There are some exhibitions that leave you wondering what on earth you can add to what has already been said. This was certainly my first reaction on seeing Outdoors, Debbie Bonello's latest exhibition at The Phoenicia Malta. Curated by Charlene Vella it remains open until the end of October. So many have already written about it. The critics have had their say, and the artist herself has explained her intentions with admirable clarity. So, I simply decided to spend some time looking.
And looking.
And then looking again.
What struck me most was how familiar these paintings felt and yet how difficult they were to pin down. Malta is one of the most painted places imaginable. We photograph every sunset, admire every dramatic cliff, and never tire of sharing images of our countryside. Yet Bonello somehow manages to make us see these landscapes afresh.
This is her fourth solo exhibition and brings together work painted entirely on location in Malta, Gozo and Sicily over the past two years. Rather than working from photographs or returning to the comfort of a studio, she takes her easel outdoors and paints directly in front of her subject. That may sound romantic, but it is clearly demanding. Light changes, shadows move, clouds gather and disappear, and the artist has little choice but to respond quickly.
Perhaps this explains the energy that runs through the exhibition. These are not carefully polished landscapes in which every stone and shrub has been painstakingly recorded. Instead, Bonello is chasing something more elusive. She seems interested in atmosphere, memory and sensation rather than precise description.
Looking at some of the paintings, I found myself trying to identify the exact location. Was that a particular stretch of coastline? Was that a familiar valley? A specific cliff face? Yet after a while I realised that it hardly mattered. The paintings are less about geography than about experience. They remind us of places we know rather than showing us places we can identify on a map.
That, I think, is one of the exhibition's strengths.
The works occupy a fascinating territory between representation and abstraction. Certain details emerge clearly enough to guide the viewer, but much is left open to interpretation. Shapes dissolve into brushstrokes, colours merge and separate, and landscapes seem to shimmer in the Mediterranean light. There is always enough information to anchor us, but never enough to imprison our imagination.
Weather plays a leading role too. We often speak about the glorious Mediterranean climate, but those of us who live here know that it has many moods. Summer heat can be relentless. The sirocco can transform the atmosphere in a matter of hours. Light that appears crystal clear in the morning may become hazy by afternoon. Bonello embraces these changes instead of resisting them. The paintings feel alive because they reflect the instability of nature itself.
I was also intrigued by the strong Sicilian presence in the exhibition. Bonello spends part of each summer there, and the Sicilian works sit comfortably beside those painted in Malta. Seeing them together serves as a reminder of how much the two islands share. The same intense sunlight, the same sea, and many of the same colours appear on both shores.
Visitors familiar with Bonello's previous exhibition, Crowded, may be surprised by one notable absence. The people have disappeared.
In her earlier work, human figures played an important role. Here the landscape takes centre stage. Yet human presence is never entirely absent. We see it in cultivated fields, in pathways, in distant structures and in the marks left upon the land. The result is a quieter exhibition, perhaps a more contemplative one, that allows viewers to enter the scene themselves.
As I walked through the exhibition, I found myself reflecting on how often we fail to notice the beauty that surrounds us. We hurry from one place to another, glancing at views that visitors travel thousands of miles to admire. We become accustomed to our own landscape and stop really seeing it.
Bonello encourages us to slow down.
She asks us to pay attention to light, texture, colour and atmosphere. More importantly, she reminds us that a landscape is never fixed. It changes from hour to hour and season to season. What appears familiar one day may look entirely different the next.
By the time I left Outdoors, I felt I had not simply viewed a collection of paintings. I had been invited to look again at places I thought I already knew.
And perhaps that is the greatest compliment one can pay an artist.
In a world overflowing with images, Debbie Bonello succeeds in making us pause, look carefully and rediscover the landscape around us. That is no small achievement.
The evening also introduced me to Lilly, originally from Shanghai but now very much at home in Malta. A keen photographer and lover of the outdoors, she spent the evening capturing moments from the exhibition with a discerning eye and generous spirit. Many thanks, Lilly, for the photographs, the conversation and the kindness that made a memorable evening even more memorable.
WHAT'S NEXT
Next Tuesday on 20th October there will be another lunchtime concert at Our Lady of Victory, Valletta at 12.30pm. This recital brings together two accomplished Maltese artists, distinguished soprano Dame Marita Bezzina and versatile pianist Ramona Zammit Formosa, for a programme inspired by one of the most enduring and beloved prayers in sacred music, the Ave Maria. Acclaimed Ave Marias will be performed from the pens of Verdi, Schubert, Gomez and also Maltese composers.
On Friday 23rd October, in the Sip and Listen series at the Old Apse in St Augustine's Priory in Old Bakery Street, Valletta.
Passione Italiana - An evening of opera arias & Neapolitan songs.
Maltese popular tenor Alan Sciberras presents the elegance and drama of Italian opera together with the warmth, passion and tradition of Neapolitan song. He will be accompanied by international pianist Sofia Narmania who will perform piano interludes as guests can sip and enjoy their prosecco. You can purchase your tickets with an online system: https://mypos.com/@Barocco.eu
Or at the door.