‘Art For Free Press’ exhibition success: Your last chance for one of the few remaining artworks

Update: Please note that some of the artworks listed here have been sold. Check our online showcase to see what’s available.

Over half of the artworks donated by 20 of Malta’s top artists to support The Shift’s Art For Free Press exhibition have found a home. Only eight artworks remain from a total of 23 in an event organised online for the first time.

The proceeds from the sales will go towards supporting our investigations into corruption as well as our advocacy work for press freedom.

The Shift is honoured by the support of prominent local artists Luciano Micallef, Madeleine Gera, Celia Borg Cardona, Debbie Caruana Dingli, Ray Piscopo, Michelle Gianlanze, Seb Tanti Burlo, Joseph Farrugia and Isabelle Warrington, among others. More artists joined the exhibition following the launch, including Bob Cardona and Victor Manduca.

Although our display at Studio 87 has come to an end, the remaining artworks can still be viewed by appointment. Please call 9932 4466 to schedule a visit as COVID-19 restrictions will apply. Purchases are only possible through Studio 87.

Please check out our online showcase.

THE REMAINING ARTWORKS

1. Anna Grima

Inland Sea – Unframed mixed media on canvas – 90 x 90cm

Price: €1200

Although considered a figurative artist, Anna Grima’s recent works include abstract paintings which depict spontaneous, simplified rhythmic shapes and saturated hues and colours. Other interdisciplinary art practices include illustration, creative writing and digital design. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally and hang in many private and public spaces including at the Summa Artis Permanent Collection in the Berlaymont Building, Brussels. Some of her illustrations have been published by Unicef, Holo Books -The Women’s History Press, Oxford, Sophia Centre Master Monographs, Groningen University, the University of Malta, Maltapost, and Cadogan.

2. Madeleine Gera

‘Here Comes The Band’ – Framed oil on canvas – 120 x 80cm

Price: €1200

Madeleine Gera is a figurative painter with a focus of interest in portraits. In 1990, she was awarded a long term scholarship to study art in Florence and returned to the city in 2002 till 2010, developing her skills as a portrait painter. For Madeleine, painting is about recording and depicting her subject in specific light conditions and interpreting the subtle inflections and changes that occur when painting from life. Madeleine has participated in collective exhibitions in various European cities and has had numerous solo exhibitions in Malta. In 2016, Madeleine participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale with Architecture Project’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

3. Joseph Farrugia

‘Transformation’ – Framed oil on canvas – 60 x 80cm

Price: €1200

Joseph Farrugia has pursued an active career as an economist, specialising in the field of industrial relations and social dialogue. He is a visual artist and has organised numerous personal exhibitions over a span of more than 30 years in venues such as the National Museum of Fine Arts, St. James Cavalier, and at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. He has taught art at post-secondary level and lectures in Visual Literacy for Marketers at the University of Malta.

4. Ray Piscopo

‘Charting The Course’ – Unframed acrylics on canvas – 90 x 70cm

Price: €800

Ray Piscopo is an engineer by profession. Throughout his career, Ray has worked with various media starting with oils, frescos and tempera then moving on to watercolour, acrylics and oils. In 2008, Ray won the 2nd prize in the 3’Premio Piero Della Francesca in Arezzo, Italy. Ray served as a member of the Healing Arts Committee which was entrusted with the embellishment of public spaces within Mater Dei Hospital. He has attended master classes in Salzburg, Austria with Hubert Scheibl and at the SommerAkademieVenedig, Italy, with the renowned Senegalese artist Amadou Sow. Ray is the Curator in Residence for The Phoenicia Hotel.

5. Michelle Gianlanze

‘Nothing Stays Still’ – Unframed oil on canvas – 40 x 50cm

Price: €350

Catherine Cavallo graduated from The City & Guilds London Art School with honours. She was awarded a fellowship by UNESCO to attend a course in textile conservation at Hampton Court Palace, London. In 1994, she held a solo exhibition in Via Banchi di Sopra in Siena, before moving back to Malta in 1995.

6. Isabel Warrington

‘Winter Walk’ – Framed watercolour – 30 x 22cm

Price: €350

Isabel Warrington is well-known for her caricatures which she paints in her studio and at events. Landscapes and cityscapes are what she enjoys doing when she paints for her own pleasure. Isabel is also an established actor with a diverse repertoire in comedy, musical theatre and drama. Theatre has been a strong influence in her life and her art and in recent years, she has applied her creative talents to costume design, mainly for the stage. Isabel attended the School of Art in the late 1980s, where she was tutored by Harry Alden. Six years later, she furthered her training in art and design in Scotland where she studied art for a year.

7. Bob Cardona

‘Headlight’  – Acrylic on deep edge canvas  – 70 x 50cm

Price: €325

Bob Cardona works predominantly with acrylics and his work explores landscapes, portraits, abstracts and still life. Following a long career in the United Kingdom, where he ran his own design agency for some 36 years, Bob returned to Gozo in 2016 and focused more on his art. Since then he has exhibited his work numerous times, including at the Citadel in 2018.

8. Victor Manduca

‘James, look at me when I speak and put that glass of wine down at once’ – Plate – 30cm wide

Price – €390

Victor Manduca’s art is primarily figurative and generally colourful with the occasional abstract, swiftly changing mediums, shapes and sizes.  His exhibitions are testimony to his array of art. Over the years, he has exhibited artworks made from clay, watercolours, pen and inks and oil works. His latest venture is painting artworks on plates. Victor has held numerous solo exhibitions around Malta; at Karmenu Mangion Gallery, St James Cavalier, Cavalieri Art Hotel and, last year, at Casino Notabile.