City Steps is George Apap’s third solo exhibition. The first time he exhibited was in October 2002. The venue was the main hall at St James Cavalier in Valletta, and the paintings mainly depicted landscapes with rocks. “Rocks are everywhere but few people notice them. Maybe that is why I picked them as my main theme,” George says.

The second show was held at the exhibition hall at the Gozo Ministry. This happened in March 2005 and, up to a certain point, the second exhibition was a follow up to the first one but this time the landscapes were mostly from Gozo. “Gozo,” the artist writes, “is where I come from; Gozo is my blood. I walked a lot and found many quiet corners in this small island – rubble walls and carob trees and walls once more featured prominently.”

George Apap’s present exhibition is completely different. This time he walked up and down the narrow and colourful streets of Valletta. He writes: “Early Sunday morning I would take the bus to the city, and long before it gets noisy with shopping crowds, I would be there sketching and taking photos. And what a lovely experience this has been. So much to see, so many things go unnoticed. But when one looks and looks again, lots of details come to the surface: a flight of old steps, wrought iron railings, crumbling walls chiselled by time, and narrow doorways. Valletta is full of contrasts.”

City Steps is a collection of different angles, some of them are landmarks in the city, most of them unsung little corners that luckily caught the artist’s imagination. The exhibition is on at the Auberge d’Italie in Valletta from 3 to 30 March.

George Apap’s studio is at 54 Salvu Dimech Street, Mosta MST 04. Telephone: 2141-7410 or 7990-0230,

e-mail: [email protected], website: www.georgeapap.com.