Between 6 and 20 November, the historic halls of the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat will host an important solo exhibition by Lino Schembri, who paints under the moniker of Paulino, titled Topographies of time: Between alpine peaks and Mediterranean light. The exhibition brings together two contrasting geographic realities, the towering, crisp alpine landscapes of Bernese Switzerland and the glowing, explosive warmth of a Maltese summer, capturing distinct locations frozen within singular moments in time.
A dual existence: Spatial contrast and temporal stillness
Living and working between the quiet mountain villages of Switzerland and the sun-soaked archipelago of Malta, Paulino occupies a unique dual reality. His artistic practice acts as a sensory and psychological bridge between these worlds, mapping out not only the physical geography of space, but the internal landscapes of the human psyche.
From a Jungian perspective, the human psyche thrives on the interplay of opposites, light and shadow, order and chaos, solitude and passion. Carl Jung famously noted that "there is no light without shadow and no psychic wholeness without imperfection". In Schembri's oeuvre, Switzerland and Malta operate as these psychological archetypes. The Swiss Alps represent the introverted sphere: cool, contained, contemplative, and silent. Malta, by contrast, represents the extroverted unconscious: fiery, instinctual, radiant, and intensely emotional.
Rather than offering literal photographic views, Schembri captures the feel of an environment at a precise temporal juncture, the biting chill of dusk over an alpine peak, the suffocating heat of an August noon in the Mediterranean, or the sudden awakening of flora in spring. His canvases become the locus where these opposing forces meet and reconcile. In paintings such as Niesen and The Gorge, Schembri portrays the imposing majesty of the Bernese Alps. In his painting Niesen, standing as a stark monument to northern grandeur, Niesen captures the iconic Swiss peak in a state of solemn, twilight isolation. Painted with textured layers of slate-grey and stark white against a dramatic, flat violet sky, the mountain appears timeless yet vulnerable. The jagged work mimics the cold, crumbling granite facades of the Bernese Oberland. It reflects a moment frozen in absolute alpine silence, where time seems to stop under the weight of rock and frost.
In contrast to Niesen, The Gorge appears static which captures the volatile element of mountain movement. Using a monochrome palette infused with subtle undertones of icy blue and earth pigments, Schembri renders the raw force of water and wind rushing through a narrow mountain chasm. The vigorous, diagonal application of paint creates a sense of vertigo, locking the viewer into that instantaneous split-second when nature reveals its unyielding power.
In this exhibition, Schembri's works reflect his Maltese roots which radiate intense thermal energy and vibrant colour. Summer Chaos captures the fierce heat of a Mediterranean afternoon, surging with fiery oranges, deep reds, and dynamic cobalt blues. It is an explosive celebration of heat, light, and colour. Typical of the artist's brushwork, Spring Burst, is executed with swirling circular warm yellow and crimson colours which conveys the sudden, explosive energy of Mediterranean nature emerging into life. The fluid, organic movement within the composition mirrors the kinetic energy of nature breaking free, offering a warm, uplifting counterpoint to the quiet isolation of his mountain scenes.
The Dawning serves as the conceptual bridge of the entire collection, visually unifies these dual worlds through a dramatic central divide: on one side, deep oceanic blues represent cool shadow; on the other, fiery terra-cotta hues evoke the morning sun breaking across the horizon.
Science meets art: Analytical precision in expression
Paulino's journey to abstract and landscape painting is far from conventional. Holding a Doctorate from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), he spent much of his professional life as a respected expert in food safety. Far from being separate from his creative life, his scientific background directly informs his artistic process.
Food safety relies on meticulous observation, structure, temperature control, and the transformation of raw elements, qualities that carry over into his studio work. Where science measures physical properties, Schembri's paintings translate environmental phenomena, such as light intensity, elevation, and heat into visual form. His methodical approach to texture, layer building, and colour theory reflects the disciplined eye of a researcher observing nature's balance.
An invitation to walk between two worlds
Exhibiting at the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat provides a deeply symbolic setting for these works. Surrounded by centuries of stone architecture and historic artifacts, Schembri's modern, highly tactile canvases engage in a dialogue with history, space, and time. The quiet gallery spaces allow visitors to step into two distinct geographies at once, experiencing how environment and moment forge our sense of identity and place.
Topographies of time runs from 6 to 20 November at the Wignacourt Museum, Rabat. Admission details and opening hours are available directly through the venue.