The Image of a Place

Victor Pasmore and Malta

I am the earth
on which I stand;
the spark which fires
its dust and sand.
I am the star
and I the sky
and I am the water
when I die.

Victor Pasmore
(excerpt from) Images of the World
1975

It is an ambitious task, to say the least, to set up an exhibition with artefacts, items and works of art which collectively reflect the rich cultural diversity of the Maltese Islands and its inhabitants. The complex history (and prehistory!) of the islands, morphed continuously by an indefinite count of individuals and groups migrating and setting up camp on the islands, does not help to make the notion of Maltese cultural identity any less complicated to define. And yet, among the most iconic images, or rather symbols, which are incessantly branded as Maltese – the megalithic temples or the eight-pointed cross, for example – are, in truth, not intrinsically ‘Maltese’ but have been appropriated from a foreign culture or social class. Nonetheless, it is practically impossible to think of them without also thinking of Malta. Place is, therefore, essential to consider the complexity of a culture since it is, almost literally, the melting pot into which this terrific concoction of various identities is poured.


As a visual compliment to the six-month focus on Malta celebrating its year of the presidency of the Council of the European Parliament, BOZAR fine art centre in Brussels, Belgium, has opened its exhibition rooms to present the culturally-diverse Maltese identity as a product of the dynamic relationship between ‘Land’ and ‘Sea’. All of the works on display are on loan from several different state and private art collections, both local and not. Two of these, Linear Symphony No.3 and The Eye and the Symbol, are abstract paintings by the British artist, Victor Pasmore (1908-1998), which were borrowed from the collection on display at the Victor Pasmore Gallery in Valletta. For a good thirty years, from 1966 up until his death, Victor Pasmore lived in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the quaint Maltese village of Gudja, together with his wife Wendy. Although, at first, seemingly strange, the selection of these two twentieth-century works, coupled with the decision to display them alongside a number of prehistoric artefacts unearthed from archaeological sites around the Maltese islands, quite aptly demonstrates the span and type of cultural influx entering into Maltese territory across the ages: from the very beginning of civilisation up to modernity.


Even though Pasmore actively sought to move away from referencing “visual, optical scenery” through his work, no matter how much he deemed it beautiful (which he did), he could not bring himself to abandon the effects of nature and his surroundings. If anything, the manner in which nature operates lies at the core of his creations – a manner which, in essence, is retained over time, but which still allows each creation to be visually distinguishable. It comes less as a coincidence, therefore, to note some degree of aesthetic similarity between the engraved lines of Pasmore’s work and those present on the forms of the prehistoric figurines, both of which are independent of each other. Pasmore too, admitted that his experience on the island brought him in much closer proximity to a Neolithic past, to the great forms of the megalithic stones which, inadvertently perhaps, seem to have seeped into his mindset and artistic development.


The idea of ‘Land’ and ‘Sea’ goes beyond what is merely seen, experienced and interpreted at a particular moment, which in itself is forever changing.  Likewise, the collective cultural identity of a nation, although dependent upon it, ultimately transcends time, but still remains connected to the place which allowed it to be expressed. It is this timeless creative spirit which beats throughout the clustered exhibits in the Malta: Land of Sea exhibition. And the clusters, the multiplicity of unrelated objects are indeed, necessary for the exhibition to live up to its name. Otherwise, if the works were to be seen alone, as “independent objects” in some sort of time capsule, they could not truly be termed ‘Maltese’ or, at least, impart any notion of what it is to be ‘Maltese.’


A selection of Victor Pasmore’s creations, including drawings, reliefs, acrylic, oil and spray paintings, constructions and composite works can be viewed in the Victor Pasmore Gallery which is open to the public between Monday and Friday, 11.00am-3.00pm. Entrance is free of charge and gallery talks are provided daily at 1.00pm. On the occasion of World Poetry Day on Tuesday 21st March 2017, a public talk on Victor Pasmore’s poetry will be delivered by Dr Giuliana Fenech within the gallery at 6.30pm. Admission is also, free of charge. The gallery is located just five minutes away from the Valletta main bus terminus, next door to the annexe of the Central Bank of Malta.


The Victor Pasmore Gallery is currently managed by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Malta, with the intention of bringing to light the importance of Pasmore and the Maltese modern art movement. Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is a not-for-profit organization which aims to spread awareness on the islands’ extensive heritage, both locally and internationally, through museums, exhibitions and publications.


For more information about the gallery, lecture programme, workshops and other related activities, kindly visit www.victorpasmoregallery.com or get in touch with us via email on info@victorpasmoregallery.com or landline on +356 2250 3360.