The Trail from Allura

Malta Open Art Studios 3-4 November

Preparations are proceeding apace for the first ever large scale ‘open art studios’ event in Malta, taking place in St Julian’s and Sliema on 3 and 4 November. Over the weekend, locals and visitors from further afield are invited into pop-up art studios to meet the artists and enjoy the creative talent that lies often undiscovered in the community.

With more than 50 artists in twenty venues along a walking trail, visitors can choose to visit as many or as few art spaces as they wish, all for free, and take the opportunity to talk informally to artists and designermakers, to see the work created and to gain an insight into their making processes, their inspiration, materials and methods.

There will be hundreds of pieces of art on show, ranging from eye-catching paintings, pottery, photography and fashion to treasures in precious metals and stone, with everything from local landscapes to designs with a difference and more besides, inspired by the past and the present, people, places and passions, and all created on the Maltese islands. The Trail will also include digital art, virtual reality, movie effects, video-game and surfacepattern design, artisan crafts, designer handcrafted jewellery, illustration, sculpture, graphic and product design, 3D printing and carving. Artists will include professional and part-time creatives, students and school children from the Maltese and international communities. The Trail will offer a choice of hands-on and spectator experiences for residents and visitors alike, to photograph, discuss, try or buy.

Ed Robert’s bold botanical canvases, for example, boast a lavishly deep bright palette, fluid brush strokes and a touch of theatre with contemporary flair, whilst award-winning fine art photographer Keith Ellul’s moody coastal imagery has an ethereal timelessness captured with long exposure and Jana Frost’s intriguing digital collages fuse retro and scifi imagery, narratives played out in a single moment that draw you inescapably in.

There’s art inspired by Maltese heritage, including a vibrant clothing collection by Lara Spiteri resplendent in black, red and gold, each individually designed and handpainted to incorporate the Maltese cross, megalithic spirals, and other heritage symbols in cutting edge design, whilst the island’s heritage has also inspired designer Zack Ritchie to create Disney-inspired characters bringing Maltese icons to life for the twenty-first century in primary colours with quirky charm. You can reimagine the history of the island in crisp paper-white contours with stunning architec- tural modelling against undulating blues on screen and in print, or explore the living treasures under the sea in hand-crafted metalwork.

From smoky Raku ceramics and delicate wire jewellery, a contemporary twist on Maltese filigree legacy, to carved Maltese limestone too heavy for a man to lift and surprising Sith helmets created by a Star Wars fanatic, there’s something to interest, intrigue and inspire everyone whether an art aficionados or an everyday enthusiast. For more information visit www.allura.com.mt