Mario Abela is one of those artists whose art is continuously evolving. The glimpses we caught of his new work on social media during the preparation for the exhibition Leave at Dawn - Return by Dusk seemed to be indicating a new path. Previously he had been producing collages and his preferred media was charcoal. But what we saw here were mostly oils on canvas. Where did this change in direction come from?
An artist’s output is almost always linked to or influenced by events happening in their life. In Mario’s case the inspiration behind his latest exhibition was the death of his father. The works are an attempt to capture his own memories, but also to seize his father’s memories and give them representation.
Central to the exhibition is a Vespa which used to belong to Mario’s father. It was with this Vespa that he would leave early in the morning and return late in the afternoon, spending the day out near the sea or in his fields. A video installation lets us retrace this daily journey through the Gozo countryside, taking in the vibrant colours of the fields, the limestone, the sky and the sea. And soon it becomes apparent that the canvases on the walls aren’t inspired by death, but by life. They celebrate the life of a man who was happy with his environment; they make us think about how he passed his day appreciating the simple pleasures in life; and they speak to us of his enjoyment of the natural beauty that surrounded him.
For Mario to express his father’s love of nature, he had to abandon his monochromatic charcoals and pencils. Well, not entirely. He produced one series of three simple but delicate Renaissance- style pencil drawings of grasses and leaves for this exhibition. Interestingly, they are drawn on round cardboard and mounted against the background of a sheet of paper with abstract graphite markings, thus bringing them into the realm of contemporary art.
For the rest of this body of works Mario used oils of a palette which echoes the island’s colours. Working on prepared canvases of various sizes he achieves wonderful textures and varying tones by scraping over thickly applied layers of colour or applying a few dark traces onto a pale background with light brushstrokes. In some panels we detect remnants of a pencil sketch just below a thin layer of oil paint. I see these markings as both a testimony to Mario’s love for drawing but also as an indication of the detailed process the artist goes through to compose his paintings.
In fact, his compositions are as always carefully thought through and beautifully balanced. My personal favourites of the exhibition are two panels called Fading Memory I and II. Despite their small dimensions they have a powerful presence. In the foreground the plants are mere hints of leaves and stems, evoking the austerity of Japonisme. The threatening blocks of deep blue that move down on them like storm clouds seem to try and obscure memory. Yet that same deep hue of blue also conjures up memories: of the sea we have seen and of emotions we have experienced.
In the notes accompanying the exhibition I was reading that Abela's works have their base in ‘constructed memory’, a memory that is not necessarily accurate. Indeed, we know that with time our memories fade and images blur. Yet, looking at the paintings I ask myself, is that really a concern as long as we have art? As what else is art but the visible, tangible memories of humanity?
The exhibition was held at Vini e Capricci by Abraham's in Gozo.
If you want to stay informed about future projects of Mario Abela follow him on Facebook or Instagram.
or contact him to view his work in his studio.
