EXHIBITION PROPOSALCHARLOTTE LOMBARD

16 November - 9 December 2018

LAZULI ART GALLERY

S C U L P T U R E S B Y P A U L S C E R R I & T H O M A S S C E R R IThe first collaborative exhibiton between father and son in different mediums

Thomas ScerriThomas Scerri (b. 1990) is always interested in looking beyond, visualising the invisible and uncovering the hidden. Abstract concepts are brought into the physical world, taking organic shapes - creating contrast between the manmade and the natural. He lets the material dictate the form, letting the unconscious drive the work.

Born to a ceramicist, Thomas was exposed to art at a very young age. Thomas obtained a Diploma in Design Foundation Studies in 2014 and a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Arts at University of Malta in 2017 and is currently reading for a Master of Arts in Digital Arts. Thomas has experimented with different media, focusing mostly on sculpture and lens-based media.

Mill-hafna sad-difna (From seizing to burial)

Trees.

What trees?

This project was instigated by the sad situation where a great number of trees were sacrificed due to construction of roads, apartments and bad pruning. Trunks from the actual trees that suffered this slaughter were used in this body of work, letting them dictate the final form of the sculptures. Again, there is the contrast between the organic and the manmade - a dichotomy which is addressed frequently in my work.

Pieces from this series include: Ħafnu 1 1 , Ħafnu 2, Keffnu 2 1, Keffnu 2 and Difnu 3. [1 they seized, 2 they shrouded, 3 they buried]

Paul Scerri Paul Scerri started his artistic activities in the late seventies when he studied at the Government School of Arts under the supervision of the distinguished Chev. Esprit Barthet. In 1982 he attended a course in ceramics at the Accademia di Belle Arti Pietro Vanucci, Perugia and concurrently also attended a course in life studies. Following this he developed a great interest in the ceramic field and proceeded to further his studies at the IstitutoStataleD’Arte G. Ballardini in Faenza. At the same time, Paul studied the design and decoration of ceramic tiles in Imola. He was awarded first prize in Ceramics in the “1 o Concorso Avis” held at the ComuneMunicipale in Faenza. On his return to Malta, he taught ceramics at the Art and Design Centre in Valletta for around four years. Paul then felt the need to widen his horizons by working in the private sector, manufacturing industrial ceramics. He was responsible for the design and technology. During this time he updated himself by attending regularly to various workshops both in Spain and Italy. He is also a part-time lecturer in ceramics at the Faculty of Education within the University of Malta.

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort

to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction”

ERICH FROMM, PSYCHOANALYST AND PHILOSOPHER

The sculptures represent today’s society, a society built on apathy, ignorance, greed and the love of power. Traits that are destructing our ambiance, our characteristics and robbing us of our identity. The sitting position of the sculptures indicate an attempt to dialogue, a discussion to cure this socio-economic malady.

PAUL SCERRI

The sitting position of the sculptures indicate an attempt to dialogue, a discussion to cure this socio-economic malady.

PAU

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ERR

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Trunks from the actual trees that suffered this slaughter were used in this body of work, letting them dictate the final form of the sculptures THOMAS SCERRI

TH

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AS S

CER

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Charlotte LombardLAZULI ART GALLERY OWNER

Before settling in Gozo, she used her PhD in cultural development and project management as the basis for an exciting career as a cultural manager and curator in France and elsewhere, running art centres and cultural institutes. She discovered Fair Trade artwork in Paris few years ago at a Fair Trade expo, and was immediately inspired to introduce the concept in Gozo. She felt compelled to develop a working relationship with the talented and innovative artists who were creating such special pieces, and thus to contribute to making their activity sustainable.

Twice a year, she curates contemporary art exhibitions of both local and international artists.

Lazuli ArtFAIR TRADE GALLERY

In 2017, Lazuli Art opened with a solo exhibition by Maltese artist James Vella Clark and then presented its own collection of contemporary and antique art pieces from countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Madagascar and Uruguay.In 2018 Lazuli Art curated the first anniversary of the collapse of the Azure Window, a solo exhibition by French artist Patrice Pantin, who has worked on a unique series paying tribute to Dwerja. In November, Lazuli Art will present an exhibition of Maltese father and son artists Paul and Thomas Scerri.

