Saturday Times 27/11/07/ Independent /Sunday Times 11/11/07
Welcome
to 
AUTUMN ENCOUNTER
REINCARNATION of WASTE & NEW METAL WORKexhibition
preview page
ART BOX Gallery St. Joseph Square Qala Gozo from 13th October until 11th Nov (Tue-Sat:11am-3pm and 6pm-9pm Sun 9am-12am)
My work in the exhibition is very new for me as I have experimented with producing 'pictures' in metal for the first time using the colouring and forming techniques perfected over the last few years making very realistic marine life in the form of wall-mounted, two-dimensional sculptures in copper, brass and mild steel. What links Hermine's and my work in this exhibition is our attraction to 'applied art': mixing different media and applying craft skills to contemporary artworks. Hermine applies her ceramic, woodwork and jeweller's skills; combining
them with
her painting techniques to create unusual, meaningful work which
demonstrates how we can 'reincarnate' our household waste into art.
It is only after looking at some of her pieces for a while that one
realises what she has 'reincarnated' - pallet wood, the lids from tin
cans, plastic water bottles... I use artistic metalwork skills to
create beautiful images out of discarded junk; some of which has
previously had a useful life and was crying out to be artistically
reclaimed - an old lock; pallet wood charred in a Gozo field fire, the
back off an old washing machine. I have always recycled my own scrap
off-cuts, left over when I cut pieces out from copper and mild steel but
this exhibition encouraged me to go a step further.
In this exhibition I have used found and reclaimed 'rusty' metal, things that I have encountered and collected while out walking my dog; mixing this with new copper and mild steel sheet to produce more experimental and abstract work than I have ever attempted before. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, especially in the northern European climate of Yorkshire, where I was born and brought up, and of Scotland where I lived for many years before moving to Gozo. So leaf forms feature in many of my pieces in this exhibition, in autumnal colours; incorporated into pictures, as sculptures and as jewellery - pendants, brooches and hair ornaments.
This exhibition has
been a very inspiring and fun collaboration for us.
Although this is the
second in a series of exhibitions by Gozo-based artists under the same
title; it is the first time Hermi and I have exhibited exclusively together and hopefully it won't be the
last.
Our work just seems to 'fit' together and offers anyone
visiting the exhibition a real contrast in terms of media - from metal
to paint; ceramic to wood; from jewellery to sculpture to painting.
However the environmental theme runs through the whole exhibition.
There are also elements in some of the work which are very personal and even could be interpreted as 'art of
woman'.
We invite people to come and enjoy an autumn encounter - Herbsttreffen,
with us.
Hermine
A. Sammut's words to this exhibition:
In this exhibition I incorporated
household waste in my work, using the waste product’s colour, media or previous use to
symbolize a
meaning and my thoughts. I love experimenting with new media, getting to know properties and characteristics
and hope to set with
Jackie's and my work an example of “reincarnation of waste”.
Today’s world needs to find new use and value for our creation of waste!
campaign and raise some money for some trees in Gozo.
