‘NUCLEUS’: A Collective Watercolour Exhibition by 6 established artists
still life by anna galea, 'lunzjata' by tonio mallia, 'azure window' landscape by anna grima.
On January 11, a new collective art exhibition coordinated by Caroline Miggiani is coming to Palazzo de La Salle. ‘NUCLEUS’ will showcase the watercolour artworks of six seasoned local artists; Jeni Caruana, Debbie Caruana Dingli, Anna Galea, Anna Grima, Tonio Mallia, and Kenneth Żammit Tabona. All six artists vary in styles and background, but wish to spotlight the watercolour medium, as well as foster an appreciation for it among younger artists.
Meet the artists
Jeni Caruana relocated from the UK to Malta in the 1970s, to live and work as an artist. As a frequent exhibitor, her formal art training has benefited the Maltese art scene. Her artwork is currently included in numerous public and private collections, having represented Malta in multiple international exhibits. Jeni mostly uses dry and water-based media, and she values accurate drawing methods together with colourful, creative mixed-media textures. Her emotive series of paintings featuring musicians, dancers, nudes, portraits, and landscapes showcase her ability to capture motion and time.
Debbie Caruana Dingli’s family has ties to the art world that date back to the 1800s. Debbie has always been drawn to the arts. In 1985, Debbie held her first solo watercolour exhibition. Over the years, she has held many more, occasionally with oils. Her seminal work, Games People Play (2001), was finally able to convey her perspective of human interaction through funny cartoon painting. In 2015, a retrospective of her work was held by the Bank of Valletta.
Known for her unusually big still life and abstract paintings, Anna Galea is an established and multi-award winning artist based in Malta, Rome, and Dubai. She holds a master’s degree in creativity and innovation from the University of Malta, and she has had numerous art exhibitions in China, South East Asia, the United Arab Emirates, Europe’s major capital cities, New York, and Washington. Some of the most highly acclaimed artist publishers have released books, calendars, phone cards, book covers, and other products of her paintings. Her creations can be found in palaces, museums, banks, offices, and a variety of private collections owned by art enthusiasts.
left to right: jeni caruana, debbie caruana dingli, anna galea.
The artwork in Anna Grima‘s portfolio possesses both vitality and complexity. Even though she is regarded as a figurative artist, her most recent work focuses on form and colour. Anna also earned a UOM Masters in Fine Art and Digital Media in 2015. Her creations can be found hanging in both public and private settings, such as the Berlaymont summa artis II Collection at the House of the European Commission in Brussels, which represents Malta, and the National Art Collection of Malta (Fondazzjoni Kreattività Art Collection).
Tonio Mallia began his artistic career as a painter of landscapes in watercolours. For the past forty years, he has been a prominent watercolour painter in Malta. He has relentlessly experimented with and pushed the boundaries of this and other water-based media over the years in an effort to discover fresh avenues for expression. Through deft use of the water-based medium and a sophisticated technique that the artist has developed over many years of intensive work, the elemental components of sea and wind, the ground and the sky, are merged.
Kenneth Żammit Tabona is involved in both the art and the music scene. Since 2012, Żammit Tabona has been the Valletta International Baroque Festival’s founder and creative director. In 2015, he became the Manoel Theatre’s first artistic director. As an artist, he is primarily recognised as a Maltese watercolourist and book illustrator with many exhibitions in his resume. His paintings can be found in notable collections in both Malta and abroad, such as Berlaymont in Bruxelles. Strong hues and unique shapes are sort of his signature style, and they always capture the beauty of his native country, whether it be in its interiors or its exteriors.
left to right: anna grima, tonio mallia, kenneth żammit tabona
NUCLEUS will remain open at the Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta until February 1, 2024. Anyone can visit the exhibition for free on weekdays from 9 am to 7 pm, and on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