Lazuli Art’s mission is to link art and business while promoting Fair Trade in a North/South dynamic, and to celebrate the beauty of cultural integration and diversity.

www.lazuliart.com

When a raging sea swallowed the iconicAzure Window on March 8, 2017, therewere many who felt the loss as deeply asthey would the loss of a dear friend. Formaybe 500 years Mother Nature had beenslowly carving a hypnotic window out ofthe giant limestone outcrop on Dewjra’scoastline, some say a window into thesoul of Gozo, and in one fell swoop shemagnificently struck it down. The shockwaves of this act of destruction reverber-ated across the Maltese islands and outinto the world. The guardian of Dwejrawas no longer.

French artist Patrice Pantin was one ofthose who understood that this majesticsculpture was more than just a tourist at-traction. The untamed landscape of Dwe-jra, with the stoic arch standing guard,has long held a magical place in the heartsof those who are drawn to it. It is to thosehearts that he now dedicates his latest ex-hibition: Tieqa tad-Dwejra - A Tribute tothe Azure Window.

The series of mesmerising paintings,which are both pictorial and photo-graphic, take their inspiration from sixprecious fragments of the arch that werebrought to the surface from where theTieqa tad-Dwejra now rests under theazure waters of the Mediterranean. Twoof these stones sang out to Patrice, be-cause when joined together they becametwo halves of a heart, symbolising thespiritual essence of this vanquishedguardian.

In the words of the artist: “This smallpiece of limestone is like a miniature is-land. When you take this stone from thewater, you seize the whole island. It is adetail but also the whole, another territo-rial extension like the map I made in 2015.The idea of death and body is empha-sized by the drapes of a shroud revealed

through the acrylic paint…”“The black series evokes sculpture every

bit as imposing as Azure Window couldbe: each piece, through its sheer size andblack colour, highlights the romantic illu-sion of this guardian’s portrait. The whiteseries, through its monochromatic pho-tography, accentuates the feeling ofabyssal void felt in face of such a subma-rine chaos and inspires a true lyrical ex-perience of the senses.

“What is left in your heart is the greatabsence; the stone is stronger because it ishere without being here. It is what I callthe hidden visible.”

Patrice lives and works in Pantin, nearParis, where for the last 20 years he hasbeen honing the unique cloth techniquehe uses in this distinctive work. Tieqa tad-Dwejra is Patrice Pantin’s second offeringto the Maltese Islands. His first work, alarge map of the Maltese archipelago

made using sand from a local beach, fea-tured in the Contemporary Art Biennalein Mdina in 2015.

Lazuli Art Gallery, a Fair Trade galleryin the heart of Gozo’s capital, Victoria,will launch Patrice Pantin’s solo exhibi-tion, Tieqa tad-Dwejra, on March 9, 2018- exactly a year to the day from the col-lapse. Charlotte Lombard, owner and cu-rator of Lazuli Art, is dedicated tobringing new and exciting work fromacross the globe to Malta and Gozo; em-bracing cultural diversity and celebratingtalented artists both local and foreign.

This exhibition is presented as an op-portunity to honour Gozo’s heritage, andfor people to come together to celebratethe beauty of art inspired by nature. Tieqatad-Dwejra is both a triumph in technicalprowess and a poignant reminder of thetransient nature of life itself.

Teatru Manoel is staging a brandnew production of Mozart’sopera Don Giovanni on 5, 7, 9 and10 March which also featuresthree other concerts as part ofthe Teatru Manoel BOV OperaWeek.

Don Giovanni is the second inthe trilogy of operas Mozartwrote to libretti by Lorenzo daPonte (1749-1838). The first, LeNozze di Figaro (which TeatruManoel produced last year) waspremiered in Vienna on 1 May1786 while Don Giovanni was inPrague on 29 October 1787. Cosìfan tutte, which Teatru Manoelwill produce next year, was tofollow with a premiere in Vi-enna on 26 January 1790. Thiscollaboration was to be one ofthe most famous in the history ofopera and Da Ponte’s name isnow forever linked withMozart’s.

The opera features a stellar castof top local and foreign operasingers: Christian Bowers asDon Giovanni, Pauls Putnins asLeporello, Amy Corkery asDonna Anna, Richard Wiegoldas Il Commendatore, TommasoBarea as Masetto and the Mal-

tese sopranos Claire Debono asDonna Anna and Nicola Said asZerlina and tenor Cliff ZammitStevens as Don Ottavio. It willbe conducted by the renownedPhilip Walsh with the MaltaPhilharmonic Orchestra.

