“… the struggle seems to be eternal”
An exhibition dedicated to Alfred Chircop
Alfred Chircop: paintings, prints, drawings, is an exhibition dedicated to the late Maltese abstract painter Alfred Chircop (1933-2015). This exhibition offers a profound exploration of Chircop’s artistic journey, revealing the complexities and inner turmoil that characterised his life’s work. Curated by Dr Christian Attard, Dr Mark Sagona, and Dr Charlene Vella, this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to engage with the diverse facets of Chircop’s artistic legacy.
The curatorial team has meticulously selected works that not only showcase Chircop’s technical mastery but also his deep philosophical and spiritual inquiries. This exhibition is more than a retrospective; it is an invitation to step into the mind of one of Malta’s most enigmatic artists and to experience the eternal struggle that defined his life and work.
The exhibition’s title, drawn from a letter that Chircop wrote to his friend and art critic Emmanuel Fiorentino, encapsulates the relentless, introspective struggle that permeated his work. Chircop’s art was a continuous quest to reconcile opposites: the human with the divine, abstraction with figuration, and surface beauty with expressive depth. The exhibition showcases the remnants of this internal battle, offering viewers a glimpse into the soul of an artist whose search for meaning was both Sisyphean and deeply personal.
The exhibition is split into five thematic sections that look into portraiture, Chircop’s academic formation in Malta and abroad, his shift towards non-representational, abstract art, and it will conclude with his fully-fledged, large-scale abstract paintings: the great hallmark of his legacy.
A highlight of this exhibition is the faithful recreation of Chircop’s studio using his personal items and furniture as well as featuring the painting he completed just before his death.
Also offering a more immersive experience is a video of photographs, videos and music by Charlie Cauchiprovide a better context in understanding who Alfred Chircop was and his main inspiration and complex thoughts. Each section will also feature works by Chircop’s contemporaries to give the proper historical context to Chircop’s art and artistic evolution.
The exhibition is open until 3 November 2024 at Space A, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta. It is supported by Heritage Malta, Prevarti Art Restoration and Conservation, DB Foundation, The Farsons Foundation, Mapfre MSV life and Visit Malta and organised in collaboration with the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta.
All photography by Lisa Attard.
