Let me wind back a few months, to that fantastic evening in mid-October that started it all. The preparations for the Inheritance Exhibition were now almost ready, and the plan was to start setting up on Monday 18th October. In the meantime, just to make sure I’m totally snowed under, I dreamt up submitting an architectural panel for a fellowship (FMIPP) qualification. It was a tough one, not only due to the excruciatingly high standards, but also because I was doing this while juggling a 6-piece strong exhibition on a shoestring budget which would be open in three days time. I vowed I would keep my cool in the run-up to the qualifications, and being on some of the judging panels helped me keep my nerves in check, however inevitably the butterflies came, multiplied, and made a havoc of my stomach while I was sitting there waiting for the verdict.

It turns out it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, and I must say that the excitement was great when the judges said yes. I now happen to be the youngest Fellow in Malta, and one of the youngest in the UK, which is quite flattering. I also got interviewed for the SWPP magazine, which is quite nice!

Still reeling from this great news, I joined my family to set up the Inheritance exhibition the following Monday. I was very wary on the way it would be received, since “traditional photography” went somewhat straight out of the window with this exhibition. To my surprise, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the exhibition. People were very pleased – dad’s work was an overwhelming success mostly due to his very original style which greatly pleased a more mature audience, while Carlo’s work and mine mostly appealed to the younger generation.

Over the next few weeks, we organised events, and in general kept ourselves very busy promoting the exhibition. In the end it seemed like a great success, and overall achieved our goal of showing how the same, seemingly restrictive, medium can be used in very different ways. I am glad to have spent all the time and energy to do this.

However that’s not all. Rupert Cefai, a fellow artist and friend, had approached me in September with a proposal to set up a small art gallery in Valletta. This had been a topic we had explored ad infinitum during our various conversations over the years, so it didn’t take much effort to delve into it. Over the next few months, Rupert worked on converting this totally run-down room into a great (albeit small) space where our work and that of other artists could be displayed. Gallery Pi opened in December, and again, I am glad to say that the space has been very well received, and we have had some very positive feedback. There is still loads to do, but the enthusiasm is strong and we’re hoping this project will grow into something which will become a mark in the local art scene.

Up next, I’ll be delivering a couple of presentations in the UK for the SWPP conference in London, which is pretty exciting stuff! I am sure it will be a fun experience and I am very much looking forward to it.

If this year stays on the same positive trend as last year, I think there will be quite a lot to write about (and very little time to do so). In the meantime, I’ve uploaded some new photos from the inheritance exhibition and the fellowship panel. Enjoy!

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So here we are – more than a year since we began preparations, and over 2 years since we conceived the idea, we’re ready to open the floodgates. The exhibition has been up and running for a few days now, and we have had some very positive feedback, but the big deal will be tomorrow at the official opening.

Today we have been featured on The Times of Malta with a great article which can also be found online here. Let us hope this is merely the beginning of a string of similar features!

For those who have missed it, the exhibition opening will happen tomorrow, Friday 22nd October, at 7:30pm at the Auberge d’Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta.

Children’s Photowalk

On Saturday 23rd in the morning, we will also be hosting a short photowalk for kids in Valletta. We will be giving the children (between 8 and 14) a personalised tour of the exhibition, and then take them for a stroll around Valletta to take some photos. If you are interested, please drop me a note and come along on Saturday at 10am latest at the Auberge. Children below 12 should be accompanied by a guardian. It should be fun.

To start off, here is the flier of the exhibition. In the following weeks, I will be posting some snippets of information about the event. This is quite a big thing for all of us – the first exhibition as a family and the result of two years’ worth of hard work. We look forward to seeing you there!

One Father | Two Sons | Three Spirits

By the way, a small note to thank our sponsors, the Malta Arts Fund, the MTA and Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, Avantech Ltd, Dical House and Dimitri, Deco Group and BOV.

So, without further ado, here are some photos from last night’s performance.

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P.S. See the photos published also on the Malta Jazz Festival official blog here and here.