This Don Giovanni at the Ma-noel will be a completely new,

daring and exciting productionwith Jack Furness as directorand designer who cleverly cap-tures all the comic and dramaticelements of this most popularopera. Audiences are in for a realtreat.

Don Giovanni is part of theTeatru Manoel Opera Week

which is being dedicated to thememory of Maestro JosephVella. The Opera Week includesconcerts by the renowned pi-anist Vassilis Varvaresos (6March), flautist Rebecca Hallwith pianist Lucia Micallef Hunt(8 March) both at the Manoeland a concert by soprano

Miriam Gauci with the GoldbergEnsemble conducted by MichaelLaus (10 March) at St Augus-tine’s Church, Valletta.

There are discounted tickets forthose attending the opera andthe other three events. Booking isfrom www.teatrumanoel.com.mt orby phoning on 2124 6389.

The Malta Independent on Sunday | 4 March 2018 35

Lifestyle & Culture

A daring ‘Don Giovanni’ at the Manoel

Christian Bowers playsDon Giovanni

Claire Debono plays DonnaAnna

Cliff Zammit Stevens playsDon Ottavio

Maltese soprano NicolaSaid plays Zerlina

Lazuli Art Gallery - 83 PalmStreet - Victoria - GozoExhibition 10 March – 1 April 2018Opens Mondays, Fridays, Saturdaysand Sundays 10am -1pmwww.lazuliart.com & FB LazuliART

Lazuli Art Gallery presents: ‘Tieqa tad-Dwejra - A Tribute to the Azure Window’ A solo exhibition byPatrice Pantin opening 10 March

Patrice Pantin

PRESS past exhibitions

and events

12 The Malta Independent | Saturday 14 May 2016

Lifestyle on Saturday

Following the success oftheir first pop-up exhi-bition in November2015, Lazuli Art isproud to announce the

launch of a permanent newgallery in the heart of Gozo. Thestunning exhibition space is inPalm Street in Victoria, just ashort stroll from St George’sSquare.

Lazuli Art opens the 2016 sea-son with a showcase of distinc-tive and original metal work.The gallery features pieces bythree artists from the Caribbeanisland of Haiti; including leadartist Rony Jacques, who cameto Gozo in November and en-thralled audiences with a livedemonstration of his uniqueartistry. The art work centres onthe transformation of industrialsteel drums into magical worksinspired by nature, mythology

and local legend.Alongside the Haitian artists,

Lazuli Art is also showing di-verse and mesmerising work bymetal artists from Zimbabwe.The Zimbabwean artists are

based in the capital Harare, andwork together as part of a FairTrade Co-op. Using recycledmetals – car parts, industryscrap, fridges and cookers -these innovative artists bring tolife intricately beautiful birds,fish and cacti.

There is more incredible metalwork to come from Madagascar,Burkina Faso and Morocco, aswell as new initiatives such aseducational workshops forschools, and cultural eveningsthat will infuse the art gallerywith music, wine tasting andtopical lectures. With each newseason Lazuli Art will introducea new medium and present FairTrade art work by artists mak-ing waves in their profession.

The ethos of Lazuli Art is thecommitment to Fair Trade andthe celebration of cultural diver-sity and integration.

‘I have been running two FairTrade retail businesses in Gozo- Organika and Lazuli - for thelast eight years but in my pre-vious professional life I was acultural manager. I fell in lovewith the Haitian metalwork Idiscovered in Paris two yearsago and was touched by someof the similarities with Gozoand themes in the artwork: themaritime landscape; flora andfauna; subsistence agricultureand fishing; religious faith andsymbolism; colonialism andinsularity. French galleristAnne Mucci‘s Fair Trade in-volvement with the Haitianartists inspired me and we de-cided to collaborate in exhibit-ing their work to promote it inthe Maltese Islands. I saw anopportunity in Gozo to linkart, craft and business; pro-moting Fair Trade in aNorth/South dynamic,’ saysLazuli Arts owner and curatorCharlotte Lombard.

Lazuli Art will open with a pri-vate viewing for invited guestsin the presence of French Cul-tural Attaché Laurent Croset onFriday 20 May at 7pm.

To keep updated with events andnew artists please ‘like and share’our Facebook page: www.face-book.com/lazuliart or contactLazuli Art on 99436443.

