This week I attended the opening of Anna Nightingale's exhibition My Journey to SelfLove at the Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julians. I have known Anna for a very long time and have followed her art with great affection. I like her work very much had bought a couple of pieces in the past, as well as two prints which I gave to my daughters, who admired them. When I was editor of First magazine, The Malta Independent's monthly, she appeared in the series My Favourite Room in their home of character in Gozo as well as several times when she was organizing one of her exhibitions. She is to be admired for her talent, as is her mother Sue, also an artist.
Introducing the speakers was a Welsh woman trained as a soprano. Her name? LLinos Ogwen Westgarth‑Pratt - not the easiest to remember, one has to admit. She introduced each speaker in a clear, resonant voice that carried right to the end of the hall. We enjoyed her sense of humour.
Representing the Founder and Chairperson of the Malta Trust Foundation and President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Maryanne Massa spoke about the Trust and its work, and thanked Anna, who is donating 30% of every painting sold to the Foundation, as well as volunteering and delivering six art classes to the Foundation's children - which in turn will empower young people.
Next to speak was H.E. Victoria Busby OBE, British High Commissioner to Malta, who delivered a beautifully measured speech that set the tone for the exhibition.
She spoke about the pleasure of supporting Anna, a British artist originally from Cheshire, and how much she was looking forward to seeing this new body of work. Her Excellency reflected on Anna's remarkable personal journey - from overcoming serious illness to rediscovering inner peace - and praised her courage in sharing such a raw and emotional story through her art. She described how art can speak to the quiet places within us, the places words sometimes cannot reach, and how Anna's paintings invite viewers into that space of reflection. Beyond the noise of the world, she said, Anna's work points to a deeper awareness, a quiet energy that reminds us who we are at our most authentic.
Her Excellency highlighted how the paintings celebrate the inner spark: the courage to trust one's own path, to move through difficult moments with hope, and to rediscover the beauty in life's simplest joys - laughter, connection and love. She also spoke about the UK's belief in the power of art to connect people across cultures and borders, and how exhibitions like this remind us of the resilience and humanity that creativity can express. She closed her short but significant speech by thanking Anna for reminding us that each of us carries our own kind of light, and that even in uncertain times we have the capacity to rise, grow and believe in ourselves.
I was glad to meet her later on. A pretty and slim blonde, she is clever and has depth. Friendly and warm, she mingled with the guests with dignity. I immediately liked her. Britain is well represented.
Dr Owen Bonnici, Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government - not an easy portfolio - said a few but meaningful words: "It's amazing that Anna chose to share the intimate moments of her journey towards recovery through art. It's an extraordinary way to be a positive force for others, to give a glimmer of hope even in the darkest of times through creativity." Dr Bonnici - who is the same age as my 1980 baby - took a great interest in the exhibition, spoke to the artist and socialised, to the delight of Anna and the guests, who came to know him personally a little better. His work in the cultural and heritage scene is greatly appreciated. He later walked to the piano to listen carefully to Allessia Bonnici. Allessia is autistic and communicates through her music, her mother who was there, told me. Earlier we had already given Allessia a round of applause.
Thank goodness we have a Minister of Culture who is himself cultured and attends many cultural events. He doesn't just rush off but talks to people and is interested in what is happening.
The exhibition presents a vivid, emotionally charged collection of works created during Anna's recovery from cancer. The narrative between a man and a woman in the paintings reflects how meeting happiness in another person initially became a source of transformation for her. Anna explains that she eventually realised the light she saw in him was actually her own inner light reflected back, and that true togetherness cannot come from seeing only another's light while ignoring one's own. She writes that not loving herself had once pushed love away, and that the paintings are not meant to be merely beautiful objects but tools to help others recognise the abundant love that can be found within.
The acrylic works are striking at first glance, but on closer inspection each canvas reveals an unfolding emotional narrative rooted in her renewed relationship with herself. The colours and energy convey love, freedom, passion and warmth, all infused with a growing sense of higher consciousness.
Born in 1974, Anna graduated with a BA Hons in Fine Art Painting from Central St Martin's in London and has worked as a full‑time artist ever since. She has held nineteen solo exhibitions and thirty‑one collective shows worldwide. Her paintings hang in the British Embassy Malta, PWC Malta, Vodafone offices in Malta and Italy, and in private collections across England, Malta, America and Dubai. Two of her works are part of The Ivy's Caprice collection in London. She works primarily as an abstract expressionist and divides her time between London, Gozo and Luxembourg. The exhibition remains open at the Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julians. All the paintings are for sale. Private viewings can be arranged.
For further information:
Tel: 77140049
[email protected]
www.annanightingaleart.com
[email protected]