‘Delighted to be back’ – artist Marie Louise Kold in Malta for exhibition launch

The final touches are being put in place for the opening of the exhibition on Friday by Danish artist Marie Louise Kold and her stunning collection of 22 metal artworks, titled Words, that will be showcased at Studio 87 in Valletta.

In a video clip filmed on her arrival in Malta (below), at the studio where the exhibition will be held, Kold said, “I’m delighted to be back in Malta. We’ve just hung the exhibition…Really looking forward to seeing you on Friday at 7pm”.

Kold organised the exhibition to support Maltese people fighting for justice and democracy. She has donated all proceeds from sales to support investigative journalism by The Shift.

A total of 22 pieces have been hung and set on display at the beautiful Studio 87 art gallery in Valletta — 19 of these will be sold, and three new pieces created for this event will be placed under a silent auction. Some of the pieces on display have already been sold by advance order made through the online catalogue.

The silent auction will continue until end of the exhibition on 22 November. Under this system, interested parties submit a bid for a particular artwork on paper, instead of in person to an auctioneer. When the cut off date has been reached, the highest bid is declared the winner, and the bidder buys the artwork for the offered price.

Three pieces – Truth Will Out, Blossoming Words and Words Unfurling – were created for this exhibition. Each has been magically transformed by Kold from a bulky sheet of heavy metal into a delicate piece of art, covered in beautiful shades and shimmering colours.

Truth Will Out looks like a metal box bursting at the seams with letters that were used in old signs, and that threaten to spill out like truth escaping into the world.

Blossoming Words reflects Kold’s belief that new life springs from old words. This is captured by delicate copper flowers rising from etched text that seems to have become almost illegible over time.

The third piece, Words Unfurling, is a set of three scrolls seemingly held together with a thin strand of wire that is much stronger than it looks. “I like the feeling of having words protected but then unrolled, unfurled to reveal the truth,” Kold said.

This is not the first time Kold has held an exhibition in Malta, and two years ago she created a portrait of Daphne Caruana Galizia that now hangs in the press room at the European Commission in Strasbourg which was named after her. The portrait was created from a sheet of copper, marking out the image in the metal with acid before dying it in printers’ ink.

Kold has always been outspoken about the appalling way journalists and their families are treated in Malta. This led her to support The Shift with her art. “I think their work is amazing,” she said, “and they have the stamina and integrity to keep on going – no matter what.”

Join us at the launch of the exhibition on Friday, 15 November, at 7pm at Studio 87, Ta’ Liesse Hill, Valletta.  Contact jbdemajo@gmail.com to purchase one of the works or to place a bid on one of the three pieces on auction.