Lazuli Art – 83 Palm Street- Vic-toria – Gozo.

Opening time : Monday to Fridayfrom 10 am to 6pm and Saturdayfrom 10 am to 4pm

New art gallery in Gozo

Stars at theGrand PalaisIt’s an atmosphere of calm and serenity that emanates from theGrand Palais on 26th January. Within a large neat garden, at thebottom of which sits a beautiful wooden house, Karl Lagerfeld cel-ebrated nature with the Chanel Spring-Summer 2016 Haute Cou-ture collection.

This was applauded by many including Diane Kruger, GwynethPaltrow, Monica Bellucci, Cara Delevingne and Marine Vacth.

© Stacy FullerCara Delevingne

© Lea ColomboEllie Bamber

12 The Malta Independent | Saturday 24 October 2015

Lifestyle on Saturday

An innovative inter-national collabora-tion linking art,business and FairTrade will show-

case the work of metal artistsfrom the Caribbean island ofHaiti alongside work by aGozo-based metal artist inan exhibition called ‘Bang-ing the Drum’ from 14 No-vember – 6 December 2015.The exhibition is a new ini-tiative from Lazuli - a de-signer clothing andaccessories store specializingin ethically traded inde-pendent brands – which willbe transformed into a pop-up-gallery called Lazuli ARTfor the duration of the exhi-bition. Lazuli is located in StGeorge’s Square, in the heartof Victoria, Gozo.

The unusual metal artworkof 13 Haitian artists is repre-sented, including that ofleading artist Rony Jacques.These pieces are all createdfrom steel oil drums. UKartist Jackie Roberts, wholives in Gozo, will be show-ing work in copper and steeland will be present for theduration of the exhibition toexplain her own work andthe techniques and influ-ences of the Haitian artists.All the artists share commonthemes, use repurposed and

recycled materials; demon-strate the same techniquesand craft skills. Similarthemes influence and inspiretheir work although theycome from very different ge-ographical locations and cul-tural backgrounds.

The exhibition is supported

by the French Embassy; TheMinistry for Gozo, Maldon-ado Bistro and other spon-sors.

Lazuli’s owner CharlotteLombard says: “I have beenrunning two Fair Trade re-tail businesses in Gozo – Or-ganika and Lazuli – for the

last eight years but in myprevious professional life Iwas a cultural manager. Ifell in love with the Haitianmetalwork I discovered inParis two years ago and wastouched by some of the sim-ilarities with Gozo andthemes in the artwork: themaritime landscape; floraand fauna; subsistence agri-culture and fishing; religiousfaith and symbolism; colo-nialism and insularity.French gallerist AnneMucci‘s Fair Trade involve-ment with the Haitian artistsinspired me and we decidedto collaborate in this exhibi-tion to promote their workin the Maltese Islands for thefirst time.

I saw an opportunity in

Exhibition at Lazuli in Gozo‘Banging the drum’: An exhibition of Art

The History of Metal Art from HaitiSince the start of the 20th CenturyHaitian artists have been recyclingmaterials to transform them intoart. This has now become a dis-tinctive and authentic artisan tradi-tion with a diverse group of artistsexpressing their creativity andcraftsmanship; gaining experience;improving their skills and generat-ing income. From the 1950’s to thepresent day the group’s primaryraw material is steel oil drumswhich are readily available andtransformable into collectable art-works which are exported all overthe world.

The sources of inspiration for theartworks are very diverse: nature;the sun; myths and legends; mytho-logical figures, like mermaids; Chris-tian religious and voodoosymbolism; daily life and work. Thework is poetic and sometimes chal-lenging. It reflects the passions,dreams, sensitivity, history andstrength of the Haitian people.

The process of transformation issimple but time consuming and re-quiring the use of imagination com-bined with traditional craft skills.The drum is first emptied, cleanedand flattened by hammering. It isthen cut, engraved and chiselledinto shape sometimes using a de-sign template. Work is done on theground and tools are basic: ham-mer, chisels, punches and files. Thefinished pieces are then sanded and

varnished to a beautiful and lastingfinish. This second life given to thedrums is as magical as the transfor-mation is astonishing.

