What does it mean to fall down the rabbit hole? A descent into chaos? A surreal escape? Or a shift in perspective that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy?

A new exhibition at Mqabba’s il-Kamra ta’ Fuq dares to explore just that. Titled The Rabbit Hole Collective #1, this group show brings together five artists whose works dip into the strange, the whimsical, and the curiously uncanny.

The exhibition opened on 25th April and is running until 11th May, curated by Melanie Erixon.

The show features the work of SJ Fuerst, Luca Indraccolo, Maria Baldacchino, Karl Fröman, and Maria Fröman, each engaging with the idea of the surreal through their own visual language and artistic background.

There’s also an interesting academic link tying many of them together: Fröman, Fuerst, and Indraccolo all studied at the Florence Academy of Art, known for its classical techniques. Baldacchino, meanwhile, studied under Karl Fröman — a connection subtly visible in her style and approach.

Among the standout pieces are SJ Fuerst’s paintings on inflatable pool toys. Rendered in hyperrealist detail, these quirky, taxidermy-style inflatables are placed against classical backgrounds — humorous, bizarre, and beautifully executed.

Karl Fröman plays with nostalgia and absurdity, using LEGO to build animal forms which he then translates into painted works. His pieces feel both playful and oddly sacred.

Maria Fröman draws on surrealist greats like Dalí and Magritte, offering still-life paintings of apples that float and dance in space, defying gravity and expectation.

Luca Indraccolo weaves the personal with the political. His works, inspired by his Naples upbringing, depict characters like Pulcinella in surreal, socially reflective scenarios — such as sitting atop a mound of rubbish or engaging in quiet acts of resistance with religious iconography.

And Maria Baldacchino’s figures, often isolated within abstract or dreamlike environments, seem to belong to stories untold — or perhaps stories waiting to be written by the viewer.

Each piece in The Rabbit Hole Collective feels like a portal — inviting you in, asking you to stay a moment longer, and daring you to make sense of the surreal.

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