This is the first time I've accepted to launch an art exhibition - and I'll tell you why. Because five women are behind this collective: This Is Us.

For centuries, women artists were overlooked. Not only that - they were often misattributed, their work credited to male contemporaries, and their names forgotten until long after their passing.

Take Judith Leyster (1609-1660), a Dutch Golden Age painter whose works were mistakenly attributed to Frans Hals for generations. Her authorship was only rediscovered in the 19th century, long after her death.

Many women had to abandon their artistic careers upon marriage. Others, like Fede Galizia (c. 1574-c. 1630), an Italian pioneer of still-life painting, created meticulous, groundbreaking compositions - yet she too was overshadowed and largely forgotten.

Some of these women were reinstated much later, often by other women artists - but only posthumously.

So yes, I found it deeply meaningful that five female artists came together to organise a collective exhibition of their paintings. There was no rivalry -only collaboration, a gathering of souls, a celebration of friendship. Women are now taking their destiny into their own hands. Hallelujah!

Three roomfuls of vibrant, varied paintings await your visit at Razzett tal-Markiz Mallia Tabone in Mosta. The exhibiting artists are: Adele Borg, Marika Borg, Tessie Borg, Maria Briffa Bell, and Madeleine Vella Satariano.

This is your last chance to experience it. The exhibition closes tonight.
Opening hours: 10am-12pm and 6pm-8pm.