Antonella Grima

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Artissa August 10 2005

Beyond the Fringe - An Exhibition at Heritage Malta  

Written by E.V. Borg

Shades of soft delicate blues, dark obscure blacks and shining luminous whites dominate the cosmic explosions in inter-stellar space created by Antonella Grima (b. 1982) in a related series of ink and washes or possibilities on a theme – a small collection: ‘Beyond’ was inaugurated at Heritage Malta, in Merchants Street, Valletta on Saturday August 6, 2005 at 7.00 p.m. The exhibition opened to the public on Monday August 8 and will close on Saturday September 10.

At the age of 23 Antonella is facing the public for the first time in a personal exhibition that demonstrates ample artist talent and verve even though she hesitates with temerity to expose herself to public scrutiny. She is self-taught and describes her work as ‘outsider art’.

At least ten works in her collection of 25 are lyrical enough to invite a thorough evaluation and positive criticism. Our boundless universe, stellar space, exploding nebulae, planets, stars, suns, moons and shooting stars undoubtedly inspire our young artist. The works fall into two categories: namely those that document what she sees in an illustrative and prosaic fashion and those so lyrical when she feels so free as to interpret with unbridled fantasy and imagination her emotional reactions and sensations inspired by what she sees. When her fantasy catches fire she abandons herself to a spontaneous freedom quite surprising in one so young and without losing the discipline she adopts in her technique.

‘The Horse’s Head’ or simply ‘021’ is a case in point. It is a strong contrast of black and white, of dark and light as her works show that her actual strength lie in graphic art. Antonella uses wax on paper as a stencil to achieve brilliant whites as an etcher would ‘stop in’ or stop out’ ink on his plate with varnish according to necessity. Yet her technique is not that cold or academic as to infringe on the free application of washes and inks.

The cosmic explosion in ‘004’, that rents the skies and opens the heavens so that it partly collapses on itself in a rare and sensitive attempt at simulating infinite distances is commendable. It is as if one could journey through a black hole in space. Most of the works refer to a star- studded and spangled dark moonless night. The sky like a vast sieve seems pierced by miniscule pin-size dots simulating particular corners of the Milky Way as aptly obtained in ‘007’ and ‘017’. In one instance Antonella paints a wonderful dazzling sun in the shape of a diamond ring. In ‘016’ the work bursts with the strength of intermittent cosmic explosions like a fireworks display while ‘005’ is gaseous and dark. ‘016’ is a touchingly beautiful rendition in delicate shades of blue.

Antonella tries to reach the heavens with her mind’s eye, sensitive hands and dexterous brush in her collection ‘Beyond’. She is struck with awe by the mysterious universe, at infinite space and tentatively searches for answers to complex questions though knowing that there can hardly be any reassuring solutions or enlightening explanations. Man’s continuous exploration and questioning search for ‘truth’ is perhaps his endless state of becoming – an infinite quest, a ceaseless change or flux. The answer is the wonderful adventure that is life itself - thus the lyrical poetry of such intense proportions and debilitating intensity. Confronted by the mystery, myth and magic in life man wallows in inebriated helplessness. This is the simple palliative. Man does not need drugs. According to Bro. Emanuel ‘land-lubbers’ do not recognise the healing powers in a sunrise or sunset whose solemnity is more than enough to heal all wounds. The answer lies in poetry and music.

Antonella with only four years of exposure in collective exhibitions mostly organised by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in a ‘Macerata Twinning’ event (Aug 2004), at the Trade Fair Naxxar (Nov/Dec 2002; July 2003 and Nov/Dec 2003) and at St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity (Dec 2002) is looking forward to break into colour. Therefore ‘beyond’ might not only mean the subject as distinct from its creator, the artist but her future, her destination. Antonella Grima has just qualified in medicine. Her current exhibition is quite meaningful. The exploratory adventure continues.

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