Art From Gozo - Christopher Saliba On A Journey Of Self Discovery

Paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installations and video art are all means, through which Christopher Saliba expresses his thoughts and emotions. Saliba tries to reveal the complex nature of the human being as well as the primordial links between mankind and the natural environment.

Being a native of Gozo – an island situated at the centre of Mediterranean sea – explains his interest in expressing symbolically the spatial and physical limitations that people living in confined spaces have to endure. Surpassing boundaries and looking beyond the horizon are common themes recurrent in his works.

Christopher Saliba lives and works in Nadur. You could travel to Gozo by helicopter but, more often than not, Malta`s sister island is reached by boat – a better way for the visitor to feel its mythical atmosphere. Once past the Blue Lagoon, you are in the waters of Calypso. Fertile valleys radiate from its capital in the centre, making Gozo look like a star set against a stunning blue background. Right in the centre is one of the most beautiful architectural complexes on the island. Behind the austere bastions, the Citadel hides a number of fine palaces and, at the very top, its beautiful cathedral.

Villages in Gozo reflect a way of life simultaneously rural and refined: superbly proportioned squares, carved balconies against golden facades. Above the rubble walls and the prickly pear hedges stand the green hills. Wherever you look, the sea is never more than a stone`s throw away. It is, in fact, Gozo`s amazing coastline that stimulates the imaginations so strongly: tiny creeks, beaches of red sand, turquoise bays, majestic rock formations stretches of limestone criss-crossed with tiny saltpans, high cliffs falling in a sheer drop into the clear waters. A timeless atmosphere.

Gozitan artist Christopher Saliba says art is a journey of self – discovery: interview.

Q: How best would you describe yourself and your art?
Christopher: As sensible person who gets very emotional at times when challenging or delicate situations arise. The expressionist nature of my paintings mirror my impulsive and reactive character. Novelty and innovation also play an important part in my life and this explains my quest for new stimuli in the artistic domain.

Q: Yours is a long list of exhibitions, which one you remember as milestone, or is of particular importance?
Christopher: The fact that I already organized ten solo exhibitions in spite of my relatively young age makes it hard for me to choose a specific event which could have been more instrumental than others in my artistic development. Each exhibition is a carrier of experiences and thoughts related to specific periods in time.

We are subject to change and so is our ideology and perception of the world around us.

However, I am tempted to say that "Of Time and Timelessness" and "Transcending the Ordinary" were two of my exhibitions which had a major say in my artistic orientation.

Q: When did your passion for artistic expression begun?
Christopher: At a fairly young age. I recall memories of myself scribbling on walls, on copybooks, on books and whatever came to hand. Fortunately, my impulses and expressive traits were nurtured and educated throughout the years thanks to the backing and support of my family and a small number of persons who believed in my potential. I specialized in art education at the University of Malta and subsequently got my degree in Art from the Accademia di Belle Arti, Pietro Vannucci in Perugia, Italy.

Q: Your artwork is diverse, paintings and drawing, sculptures, video installation and photographs. How they interrelate, complement the messages, which you are trying to convey through your art?
Christopher: We live in times in which everything is subject to continuous social, economic, scientific and technological changes. The world’s changing ecosystem, the search for alternative energy to fuel, and the drastic economic fluctuations are clear examples.

Flexibility has become an asset in a world ruled by uncertainty and instability. Inevitably, contemporary artists need to be versatile enough to give a clear picture of the world which is continuously changing.

Personally, I try to make use of as many media as possible to express visually my ideology and perception of the phenomena occurring around me.

Q: You seem to be never short of ideas, what or who inspires you, some of your favorite sayings…
Christopher: Ideas and inspirations for new projects are many. What matters mostly are the delivery of the concept behind the work/s, the ideal choice of media and the right setting for the display of the work/s.

My insights come from the environment around me. I live in Gozo, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. I might say that the spatial confinement imposed by the island and its rich and contrasting Mediterranean colors marked an influence on the work I have been producing..

Q: Gozo, a sister island of Malta, is a veritable nature reserve, "where above the rubble walls and the prickly pear hedges stand the green hills, and where at foot of the cliffs at Dwejra, the Azure window, like a monument to some giant rising from the waves..". What role, if any, plays Gozo in your art?
Christopher: Gozo is also the island of Ulysses and the nymph Calypso. The former was lured by this place "where time stood still". The island is small in size and it instills a sense of security in its inhabitants from the ‘calamities’ which surface beyond the horizons. However, the other side of the coin suggests worries about confinement and isolation from the rest of the world. Such worries produce physical and psychological limitations. These conditions of life have been at the centre of my art throughout the last five years. Having lived for four whole years in central Italy helped me to assimilate better the pros and cons of being an islander.

Most of my installations and etchings in particular were conceived with the intent of expressing these concerns.

