Pathos is the current personal exhibition with a series of new works by one of Malta's leading sculptors Chris Ebejer being held at Muza in Auberge d'Italie in Valletta. Ebejer is well known for his work on several public monuments in Malta, the latest unveiled is Metamorphosis in Dingli. During this exhibition he is presenting a new collection of works in terracotta, bronze, ceramics and marble. These works are mainly inspired by mythology, gods and the Mediterranean spirit.
The figurative sculptures, as well as the reliefs, are the result of long hours of profound thinking infused in his matured technique reflected in the modelling of these figures and their facial expressions. Through these works Ebejer's artistic career evolves into a new style which demonstrates a development in his thoughts expressed in the works of his previous exhibitions.
Prof. Paolo Giansiracusa from University of Catania, the curator of this exhibition said that Ebejer espouses the cause of post-modern sculpture that overcomes the nihilism of abstraction and conceptualism, goes beyond the void of that atheistic minimalism which, worried about seeing a feeling germinate, cuts the life out of every potential expression. Ebejer is convinced that Art is not the denial of life, the cancellation of values, the annihilation of expression, but is the journey of the soul along the paths of existence. For this reason the sacredness of his sculptures is made of humanity and respect, of harmony and beauty. Abandoned objects and finds also fascinate Ebejer, pushing him to conceive the return of the breath of life through artistic creation.
The dimension of the myth emerges promptly in the series of Telamons, (gigantic Atlases condemned to support immense weights). Ebejer, in particular for the Pathos exhibition, made the Telamon a key figure, an expressive motif that seems to want to overcome the ancient condemnation and which, as we will see, also becomes an allegory of social disengagement. In Ebejer's sculptures the Telamon is no longer the subject forced to perform a structural function, and therefore a responsible task; he appears as a liberated man, finally freed from all commitments, projected towards a new destiny. Freed Telamons by Ebejer are brought to life by a vibrant plasticity. No longer condemned to bear the burden of punishment, they lose their function as stone pillars in human forms and become new creatures, destined for a future of peace and serenity. Their bodies are no longer crushed by weights but have inside the energy and freshness of a sprout. They seem to bloom like lilies in the warm matter of fired clay. It is as if the bodies, with the warmth of the sun and the joy of rebirth, had freed themselves from a bond, ready to take flight to conquer the longed-for freedom. However, the sculptures also lend themselves to embody a typical attitude of contemporary society. The Telamon, bound by burdens and the function of responsibility, did not escape his primary commitment.
The exhibition is being held with the collaboration of Heritage Malta at Muza, Auberge d'Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta. It is open to the general public from today until 10 December - Monday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm. Entrance is free.
For more information about the artist visit http://www.chrisebejer.com