Between today and 11 October, Palazzo de la Salle at 291 Republic Street Valletta will be hosting the second edition of the Arts Directory Malta Collective Exhibition. The person coordinating this initiative is Robert Cefai, who during the last 30 months has endeavoured to establish this directory, so that today, the Maltese public has easy and direct access to more than 200 artists and performers.
The 25 artists participating in this exhibition, 10 of whom are women, are Marisa Attard, Paulene Attard, Kevin Attard, Carmel Bonello, Fabio Borg, Sylvie Burat Tcheng, Jeni Caruana, Josephine Cachia, Rupert Cefai, Gabriella De Gaetano, George Farrugia, Cedric Galea Pirotta, Eman Grima, Matthew Kassar, Jennifer Lonfat, Talia Maggi, Pauleen Micallef, Christine Muscat Azzopardi, Richard Saliba, Stephen Saliba, Joe Scerri, Joe P Smith, Joseph Spiteri Staines, Charmaine Zammit u Chris Zarb
But how did the idea of an arts directory come about? For over 25 years, Mr Cefai was a senior officer at what was then known as the Department of Culture. During that period he worked hand in hand with Maltese artists, but always felt the need for a comprehensive directory of Maltese artists and performers. New technology provided the solution.
When he retired from the civil service, he embarked on this project for the benefit of the various genres of Maltese art. Today anyone in Malta, or abroad, can access www.arts-dm.com and browse, not only the works of visual artists, but also make contact with other performers, like well-known singers, magicians and models, as well as composers and technical personnel.
Over 25 visual artists are participating in the second edition of the “Arts Directory Malta Collective Exhibition”. The idea is that we organise events for our members. Last year, we decided to start organising specific events in which our members could participate and come into more direct contact with the public. Following last year’s success, it was decided to hold the second edition of this collective.
Asked about the objectives that this collective is trying to achieve, Mr Cefai said that one of the objectives of our Arts Directory Malta mission statement is that all Maltese will have at least one piece of original Maltese art at home. Across the strata of society, it has been proved time and time again that the Maltese love and appreciate art.
“It is time now for the Maltese to start thinking about acquiring at least one original piece by a Maltese artist.” Mr Cefai explained. “When one compares the prices of Maltese art, with what one has to pay to get an original work of art, even in places like Cyprus or Sicily, one immediately realises that one can get original Maltese art at a relatively low price. Soon, what is available today at these prices, will no longer be available in a few years’ time, as foreigners are increasingly discovering that here they can get good value for money, and the inevitable will happen. Prices will go up, and what is possible today may be difficult to achieve in two or three years’ time. So, it is a good investment for Maltese to acquire an original work of art by a Maltese artist.”
“On the other hand, today we have a good number of Maltese artists who are producing some very good works. Arts Directory Malta wants to make it very easy for Maltese people to become familiar with the latest works of art by these artists. While beforehand, one had to know the artists and then visit their studios to purchase a work of art, today, one can hit our website, visit as many artists as he or she wants, select a piece, and contact the artist from the comfort of one’s home or office. Easier than that, it simply can’t be,” explained Mr Cefai.