Hey, art aficionados! Heritage Malta just launched a fantastic new art residency this week and we must say, it’s pretty intriguing.

The story behind the work

The bold, velvety blacks that wander along the surface of the paper in ‘Ochra et Nigreos’ imprint a veil of darkness on the underlying white surface. And yet, there are spaces that are forbidden to Nigreos; spaces that crave a warm golden light and the raw pigments of the earth, Ochra.

“I came up with the idea of selecting two colours, because I do not want the subject to be limited to one idea in particular,” artist Joyce Camilleri emphasizes, “I wanted to create an experience where the discovery of form and shapes prevails over colour.”

The art residency

Ochra et Nigreos is an artistic residency being held in the Community Space at MUŻA. Whereas with an exhibition, the visitor is presented with a final selection of artwork, the concept of a residency allows Joyce to present her visual narratives of line and form as work in progress. As of the 13th May, visitors to the Malta National Community Art Museum will be able to view the artist, immersed in the process of creating artwork that may or may not make it to the final exhibition. This ‘behind the scenes narrative’ enables visitors to create a link between preparatory sketches and the final product and provides for an ever-changing and evolving exhibit where both artist and art are ‘on show’.

Artistic technique

Joyce’s choice of materials and media allows for a renewed artistic practice characterised by constant redirection and a visual language that values the creative process, regardless of pre-set concepts, ideologies, and subject matter. “I love the fact that I start off an artwork and am not really sure where it is going to lead me,” she says. Joyce, who teaches life drawing at the Malta School of Art, employs a hybrid of printmaking and drawing techniques to create gestural lines which are open to interpretation.

The technique adopted by Joyce begins by rolling black Indian ink on a press. White blank spaces and mid-tones of grey are created by either erasing the delineated areas entirely free of ink or not wiping the plate clean when reapplying ink. The imprinted result is always a surprise and a springboard for further exploration. Joyce begins with smaller images, developing her brushstroke pattern as she goes along. So far, she has created an abstract canvas of three tones: black, white, and grey. The final hue of ochre is added to elicit the “mysterious” figuration or landscapes, which begin to filter through the graphic lines and undulations on the imprinted paper.

“The two colours create a story,” Joyce explains. “Nigreos or black is not darkness; it is more silence and depth, the introspective moments where we want to delve into ourselves. Ochra creates contrast, being the visual language for those enlightened instances when you feel inspired and beautiful ideas come to mind.”

Here’s when you can catch ‘Ochra et Nigreos’ at MUŻA

‘Ochra et Nigreos’ runs at MUŻA from Friday 23rd April till Sunday 30th May 2021. Meet the artist at MUŻA: Thursdays from 12pm to 4.30pm, Fridays from 10am to 4.30pm, Sundays from 10am to 4.30pm.