|
Gilbert Calleja speaks to young artists Christine X, who runs Artitude in Tigné
Christine Xuereb Tewogbola a.k.a. Christine X, is a young artist who is presenting her first solo exhibition at Artitude, an artefacts shop-gallery which she owns in Tigné Street Sliema. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art and anthropology but got her practical art training first from Harry Alden and later from Olaug Vethal.
 The two veteran artists’ creative approach is very different. “With Harry Alden I have learned the basics of drawing and painting,” Xuereb says, “he was strict and in a way the term ‘hard-edge’ not only describes his paintings but also the man. He was important for my formation because he helped me develop a proper systematic approach for my artistic research.” Though still in contact with Alden, growing up she sought the assistance of Vethal, a Norwegian artist who took up residence in Malta about fifteen years ago, who taught her at De La Salle College Sixth form, in preparation for her A Level.
Olaug was Alden’s opposite. Xuereb talks enthusiastically about this teacher who emphasised that her students had to be as free as could be. “She wanted us to open up, to express our feelings through the colours and the media at hand… and try make it look good,” she laughs, leaving little doubt about the affinity she has between her and her teacher’s philosophy.
So to what extent did she influence Xuereb’s painting? “I’ve taken from her as my last teacher, but we both think that our works are very different. My paintings are more self-contained, more compact. She is freer in her approach and her colours, her brush marks show greater fluidity. She is obviously the more experienced of us two… perhaps I’ll open-up more in the future,” Xuereb says. “My colours are brighter, hers more restrained. Surely, I look up to her – she’s a brilliant artist.”
The comparison between Alden and Vethal is interesting in the way it reflects the different backgrounds and artistic formation of the two artists. Alden has studied in Malta and England, while Vethal comes from a Scandinavian-Germanic background.
“Throughout the years I’ve learned how to filter these influences. When I work I tend to borrow bits and pieces from many sources including works by other artists. Sometimes driving around I get inspired by the surrounding landscape but I relate best to people hence my preference for the portrait.”
Xuereb describes how in the past she used to work a lot on a sketchbook in order to research her subject before putting it to canvas. Nowadays she says she prefers a more direct approach, painting on site whenever possible because of the better understanding of form which the proximity allows. However she is equally at ease painting from photos, especially when she is working on her semi-figurative landscapes.
“The landscape often acts as a point of departure for studying chromatic relations. Pictorial composition is what interests me most when doing ‘landscapes’,” Xuereb says, “When you’re doing a portrait it’s different, it’s the character of the sitter, the features that describe the person which interest me.”
She tells me of how she has learned to sketch portraits and capture a quick semblance of the person in front of her, reminding me of the drawings representing her daughter in the exhibition. She says that working in series adds more veracity to the works. It allows for multiple reviews of the same subject, producing a cinematic effect.
“Painting is different, it is more challenging,” she says, presumably hinting at the fact that she uses drawing to record and note a particular situation or subject and painting to express her emotions.
We turn to the opening of Artitude. “I opened Artitude in March 2004. At the time I was doing private commissions and decided to extend this professional venture into an artefacts gift shop which could double as an art gallery. The aim was to provide a selling spot for Malta’s established artists and help promote newcomers into the local art scene.
“In April 2005 we organised ‘The Human Figure’, which was our first big exhibition with works by 13 different artists. Following that we had several other exhibitions but Olaug’s was our first solo. The success of her exhibition has encouraged me to do more of these solos in the near future.
“I like the idea of a shop-gallery but I also believe the occasional one-off exhibitions are important occasions for Artitude’s list of artists to meet and share their works with our clientele and the public in general. Our list of artists is slowly expanding and today I am proud to say that Artitude has shown works by a wide variety of artists including Laurence Butigieg, Joseph Paul Cassar, Laurent Muller, Ebba von Fersen Balzan, Jeni Caruana, Jason Lu, Simon Zammit Cutajar, Andrew Diacono, Olaug Vethal, Kenneth Zammit Tabona and others.”
What are Artitude’s upcoming events? “Beginning May we will be holding a large collective exhibition in the space above the gallery which will probably be a one-off of its kind. A great space with a lot of ability for the artists exhibiting. A lot of professional artists who paint not for the sake of making money, but who paint continuously to achieve greater knowledge in their art. Hence, their work being of greater value. This, the public will be able to see during the exhibition. It will take place throughout the month of May. I will leave the rest as a surprise.”
How would you answer anyone who criticises Artitude as a money-making venture? “It doesn’t make sense to open a private gallery or shop at a loss – you have to be realistic. Yes, we have to make money to be able to continue operating. Artitude is aimed at bringing artists, quality artists, closer to the public and give them an opportunity to sell their works. However, the space is also providing people with a wide variety of quality artefacts plus expert advice, which is important for the buyer to get his money’s worth. I strongly believe that the more we have of these spaces the better because they help expose the public to different artistic idioms which otherwise would remain within the confines of the artists’ studios. Also, the more the public see of contemporary works of art, the more they will differentiate the different styles and what appeals to them most rather than buying art from artists who sell just because of their name. Most people spend their money on works – let’s say their money is going to waste. Galleries have a defining educational role in society.”
|
