Gōrudo
Internationally renowned artist Austin Camilleri drew inspiration from Japanese culture for his recent sculpture installation at Valletta’s prominent restaurant AKI. The 4.8m wide, 110kg sculpture is a private commission, reflecting the restaurant’s contemporary approach to Japanese cuisine.
Camilleri’s innovative work, named Gōrudo (meaning gold in Japanese), intertwines Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism, and a return to nature. Influenced by bamboo and the bonsai tree tradition symbolizing harmony, the sculpture embraces the minimalist design of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.
Camilleri revisits his past artistic endeavors, incorporating gilding reminiscent of his earlier works, such as the exhibited Untitled in Musee Botanique and the 1999 Stones installations in gold leaf off the Maltese coast. AKI’s Gōrudo sculpture adds sophistication to the restaurant’s ambiance, standing as a contemporary masterpiece deserving recognition in the local art scene.
Speed is a multi-disciplinary artist who is currently focused on neon painting, an illuminated dance of light and shadows which results in dramatic-yet-happy works.
His works can be found around the world, with most pieces based in London and others found in cultural hotspots like Lyon and Seattle, and now Malta!
Born in 1962 in the province of Sichuan, Zhuang Hong-yi is regarded as one of China’s most influential artists. It is the combination of his Chinese background and his European influences that mark the uniqueness of Zhuang’s work. Embracing his present without losing his past, Zhuang defines a sense of self that exists between the two and enacts this personal story visually, balancing between phases of controlled planning, emotional gesture, and careful editing that result in works of beauty, surprise, and curiosity. Zhuang’s work is distinguished by its bold color schemes and sophisticated, recurring, and precise floral motifs that symbolize a universal symbol of prosperity and optimism. Zhuang’s consistent return to this theme throughout his work showcases his ongoing refinement and experimentation, oscillating between raw emotion and carefully orchestrated artistry.
Zhuang Hong-Yi’ work named Change Of Horizons involves thousands of hand-folded colored pieces of rice paper, as they hypnotize you as you wander past them. You feel as if you are bobbing on a sea of brilliance as you pace back and forth, striving to catch a glimpse of precisely where one color blends in with another within its rhythmic, captivating, protean elegance.
The flowerbed pieces are made of carefully folded rice paper that creates a layered structure reflecting light from multiple layers, delivering constructive and destructive interference for different colors. The interferences make the colors vary at different angles, creating a playful, chromatic and very invigorating experience.
Kris Micallef is an award-winning photographer based in Malta whose ability to catch the essence of his subject has made him a coveted and sought after artist right throughout Europe. Having just completed his degree in Architecture, Kris is clever in using light, colour, angles and form to enhance his photography whilst excelling in the portrayal of his focus; either being fashion, advertising, landscape or portraiture.
Kris’ work has been published worldwide and he has worked with some of the biggest fashion designers, labels and advertising agencies globally. His work is bold and raw and his use of vibrant, crisp colours makes this young, talented artist enjoy experimenting with the true core of his art.
