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Art + Feminism In the Capital: Female Artists At Spazju Kreattiv Have A Strong Message To Share

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Every March, the world celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. And with International Women’s Day coming this Sunday, an art exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv is a perfect opportunity to ponder artistic insights into past and present framings of feminist discourse.

During Art+Feminism, a group of female artists are taking over Spazju Kreattiv to exhibit a distinct body of work through a feminist lens. This free exhibition will run until Sunday, 5 April 2020.

                                                                                                                                                          Credit: Cyberspace AV

From established names to emerging talents, the exhibition draws artists from local and international spheres spanning three generations, including some works from the late half-Maltese, half-American artist Jean Zaleski.

Here are the 8 artists presenting their work at Spazju Kreattiv’s Art+Feminism exhibition:

Emma Fsadni

Photographer left: Justine Ellul , photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Photographer left: Justine Ellul , photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

The youngest exhibitor forming part of the Art+Feminism 2020 exhibition, Emma Fsadni’s work entitled ‘Rinse’, as the title implies, evokes the action of rinsing the conscious and subconscious limitations imposed by social, cultural and gender constraints. Engendered in her 160 portrait project, it presents a shift in perspective on feminist framings.

Enrique Tabone

Photographer left: Ali Bosios, photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Photographer left: Ali Bosios, photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Enrique Tabone’s ‘Pre-Herstory’ envisages the prehistorical Maltese goddess figure of the Venus through the perspective of these statues being made by women. Tabone’s plexiglass sculptural work alludes to themes of life, rebirth, regeneration and fertility, granting these prehistoric figures with a contemporary frame.

Gloria Oyarzabal

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Gloria Oyarzabal, is one of the international artists exhibiting her works at Spazju Kreattiv. ‘WOMAN GO NO’GREE’ considers the impact of African colonialism on the idea of the woman, through a visually distorted amalgamation of archived images from the British colonial period, studio shoots in Lagos, street photography and extracts from the African library of feminist literature.

Oksana Chepelyk

Photographer left: Rich John Matheson, photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Photographer left: Rich John Matheson, photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Oksana Chepelyk is another of the international artists exhibiting in Art+Feminism 2020. Her work, the ‘GENISIS’ project draws on contemporary issues related to women’s bodies and birth. The audiovisual project merges live birth rates across the globe and the visualisation of the female body.

Anna Grima

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

With a long history of exhibiting her works at Spazju Kreattiv, Anna Grima returns with the mixed media diptych ‘Fifth and Sixth Chakra – Sound Vibration’. This work seeks to depict contemporary spatial problems and one’s striving for balance between mind and body, a balance which can then be directed to the greater social consciousness.

Debbie Caruana Dingli

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Renowned local artist Debbie Caruana Dingli’s work, ‘The Garden Party’ approaches isolation of the female form with a social context and the otherness often felt by women within society. The visually striking oil painting depicts anguish through the maternal figure, a theme the artist feels in underrepresented within contemporary feminist dialogues.

Therese Debono

Photographer left: Dragana Rankovic , photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Photographer left: Dragana Rankovic , photographer right: Daryl Cauchi

Documentary photographer Therese Debono approaches the Art+Feminism exhibition through her lens. ‘Brides on Beds’ draws from Debono’s work in Wedding photography and explores the life changing, transitionary feelings of brides from the pre-marital to the marital state.

Mirjana Batinić

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Artwork photography: Daryl Cauchi

Croatian artist Mirjana Batinić work Liquid Gold  explores the concept of female identity during motherhood. Through the presentation of a mother and child, Batinić puts the spotlight on individuality and loss of identity in relation to motherhood, a topic which artist feels needs greater emphasis within feminist discourse.

Jean Zaleski Centenary Exhibition

This retrospective exhibition which forms part of Art+Feminism 2020 now celebrates Jean Zaleski’s work 100 years following the artist’s birth and 10 years following her passing. This celebration of the late Maltese-American’s artwork features pieces from the Fondazzjoni Kreattività art collection as well as pieces from private collections around Malta and will also act as an event honouring International Women’s Day.

Spazju Kreattiv’s artistic director and in-house curator Toni Sant will host tours of the exhibition on Friday 6th March at 3 pm and on Sunday 8th March, which is International Women’s Day, at 10:30 am.

Feminist-fuelled bodies of art gives us a chance to shift perspectives of women’s issues beyond political and social spheres.

Tag someone to take you on an art outing this Women’s Day.

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Sam is a journalist, artist and writer based in Malta. Send her pictures of hands or need-to-know stories on politics or art on [email protected].
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