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BURNING WATERS

Exhibition | Sassolino | Victor Pasmore Gallery

The Victor Pasmore Gallery is proud to present Burning Waters, a striking new exhibition by contemporary artist Arcangelo Sassolino, curated by Keith Sciberras in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, and presented as part of the RETOLD commemorative project commissioned by Arts Council Malta. 

In direct dialogue with the legacy of Victor Pasmore, and through contrasting materials, methods, and eras, this exhibition explores themes of transformation, instability, and the elemental forces that shape both nature and human experience. 

Diplomazija Astuta by Arcangelo Sassolino for the 59th edition of the Venice Biennale, Malta Pavilion. Photo by Agostino Osio, Alto Piano

At the heart of the exhibition are Sassolino’s works on paper, created using molten steel as both medium and mark. These pieces emerge from his acclaimed 2022 installation Diplomazija Astuta for the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Biennale; an immersive work inspired by Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St John. In this latest series, Sassolino continues his exploration of matter in flux. Molten steel collides with paper, burning through its surface in unpredictable patterns, each work capturing a moment where destruction becomes form, and chaos becomes composition. 

Untitled, Arcangelo Sassolino, unsigned, 2024, Molten Steel on Paper, 70 X 70 cm, Private Collection. Photo by Arcangelo Sassolino Studio

Presented alongside these recent works are a selection of prints by Victor Pasmore, including a limited-edition book with Pasmore’s prints and poetic writings, Burning Waters, which lends the exhibition its title. While Pasmore’s approach leans toward structured abstraction and poetic reflection, his fascination with elemental tension – between movement and stillness, fire and water – resonates strongly with Sassolino’s more volatile process. 

Together, these works invite viewers into a space where contrasts meet violence and grace, permanence and ephemerality, past and present. The exhibition not only highlights the material intensity of both artists’ practices but also opens up broader reflections on perception, process, and transformation – whether physical, historical, or spiritual. 

Burning Waters, opened on the 9th of October, runs until the 3rd of January 2026. The gallery’s opening hours are Mondays to Thursdays between 10am and 5pm (last entry at 4pm), Fridays between 2 and 7pm (last entry at 6pm), and Saturdays between 10am and 3pm (last entry at 2pm). Tickets can be purchased at the door. The Victor Pasmore Gallery is located at APS House, 275, St Paul Street, Valletta. This exhibition is commissioned by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. 

Space, Life and Time, Victor Pasmore, signed, 1991, oil paint, spray paint and graphite on canvas, 183 x 188 cm, Private Collection. Photo by Lisa Attard

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