There’s plenty to see, do, and admire around the Maltese islands – but sometimes, it’s what’s just off of Malta’s coast that truly takes the cake…

In her latest exhibition, titled Seher il-Bahar (Mesmerising Seas), well-established Malta artist Anna Galea is presenting around 40 paintings created over the past four years that hold the sea as their central theme.

“I live by the sea and often go for walks by the coast. As a child, during the summer holidays, my parents always rented a place a few metres off the seashore and we used to spend all day swimming and snorkelling, whilst in the evening, we relished the cool sea breeze eating hobz biz-zejt and summer fruits,” Anna said.

“In those days, mobile phones were still undreamed of,” she continued.

The exhibition includes large oils and mixed media paintings on canvas, as well as large-scale and smaller watercolour paintings.

Anna Galea is best known for her watercolour works, although the COVID-19 pandemic inspired and offered her the time to experiment and explore different creative avenues.

“Watercolour affords a translucency that no other medium can give. Havin said that, this time, I am also exhibiting in oils, acrylics, and mixed media, because I feel that for creativity to flourish, I cannot chain myself to a particular medium,” the artist said.

“Besides, I do paint, and have been painting, in oils and acrylics too throughout my painting career. Furthermore, what one can do in oils, one cannot do in watercolour, and vice-versa,” she continued.

Curated by Roderick Camilleri, Seher il-Bahar will be taking place at the Malta Society of Arts’ Art Galleries between 3rd and 24th November 2022.

The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 7pm, and on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm. Entrance is free.

For more details about the exhibition, visit artsmalta.org or check out the Malta Society of Arts Facebook page.