal place for his piece because the three of them – Andrew, Rebecca and Jean Paul – have strong links to the space and/or the area.

Andrew used to work there and this month, a piece that he wrote the music for was exhibited. Meanwhile, in the video, Rebecca’s father recounts a sweet story of the two of them at Spazju Kreattiv during one of Darrin’s exhibitions. And Isabelle had united Malta for Jean Paul’s vigil in front of Castille which is right opposite Spazju Kreattiv.