As Malta's fight against Coronavirus continues, most of the island's hot-spots, including Sliema, remain largely deserted as businesses continue to operate behind closed doors and people stay inside. 

One young up-and-coming photographer, Adam Polidano, has taken it upon himself to document the stark contrast between the new and old reality through a self-initiated photographic project. As a resident, he has never seen the town's streets as they are now: "My project started out when I noticed the streets of Sliema did not have a single soul wondering about," Adam says, linking this to the notion of nothingness. "To me nothingness is desolation. A state of complete emptiness or destruction - the state sliema is in right now," he continues.

Ironically, Sliema literally translates to peace and tranquility, but neither were present till now: "Living in Sliema for most of my life there was never a sense of peace," Adam says.

Apart from a hub of business, activity and leisure, Sliema has in recent years fallen victim to the construction trend with countless cranes obstructing its skyline. "Construction sites have been left unattended and bustling streets are now shadows of their former selves. I wanted to document the rare sight which we hopefully will never see again," the photographer explains.

Adam's Sliema photos are part of a larger project. In fact, after documenting the area he plans to move on to St Julians and beyond: "The next location on my list is Birkirkara," he reveals, adding that he'd like to exhibit his collection after the Coronavirus situation in Malta is over.

Adam's stellar work joins that of his father Bernard, a prolific local fashion photographer who last month also took his camera to the streets to showcase an eerie Sliema as never seen before.

We look forward to seeing more of your project Adam!