Q: Your latest news is that your exhibition titled "Virtual Confinement" in Malta just closed doors. Tell us about it…
Christopher: "Virtual Confinement" is my latest project in collaboration with my brother Victor John. My challenge was to combine art with technology by presenting diverse forms of art. This trilogy was meant to provoke an awareness about the impact of technology on post-modern society. The protagonist of this video installation was a hand which appeared against a dark background. It has been devised digitally on purpose to personify the eminence and power that machines and computer software have achieved throughout the years.

It appeared realistic and had full control of its motion as it floated freely and menacingly within the borders of the screen. The white panel facing the video was clinical and devoid of emotions and created a visual contrast with the animate and convulsive nature of the video.

Q: This video installation aimed to explore the relations, between identity and technology. Can you elaborate? Is this a new departure
Christopher: "Virtual Confinement" reflects the yearning for better human values in a consumerist society that is always craving for technological advances. In highly technical world we are living in today, the inanimate things have become independent of their own creators. The more we toil, the more powerful becomes the alien world of technological aids we produce. The video installation provoked an awareness about the impact of computer and technological aids on modern society.

Though these are useful in defying cultural, social and ethnic barriers of communication, they also limit the individuals’ identities and their interpersonal relationships with other individuals. This has been my first video of this kind, based entirely on digital 3D animations. The idea of psychological confinement surfaced again in this work. This time the horizon as a spatial barrier was replaced by the virtual world of computers.

Maybe there will be an elaboration of this concept in my future plans.

Q: What role plays "installation art", can you elaborate?
Christopher: Installation art is a genre which started during the 1970s and is much in vogue as a contemporary form of art. An installation is a work of art which is meant to be placed specifically in a particular space, that is, in an open-air environment, a gallery, a cultural institution or an art museum. It may not necessarily be a permanent form of art and it may be constructed with degradable materials. It may be mounted in a particular space for only a short period of time.

For this reason, visual documentation of the work becomes important. That was the case of my exhibition entitled Transcending the Ordinary, in which I displayed photographic works which documented simple constructions in open-air spaces.

Q: In Malta, many important people view your art. What are the responses, what role plays art in public realm in Malta?
Christopher: Definitely the positive feedback from the general public is a boost to continue showing my work in cultural venues in Malta. Despite the general predilection for classical and traditional art I am glad that a substantial number of viewers accepted and recognised the validity of my less conventional forms of art.

Art in Malta is highly regarded as an important and valuable domain in Malta’s cultural heritage. Exhibitions and cultural events in Malta enjoy a discrete coverage from the media and public institutions are regularly used for exhibitions. The number of art practitioners who are regularly occupying these spaces is increasing considerably. However, I am afraid that very few individuals in Malta may be considered genuine artists.

In my opinion, a true artist needs to possess the creative skills, the maturity, the artistic knowledge about the history and current trends in art and a coherent and consistent ideology which recurs regularly in his/her work.

Q: How has success changed your life?
Christopher: Indeed. life has shaped my art and my art has fulfilled my life. I define success in life first and foremost as self-fulfillment. Knowing that my art reflects the true me is the most gratifying thing.

In other words, my art is a true image of my interior self. Financial success is important but does not really determine the validity of a good and authentic artist. I am sure that there are persons who really deserve attention but because they fear public attention and the scrutiny of the media, they choose to keep their work secretly reserved within the walls of their studio

Q: Can art change hearts, where politicians are failing, or effect change… in which direction?
Christopher: Art is pure form of expression; though it may not necessarily be functional it definitely affects the spiritual and interior life of individuals.

Art is related to politics whenever it is a carrier of a political message, a caricature or an idealistic portrayal of society.

True and genuine art is pure and incorruptible and devoid of commercial contamination. Definitely, art instills hope in a world in which politics and power relationships leave questions about justice and truths unresolved.

Q: You live in work in Nadur, in Gozo, "where town`s winding streets, and sounds seem to fade into an atmosphere becomes peaceful and serene". A glimpse into the setting?
Christopher: I live in the outskirts of the small and peaceful town of Nadur. My house overlooks the Mediterranean sea and it is just one kilometer away from the seashore. This setting creates the foundations for my work and defines my condition as an islander versus the rest of the world.

Q: You say art is a journey of self discovery. What is yours?
Christopher: Art is indeed a never-ending journey full of surprises. The imperative is to keep on working, day by day, no matter whether it is a series of sketches or the priming of a canvas . I always have an excuse to visit my studio.

Artistic maturity comes as a form of a discipline – regularity and consistency of work are the key to success. I try to be as genuine and passionate as I can in my artistic endeavors. I am aware of the fact that my artistic venture is a journey with no end – ‘going on’ is the operative word which best describes my modality of work

Christopher Saliba thank you!

REVIEWS:
Throughout these recent years, artist Christopher Saliba has built a reputation as one of the most authentic talents emerging from sister island of Malta. (E. Fiorentino, 2003)

Picturing Christopher Saliba

Christopher Saliba`a Home Page
Gozo Art