This September, Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq in Mqabba will open its doors to Hedymeles, the debut solo exhibition of artist Eric Attard. Curated by Melanie Erixon, the exhibition launches on 21st September at 11am and will remain open until 5th October.

The project stems from a short novel written by Attard, presented in the gallery as a hand-bound book for visitors to explore. But rather than illustrating the text, his paintings expand on its themes of mythology, beauty, cruelty, and desire, standing as autonomous works that invite viewers into an otherworldly realm.

In contrast to today’s fleeting digital images, Attard’s practice embraces the slow, layered process of Renaissance painting techniques. Each canvas can carry up to twenty layers of paint, where light builds from within and forms emerge in a luminous, almost magical realism. Influenced by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, the artist fuses classical sensibilities with imaginative, fantastical invention.

The exhibition’s imagery spans the sensual and the unsettling: harpies circling with menace, a wise talking caper bush, and hybrid figures alive with both violence and eroticism. These mythic beings reflect Attard’s exploration of post-human existence, while also challenging societal norms and the pace of contemporary culture.

By weaving mythological archetypes with today’s cultural anxieties, Hedymeles positions painting as both storytelling and an act of resistance to speed, superficiality, and the one-minute spectacle of modern image consumption.

Visitors can expect a rich and thought-provoking exhibition that balances beauty and disquiet, the past and the present, all within the intimate setting of Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq.

Will you be there?