There is a time for everything under the sun and when the time for a lockdown came along, artist Madeleine Gera captured the moment and did what she does best - paint. In this moment in time, a slice of a few months in an unforgettable year, she absorbed the sombre ambience of a city that was in partial limbo, choosing to showcase what was, in the hope of what can be, once again.
"I carried on working throughout lockdown, almost in denial. Eventually, accounts of the horrors of Covid-19 sunk in. This was not going away. By April/May I had resigned myself to the fact that life as we knew it, was suspended. Weeks of walking around the empty streets of Valletta looked like something out of a science fiction movie. But it was all real and happening. Being in lockdown because of the coronavirus was transformative, numbing, frightening, frustrating. It made me feel vulnerable and powerless."
She availed herself of the one "safe" liberty available - walking. "My husband and I would go for regular long walks throughout all of March and I did this quick sketch after a couple of weeks into lockdown - a painting of boats. Retainer Boats struck me as being solitary and tethered to a fixed location. It brought to my mind all those people who were obliged to stay indoors throughout this difficult time, yearning to break free and wander out to live life."
In one instant Gera depicts sparsely seated patrons in a coffee shop, otherwise known for its busy temperament. She proceeds with painting the Valletta market, again minus the hustle and the bustle typical of the place. Then she captures memories of events she would have wished to relive - nights at the theatre, with performers, dancers, music... but even here, her Dancer is standing still, as if waiting backstage, for the moment when she will be allowed to lunge onto a radiantly lit stage with a vigorous jeté.
The exhibition comes as a welcome return for this artist whose most recently shown collection was a solo show of drawings, also held in Valletta, early in 2020, before the pandemic struck. Apart from an undeniably refined and sedate palette of colours, she is also throwing herself into the novelty of interiors.
"My husband and I were planning to travel at the end of March but then borders were closed. This ignited a kind of homesickness in reverse, for so many cities we both love.
Naturally, my painting adapted. It became more introspective, looking inwards into my immediate surroundings. This brought forth paintings such as The Mannequin. The mannequin depicts a human figure/being, but obviously it isn't. Therefore, a presence is suggested while simultaneously hinting at absence. I suddenly became more aware of my immediate surroundings as a subject to paint. Some of the paintings on show depict spaces from our own home."
Her paintings tell of quietness as testified by the title - a twilight of hope and quiet introspection presented to the public on the cusp of a hopefully bright new year. The twilight is always that time when something is ending yet something is beginning afresh, whichever end of the day or night you catch it. As the artist herself explains: "The painting I selected to represent this exhibition is Twilight and to me it symbolises stepping into the unknown - the idea of life 'after the pandemic' and the insecurity of not knowing what lies ahead. The cat is an independent creature and a free spirit, also symbolizing our unwillingness to accept the shackles of reality. In a wider sense, this image is about the space between mortality and a spiritual state. I created this piece to soothe my own restless mind. And to remind myself that life is fluid and ever-changing and it is okay not to know what lies ahead. Art calms the heart, and creating gives joy."
The exhibition will run until 14 January. The opening hours are: Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm; Saturday 9am to 1.30pm.
'Twilight' - A solo exhibition of works by Madeleine Gera, curated by Marika Azzopardi, is being held at Palazzo de La Salle, 219 Republic Street, Valletta.