The December art calendar is finally back with a bang, and our final issue for 2021 reflects the diverse range of events and ventures happening locally and internationally.
Covid-19 may have dominated the headlines, but the art world had its own shakeup this year, with several events transforming the market entirely. One of these occurred in March when auction house Christie’s offered its first NFT (non-fungible token) by digital artist Beeple. Another first for Christie’s was the acceptance of cryptocurrency. The starting price for Everydays: the First 5000 Days was $100. It rocketed to $60.2m ($69.3m with fees). Joanna Dellia gives us some insight into the remarkable world NFTs. Elsewhere, artist Selina Scerri and computer scientist Dr Angelo Dalli present the newly established Creative Science and Arts Institute (CSAI) and its commitment to digital art in Malta and worldwide.
Our year ends with some more new beginnings. Artist Romeo Roxman Gatt talks to fellow artist and collaborator Charlie Cauchi about his latest venture Rosa Kwir, Malta’s first queer-focused art space. It opened its doors with an exhibition dedicated to Maltese representations of trans masculinity, female masculinity and butch lesbians. Rosa Kwir, situated in Balzan, also functions as an archive, collecting stories, documents and ephemera relating to the topic.
Erica Giusta reviews ŻfinMalta’s latest work, Weaving Chaos, performed earlier this month at the Manoel Theatre. Homer’s Odyssey is the driving force behind this frenetic, critically acclaimed piece, created by Tânia Carvalho, one of Europe’s most influential choreographers today.
We leave Malta and join Gabriele Spiller on a tour of the iconic Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum in Berlin, which reopened its doors this year after several long, painstaking years of renovations. Gabriele examines Mies van der Rohe’s architectural masterpiece and the eclectic collection housed within the museum. While further afield, Barnabas Ticha Muvuti provides a fascinating look at the contemporary art scene in Harare, Zimbabwe, through the artHarare art fair.
There is much to be grateful for this festive season- and we certainly are thankful for our readers. Thank you for being a part of the Artpaper family. See you in 2022!
