Skizzen aus dem Leben in den Kanälen/Schizzi di vita nei canali/Of Life Along Canals is the presentation of a series of etchings by Jesmond Vassallo, based on observations of contemporary Venice. It is the fourth solo exhibition by the Maltese History of Art graduate who has also recently completed four years of study in sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara, Italy. Vassallo was also recently on an internship period at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Gallery in Venice, where he presented some of his works to the gallery staff at a private exhibition entitled Intermittenze del Cuore.

The Venetian experience, which lasted from November 2005 through to February 2006, has inevitably left its mark upon Vassallo’s artistic development. He spent his months there constantly studying and sketching various Venetian haunts, the outcome of which was a remarkable number of daily live drawings. A selection of these make up the groundwork for the etchings being showcased in the coming exhibition. Vassallo draws his sources from his own in situ depictions of Venetian life and architecture. This practice attributes a certain depth, immediacy and fidelity to contemporary Venice. Venice, with all it entails, seems to act, paradoxically, as a living, timeless natura morta, whose ruins, canals, and old passageways, adorned tales and not-so-adorned present dwellers, never cease to exert a certain sense of fascination upon the observer.

For the past five months, Vassallo has been working incessantly with etching techniques in order to obtain those hues that best capture Venetian life in this series of monochrome prints. Such a disturbingly close glimpse into the Venetian-scape reveals Vassallo’s rigorous and decisive focus: that of faithfully recording and transmitting direct and authentic emotions evoked by the haunting terrible beauty that is Venice.

This exhibition is being held at the German-Maltese Circle exhibition rooms, Messina Palace, 141, St Christopher’s Street, Valletta, and runs throughout the month of November. The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9am till 12pm, and 4.30pm until 8:30pm. The exhibition is also open from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.