James Vella Clark's abstract landscapes at Lazuli Art Gallery in Gozo
Fifteen paintings by expressionist painter James Vella Clark will be exhibited at Lazuli Art Gallery in Victoria Gozo next month. The exhibition themed Divergence, will be opened on Friday, 3 March and will remain open to the public until 25 March.
This is James Vella Clark's first exhibition since his last solo show in 2012. It is also his second exhibition in Gozo since 2009.
Through this collection of works, the artist is showing how his landscapes are constantly assuming a more abstract dimension. The earliest piece in this collection is from 2008 and features Xwejni Bay in Gozo with the latest works completed over these past weeks.
"I chose the theme Divergence because of the way I am consciously moving away from my earlier style and way of interpreting the landscape, to a more minimalist expression. I look at my artistic career as a constant journey of discovery and personal evolution. However, my roots remain firmly set in the Mediterranean colours, the symbolic cypress and palm trees, the village skylines and the perennial church domes dominating the landscape," says the artist.
Charlotte Lombard, owner and curator of Lazuli Art Gallery said: "James is one of the first artists I discovered when I moved to Malta years ago. The quality of his work struck me immediately. His very personal and contemporary approach to capturing the local landscape, his palette of vibrant contrasts and light, and his interpretation of detail, resonate with me and my perception of the Mediterranean architecture and environment. I value the fact that his art is permanently in movement, searching, exploring and evolving towards the abstract. And I am delighted that he has accepted my invitation to be the first Maltese artist to show his work at Lazuli Art gallery."
Lazuli Art is a new art gallery in the heart of Victoria, Gozo, located on Palm Street, just a short stroll from St George Square. The gallery opened last year and showcases distinctive and original metal work from four different countries. The ethos of Lazuli Art is the commitment to Fair Trade and the celebration of cultural diversity and integration. With each new season Lazuli Art introduces a new medium and present Fair Trade art work by artists making waves in their profession. Once a year, it also plans to showcase the work of a Maltese artist.
About James Vella Clark
Born in 1975, James Vella Clark is one of Malta's main expressionist interpreters of the Maltese urban and rural landscape. Since his first public exhibition in 2001, his works have been gradually gaining a more abstract dimension. These eventually became part of a natural process that led to his current abstract work.
Today, the artist's main idiom is abstraction which lends mostly to the abstract expressionist movement of the 1950s and 1960s. If we could speak of a movement or school of expressionism in Malta, James Vella Clark would definitely belong to it.
Besides a number of solo exhibitions in Malta, James Vella Clark has held personal exhibitions in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New York. Over the years he was also invited to participate in collective exhibitions in Barcelona, Florence, Brussels, Duisburg, Vienna and London.
James Vella Clark lives and works from his studio in Valletta.
List of exhibitions and participations
2017 - Personal Exhibition Divergence, Lazuli Art Gallery, Victoria Gozo.
2017 - Collective Exhibition In the Light of Malta, EU Parliament, Brussels.
2016 - Collective Exhibition in aid of Caritas, Archbishop's Curia, Floriana
2016 - Collective Exhibition in aid of Pink October, Castille, Valletta
2015 - Collective Exhibition in aid of MCCF, Verdala Palace, Dingli
2015 - One of his landscapes presented to Pope Francis
2015 - Commission of works for lobby at new Salini Hotel in Salina
2015 - Collective Exhibition, St Tropez, France
2014 - Collective Exhibition The Point - Valletta, Chophouse, Tigne' Point
2014 - Collective Exhibition The Selfie, Studio 104, Valletta
2014 - His painting Marsamxett featured on a limited edition set of Perugina chocolates
2013 - Commission for two works for Marsovin's 1919 wines.
2012 - Personal Exhibition Dead Palm Tree, Lily Agius Gallery, Sliema
2011 - Collective Exhibition organised by MTA, Harrod's, London, UK
2011 - Collective Exhibition, Ħal Xluq Chapel, Siggiewi
2011 - European Parliament in Brussels acquires one of his works for permanent exposition
2011 - Personal exhibition Recent Landscapes at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Valletta
2010 - Commission of works for lobby at The George Hotel in Paceville
2009 - Personal exhibition ThroughBlue at Gallery Art'E, Victoria, Gozo
2008 - Personal exhibition Heartland at United Nations HQ, New York
2008 - Fimbank commission of works for new Head Offices
2007 - Personal Exhibition Two Harbours, St James Cavalier, Valletta
2007 - Personal Exhibition Recent Drawings & Studies, B'Art Gallery, Sliema
2006 - Collective Exhibition 4 Visions, Del Borgo, Vittoriosa
2006 - Personal Exhibition 4 Days in Fawwara, Space Gallery, St Julian's
2005 - Personal Exhibition, 'Blu Mediterraneo', Melbourne, Australia
2005 - Personal Exhibition, 'Cityscapes', Kampen, Netherlands
2005 - Collective Exhibition 'Wine & the Vineyards', Gallery G, Lija
2005 - Personal Exhibition 'Impressions', Berlin, Germany
2004 - Personal Exhibition 'Previews', Gallery G, Lija
2004 - Collective Exhibition 'The New Ten', Duisburg, Vienna, Mannheim
2004 - Collective Exhibition 'OperaArt', Teatru Manoel Courtyard, Valletta
2004 - Collective Exhibition, EU Parliament, Brussels
2004 - Personal Exhibition 'Open Sky', VeeGeeBee Art Gallery, Valletta
2003 - Collective Exhibition 'Biennale of Contemporary Art' Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy
2003 - Collective Exhibition by Grupo Batik, Barcelona, Spain
2003 - Personal Exhibition 'Passion in the Village', St James Cavalier, Valletta
2001 - Personal Exhibition 'Beyond Perspectives', Teatru Manoel Courtyard, Valletta