‘Driven By Sex And Death’: This Maltese Artist Is Gearing Up For His Latest Exhibit In Poland
Gabriel Buttigieg has been making waves locally for a while now, but he’s finally caught one of his biggest international breaks with a three-part series collection that is due to exhibit in Gdansk, Poland.
Dominated by memorable depictions of the human figure, Buttigieg’s work is characterised by what critics have described as “paint exploding on canvas”.
We’ll leave the art-talk to the critics, but what we do know is that his work is very, very, good. And we’ve also got a teaser or two from the collections that will be exhibited!
Figure in a Landscape (In Red & Green I)
Buttigieg confesses that behind his artistic drive is his fascination with sex, death and the transience of all things.
And it really shows in his work, too, with previous works causing quite a stir locally when he sought to revive his father’s beautiful, but very much censored, work.
The themes feed Gabriel’s savage thirst for the beauty, further fuelled by his sense of the pleasures in nature and the body’s restriction of inhibition. This is counterbalanced by a melancholic and more contemplative strain in his art – a sense of loss and longing for a primordial state of innocence, as well as disenchantment and disgust at the corruption and artificiality of contemporary humanity.
Sirens, from 'The Beach'
Gabriel’s worldview is also darkened by his existentialism, and a belief in evolution and determinism.
The series will feature three different collections: Primordial, Figures in a Landscape (in Red & Green) and The Beach.
“My work has always been inspired by images emanating from primitive roots and dominated by the human figure,” Gabriel told Lovin Malta. “In The Beach, I found myself going into a more expressionist mood, opting for thick brushstrokes, movement and emotion; similar to my earlier work in Paintings & Nudes.”
The paintings are mostly set at the beach, a recurring scene in most of Gabriel’s artwork. “Being naturally drawn to the seaside as a place where one can destress from the tensions of everyday life, it is also one of the few public places which allow the person to be comfortable and manifest themselves without inhibition,” he elaborated.
Gabriel’s collection will open on October 8th, so if you’re in or around Gdansk any time soon, be sure to check it out.