I like it when artists exhibit together. I’m not talking about big collaborative exhibitions with several artists but about pairing off and sharing a space. I have recently written about a female pair of artists and BEING US is a male version of the same concept. When you think about it, it seems like a practical thing to do. Space shared, workload shared, cost shared - sounds like a great idea, doesn't it?
BEING US - what does this title tell us? An artist ’s work is (almost) always about being himself. His works usually express his feelings, thoughts and ideas, his view of the world (around him) and his world view - or any combination of these. Now, in a collaboration all these elements suddenly double, which can of course be highly enriching but also problematic. World views can clash, ideas can and will differ. There is no guarantee that the end result will be a success.
So when I first saw BEING US advertised I was curious how this artistic merger would work. I wasn’t in town for the opening night so I went on a quiet Sunday morning to experience it without the disturbance of people having drinks and socialising. And I can say with conviction (and I have the photos to prove it) that the Justin/Mario symbiosis works beautifully. BEING US, is not Mario being Mario and Justin being Justin, it is Mario and Justin working together to create a synthesis, all cordial and harmonious. Conclusive evidence of this is the one piece they created together - just go to the top of this page and have a look at the photo or watch a time-lapse of the process here.
As the exhibition flyer states BEING US is a ‘visual conversation regarding the essence of life’. The life paths of the two artists seem to have dictated the facet of life that each one should express in his work.
I have written about Mario's work before, and if you have read the post you know that I love what he does and that I admire his highly skilled creative output. His work in this exhibition once more ticks all the boxes of good art. It is executed in his recognisable style, yet still manages to surprise with ingenuity. I love the geometrical shapes, the washes and dots of colour in just the right places and as always, his expert use of charcoal. Looking at his work is like tasting wine for me. I sometimes need others to point out what is there to recognise all the flavours. The ultrasound images are a case in point.
Mario’s work is about life and its very beginnings. It expresses the hope and joy we all experience at the birth of a new human being. But there is also a hint of uneasiness present in these works, a feeling of trepidation maybe, about what lies ahead.
What unavoidably lies ahead for all of us, is death - the subject Justin was dealing with in his part of the exhibition.
I was first introduced to Justin many years ago on the occasion of an open studio trail in his home town of Nadur in Gozo. He had just returned from his studies in Italy and he impressed me with how passionate he was about his work. Little has changed in that respect. His passion, if anything, is more pronounced than ever. I spent the best part of my visit to this exhibition talking to him about his work and printing techniques. I know him primarily as a skilled draughtsman and a master print maker. The work in this exhibition shows that he is also an accomplished painter.
His work is multilayered. There are wonderful drawings at the bottom of his paintings. His lines are delicate, his tones are mellow and yet, the power of expression in his pieces is immense. He depicts bodies and death in a way that takes away the ugliness of and possible anxiety about the subject. It's as if he is saying 'death is inevitable but it's not one-dimensional'. There is indeed perceptible decay, but there is also serenity and tranquility in his work. A kind of otherworldliness shines through that seems to say '..this is not the end'.
In the leaflet accompanying the exhibition the two artists pose these questions: “..is it important to live without thinking about death or is it important to think about death to feel alive?” My attempt at an answer might not satisfy a philosopher, but it could find agreement with some of you: I often think life is a bit like art. You should just allow yourself to experience it from beginning to end without worrying about what lies beyond. And you might find that that is enough.
The exhibition is on at art..e Gallery in Victoria, Gozo until the 8th June. So you are just in time to see it and maybe get yourself one of the few pieces that are still without a red dot.
In case you can't make it to the exhibition before it closes, you can contact Mario on Facebook here and here.
