He was a teenager when he started helping out in his father's workshop. And he has not looked back since. Kevin Attard is an award-winning filigree maker, one of a small handful of such makers in Malta and one, who has over the years elevated filigree to a designer art form. Kevin shares some of the more salient moments of his career.
"My dad specialised in corrections - basically he mended broken gold items, jewellery, knick knacks, the lot. So that is the first thing I learnt. Then, a friend of his offered to teach me filigree making, and the rest is history. I have now been in this trade for 34 years." Which definitely makes him a master. But one only has to look closely at his work to come to this realisation. Over the years, since I first met him back in 2007, his skill has matured, his creations have become finer, more intricate, and increasingly three-dimensional.
When he embarked on his career, he was sorely conscious of the fact that filigree jewellery and trinkets only came in a few 'standard' designs, not more than 30. And for somebody who is artistically inclined, that was a shackle to be overcome. "AT that point in time, filigree was relegated to the souvenir industry. You could see these identical items presented in all the jewellery or souvenir shops. It was just more of the same - a shame in fact, because filigree is such a versatile technique that gives scope to exceptional creations, once it is well mastered. Then at one point, change started to happen. Myself and a few other filigree makers began to experiment, creating new designs and forms,.... we inspired each other to innovate. At that time, I had been specialising in the making of small gift trays, and I only worked on two variations. I plucked up my courage and launched a first collection of 20 new tray designs and was soon attracting the attention of local collectors and tourists in a big way."
Kevin Attard's first exhibition at age 20, was held in Gozo at the then Ministry for Culture, where he presented a collection of semi-abstract, semi-figurative and alternative miniature filigree scultures. Over the years he has since presented some 50 mini-shows, the smallest having been a one-item show of a filigree artefact.
We reminisced about "Filigree:Tradition & Innovation - An Exhibition of Handmade Maltese Filigree" which I had personally curated in 2009. I had invited him, along with filigree maker Charmaine Gerada, to showcase their very diverse work. Kevin had created filigree jewellery specifically designed for the show by 15 local and foreign artists. The exhibition held in Palazzo Castellania, Valletta, had greatly contributed to bringing public awareness to the versatility of filigree making.
"That exhibition was truly a turning point for me since it brought my versatility in filigree making to the fore and pushed my skills further. Today I create a new design and once it is refined to my satisfaction, I quickly move on to the next new challenge. My supreme test and trial remains the success of the sale." Indeed Kevin's work is widely sold in Malta, and has made its way to several foreign private collections, with the most avid collectors being the Japanese, so much so that he claims he feels more recognized as an artist in Japan, than he is here in Malta.
The period of lockdown of Covid-19 gave him time to reflect during what was a very difficult financial moment. "Things had stalled completely - I was not selling, not teaching. I came to the realisation that at this point in my career, I should focus uniquely on big projects, plus teaching. Teaching filigree making gives me great satisfaction." Kevin Attard explains that many people start to learn filigree making also thanks to varied government initiatives which give people opportunites to learn traditional crafts and skills. One can learn the simplest basics in half a day.Then of course one needs to put in hours of practise to achieve mastery, and for this he calculates two years of daily practice is required.
So what about his future projects? "I have three in the pipeline, actually all are ongoing projects and due to reach completion by end 2020. One is a personal project where I am working on a huge string of rosary beads - massive. Another project is a more intricate version of a successful 2013 project. Back then I had fashioned a skull head out of filigree, directly inspired by Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull of 2007. I proceeded to win the Gieh l-Artigjanat Malti with it. Now, seven years down the line, with more expertise and mastery under my belt, I am attempting to out-do myself by replicating it. More detailed and in a finer manner." A third project is a joint venture in which he is involving 11 other filigree makers in the creation of a one metre long galleon made entirely of filigree. The idea was born during long online meetings held during lockdown.
As I sift through his jewels and choose something to add to my collection, he chats and jokes, points out details in his work and asks questions. Unassuming and down to earth, he seems oblivious of how unique he is, both as a master filigree maker who remains ardently passionate about the 'hand-made' jewel, as well as one who is ready to share his knowledge with anybody who will spare the time of day.
Kevin Attard is one of the artisans currently being hosted by Is-Suq tal-Belt, where he is showcasing his filigree jewellery and artefacts every day, from 16:00 - 22:00 hrs, until 11 October 2020.