In 1953, with the inspiration ofGeorges Liautaud, the art village “lacroix des bouquets” was set up,about one hour’s drive from thecapital of Haiti, Port au Prince. It of-fers artists a space to acquire andstore the drums and to work themetal but also to train apprenticesand to set up workshops. There isalso space to display and sell theirwork. This lively venue inspires andencourages youngsters to discovera vocation and generate income forthemselves and their families.Today there are 80 workshops pro-viding employment for 1000 peo-ple. The lead artist and mastercraftsman is Serge Jolimeau.

Background on metal artist Rony JacquesRony Jacques is 36 years old, theyoungest of a family of five boys.His father was not an artist butthree of his brothers are. Rony has

real talent and expertise in his cho-sen medium; with a calm and posi-tive energy he displays realmotivation and the maturity to passon his skills to youngsters and en-sure the tradition of this form ofmetal art endures. Rony createsunique pieces freehand and as abusinessman he has learned how tomanage and expand his workshopto make it sustainable and to allowhim to promote and export thefinest of his pieces.

Rony represents the group both inHaiti and abroad. He took work tofamous store Macy’s in New Yorkfor the commemoration ceremonyof the devastating earthquake thathit Haiti in 2010. He was invited inBelgium in 2013 for a joint exhibi-tion with photographer BenjaminStruelens. In 2014, Rony was in-vited to Germany to promote Hait-ian craft.

Gozo Metal ArtistJackie Roberts Jackie’s metal work reflects thebeauty and diversity of the nat-ural world around her on Gozoand is also inspired by travels inNew Zealand, Africa and Scot-land. Her work crosses theboundaries of art and craft,using traditional metalworkingtechniques to make imaginativeartwork which is hand-crafted.

Like the Haitian metal artistsJackie recycles and transformsscrap metal and much of herwork involves cutting, shapingand marking the metal usingtraditional, simple hand tools

and techniques. She also re-uses old copper water heaters;copper pipes and discardedantique brass fittings as a moresustainable source of raw ma-terial rather than using newcopper and brass sheet.

Jackie says about her work: “I’m inspired by the land-

scapes of my mind and the nat-ural world, particularly the sea;cultural symbolism and Mod-ernist design. I often use recy-cled metal, scrap, foundobjects and plant material inmy work; reincarnating whatother people have discarded. Iuse power and hand tools tocut, texture, mark and shapemild and stainless steel, copperand brass; creating colourusing a technique of controlledburning with the oxy-acetylenetorch to bring out the hues andtones within the metal.

I like to work with the textureof rust; sometimes I leave metalsheet out in the rain, use home-made patinas or I pick up a pieceof scrap which attracts me justby the way it has aged. Rust isafter all just another aspect ofthe transitional elements whichmake up the metal.”

Jackie Roberts (born 1962,UK) spent eighteen years livingin Scotland before moving per-manently to the Maltese islandof Gozo in 2001. She has agarage workshop and homegallery displaying her artisticmetalwork in Xewkija, Gozo.

In Scotland Jackie learned

artistic metalwork from 1998-2000 with the ‘Arcangels’group at Edinburgh’s TelfordCollege; an EC-funded, part-time course in metal work toencourage women who wereunemployed or seeking re-training to set up in businessusing skills which were deemednon-traditional for women.Jackie pursued this passion formetal after a professional ca-reer in environmental educa-tion, public and mediarelations, international com-munity development and artsadministration during a periodwhen she found herself unem-ployed and disillusioned withtraditional modes of work.

Since Jackie’s first solo exhibi-tion in Gozo, ‘Go Fish’, in 2007she has collaborated in sevensuccessful group exhibitionsand contributed work to nu-merous collective exhibitions inMalta, Gozo and Scotland. Sheheld two solo exhibitions inScotland on the theme ‘The Na-ture of Metal’ in collaborationwith the Royal Botanic GardenEdinburgh in 2012.

Jackie also teaches artisticmetalwork to adults; under-takes commissions and showsher work at selected outlets inMalta and Gozo. She wasawarded a prize by the MaltaCrafts Council for innovationand creativity and is a foundermember of the group MAKERSMARK – contemporary craft ofMalta and Gozo.

Charlotte Lombard of Lazuli

Metal work by Rony Jacques

ContactCHARLOTTE LOMBARD

Lazuli Art Gallery Owner & Curator

Lazuli Art83 Palm Street, Victoria VCT1100, Gozo, Malta

Telephone+356 27 43 64 43 / 99 43 64 43

E-mailinfo@lazuli.com.mt

lazuliart

www.lazuliart.com