REMNANTS by Dave Calleja, opens on the 27th March, 7:30pm, at the Splendid, Strait Street, Valletta
Dave Calleja’s second solo exhibition delves deeper into the nature of empathy, focusing on the relationship between remnants and emotional energy, both of which, he suggests, can linger even after a person’s passing.
Remnants, are often fragments left from a larger whole - pieces of material history, artifacts, or ruins that have withstood time. They are tangible traces of past civilizations, cultural traditions, and ways of life that continue to exist and resonate.
This notion of remnants inspired Calleja to explore the connection between these physical traces and emotional energy, distinguishing between what is tangible and what is intangible. In his fragmented sculptures, the physical remnant represents what can be perceived by our five senses. Emotional energy, however, exists on a different plane. It can be felt and understood but is often perceptible only through a “sixth sense” - our spiritual and intuitive capacity to perceive beyond the physical world.
Calleja contemplates how remnant and emotional energy might even exchange roles in these realms: in the physical world, remnant serves as a form of emotional energy, while in the spiritual realm, emotional energy becomes the remnant - a trace of what was. Through this lens, his work invites viewers to sense the lingering presence of both physical fragments and the emotional echoes they carry.
Opening Hours:
Weekends: 10am - 2pm & 4pm - 7pm
Weekdays: 6pm - 9pm