INFECTIOUS EXHIBITION at Auberge D’Italie, Valletta
Students
attending the Higher National Diploma in Fine Arts MCAST Institute of Art and
Design organized a collective exhibition named Infectious. As exhibition name
self-expresses the theme, it consisted of installations, paintings, sculptures,
textile and even soft toys, all of which depicted the various diseases or means
of disease transitions to the human element. The student’s main aim was
to interact with the public by demonstrating the relation between science and
art, via the combination between the two, they managed to translate the message
to the viewer by rendering them curious and read making them wanting to know what’s
the though behind each installation by reading the description.
They took a
very personal approach to the interpretation between the science and the art
form, it is obvious that a sound and deep research, has been conducted on both
the diseases and how it could be translated into an art form. Making the viewer
interact with the installation was a good option of which several students made
good use of.
The students participating in this collective exhibition were Ray Axiaq, Aaron Bezzina, Pamela Bezzina, Maria Borg, Nathalie Debono, Sarah Doublet, Lisa Formosa, Christa Gerada, MariaIsabella Grech, Christian Micallef, Andrew Portelli, Ezekiel Vassallo and Alberto Zagami.
Infectious
Exhibition was set up under the guidance of Dr Edward Duca and Ruth Ancilleri
in collaboration with the Science in the City Festival supported by the EU FP7
Programme and the Malta Arts Fund.
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Swarm of Death |
Wire, thread, black acrylic paint
Following the theme of 'Infectious' the work's concept is to focus upon mosquitoes, the agents which transport malaria, among other fatal diseases, from infected birds to mammals including humans. These insects are meant to be shown as the harbingers of death to mammals as well as to themselves. (Artist's Statement)
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Influenza II |
Lino Printing
The work focuses on the abstract shapes and forms of influenza bacteria when seen under a microscope, and aims to turn something repulsive into something visibly pleasing.
(Artist's Statement)
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Clean your hands cuties (wipe dispensers) |
Fabric
My source of inspiration is hand-borne infections, which are very common in kids and toddlers. Children tend to touch various potentially dangerous things, and afterwards put their hands in their mouth. My work aims to educate children to wipe their hands and avoid infections. The four kinds of animals replicated in soft toys are all animals which have been know to carry infections or are commonly contaminated with bacteria.
(Artist's Statement)
 |
Eat Me |
Various edible confections
These unconventional sweets, which are made of wholly edible materials, are meant to trick you into being tempted to eat something which would normally repulse you.
(Artist's Statement)
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Virus-Cell Interaction |
Acrylic on canvas
The sources for the paintings are malignant, infectious cells which effect the body. These infections create sorrow to the affected and their family, and are therefore perceived as horrible. The works counteract that fact by being in themselves works of art and by intriguing the viewer into taking a closer look.
(Artist's Statement)
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Viral Hemorrhagic Fever |
Mixed Media
This installation represents a disease entitled Viral Hemorrhagic fever which interferes with the walls of the blood vessels causing them to leak. In my work, I have decided to metaphorically represent lung bleeding which could cause the victim to drown in his/her own blood. Unfortunately no cure has bleed discovered yet.
(Artist's Statement) |
Burn |
Porcelain clay and Flame Red glaze
This installation portrays a burn infection. The porcelain spheres represent the cells when seen under a microscope and also represent skin. The red glaze represents an infection sometimes developed from a burn injury. By putting the spheres together and in different places, it seems as if the infection is taking over the place.
(Artist's Statement)
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A friendly gesture? |
Painted terracotta clay
This installation is aimed at raising awareness about hand-transmitted infection. The hands offer a friendly handshake, but how safe is it? Each hand is painted in white in an identical manner. This represents the importance of cleanliness and reminds the viewer that bacteria, pathogens and viruses causing disease and infection are invisible to the naked eye. The repetitive nature of the installation emphasises how we are constantly prone to transmitting or getting transmitted an infection.
(Artist's Statement)
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Rabies Virus |
Acrylic on canvas
The sources for the paintings are malignant, infectious cells which effect the body. These infections create sorrow to the affected and their family, and are therefore perceived as horrible. The works counteract that fact by being in themselves works of art and by intriguing the viewer into taking a closer look.
(Artist's Statement)
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Tumour |
Mixed Media
This installation exhibits a vault which holds an abstract representation of a tumour. The metallic spheres symbolise body cells and the black substance as the tumour. By pressing the 'push' button the tumour becomes active, and dominates the other cells. The performance is achieved by an electromagnetic fluid (ferrofluid).
(Artist's Statement)
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Untitled |
Painted ceramic
I am interested in art which is shocking and which stimulates an emotional response in the viewer. In this piece I have combined the figurative human aspect with an infection found on amphibians, caused by the lack of biodiversity. This infection results in grotesque deformities such as extra limbs.
(Artist's Statement)
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Untitled |
Ceramics and wood
In this ceramic piece, I mounted two faces of myself opposing each other on a piece of wood. One is a healthy face while the other is infected, comparing health to sickness. The infected face was inspired from the deadly plague that killed between 30 to 60% of the European population in the fourteenth century.
(Artist's Statement)
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Laboratory |
Wood, test tubes, oil and food colouring
I like to use everyday objects and change their roles by taking them out of their normal context. At the moment, I am using domestic objects such as oil, food colouring and test tubes. I would like the viewer to play gently with my installation, and experience if fully through shaking the test tubes as well as looking. Each tube is representing a specific preserved bacterium.
(Artist's Statement)
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Expanded polystyrene, plaster of Paris, enamel paint
This piece focuses on how diseases affect a person's outward appearance, particularly afflictions such as acne, neurofibroma, shingles, elehantiasis, and molluscum contagiosum which affect the skin. The main focus was on elephantiasis and molluscum contagiosum.
(Artist's Statement)
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