Malta’s Mario Abela has claimed the top honour at this year’s CreaOpen exhibition in Venice, a prestigious international art event celebrating contemporary creativity and innovation. His stunning piece, ‘2570 Revolutions Around the Earth’, stood out from the 39 shortlisted works, ultimately earning him the coveted first prize.

In his own words, Mario describes the artwork as an exploration ‘of the underlying complexities and contradictions inherent in human existence’. Visually and thematically bold, the piece clearly seems to have struck a chord with both viewers and the jury.

Following the announcement, Mario took to social media with a jubilant post, writing ‘WON the CREAOPEN 2025! Absolutely blown away. Huge congratulations to all the other talented participants. This feels like a wonderful step in my journey, and I’m excited for what’s next. Thank you to the CREA Open team and jury!’

He also gave a heartfelt shoutout to fellow Maltese artist Sasha Vella, who was awarded the artist residency prize for her photography piece ‘The Illusion of Solitude’.

A massive well done to Mario!