Art | IGGYFENECH

22 Years of Meander

Presenter and author MARIELLA PISANI BENCINI speaks exclusively to iggyfenech.com about her career, her second novel, and Meander, which is now in its 22nd season. Over the past 22 years, Meander has brought art and culture into the living rooms of the Maltese people, and given those who would have otherwise never really come in contact with art a chance to enjoy and experience it in the comfort of their own homes. Here we talk exclusively to Mariella Pisani Bencini, who has presented and produced Meander during its entire run (first on PBS…read more

Introducing: Boylesque

The BurlesKlub A La Verve – Burlesque & Comedy Night taking place this Friday at Remedy will make Maltese cultural history: it will open the doors to the underground-yet-glamourous world of boylesque to Malta. So, with just one day to go, I ask the same set of questions to boylesque dancers Pretty Boy Rock from Texas, USA, Mr Blanco from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and our very own burlesque dancer Undine LaVerve from Malta – and the answers are – how shall I put this? – revealing! One of my favourite assignments while at…read more

The Reasoning of the Imagination – An Exhibition

Established artist Ray Piscopo returns with his latest exhibition, made up of over 30 evocative and meaningful pieces. The Reasoning of the Imagination, also known by its Maltese title ‘L-Immaginazzjoni li Tirraguna’, is an art exhibition made up of over 30 pieces of artwork that Ray Piscopo has been working on for the past 12 months. Expressive, sometimes haunting and always vivid, this exhibition will be on at the Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian’s between 12 December and 15 January. An engineer by profession, Ray Piscopo’s art – renowned…read more

Art: Why Should You Care?

This article does what it says on the tin. It’s also bullet-pointed, concise and comes with pretty pictures and emotive video clips. ‘Art’, in this case, is used in the broader sense of term (ie: anything (painting, sculpture, literature, film, music, etc.) that was created as an expression or through the application of human creative skill.) So: Why Should You Care? 1. It moves us emotionally. 2. It makes us ponder things and evaluate our lives. 3. It forms part of our national and global identity. 4. It can reveal the true story of our ancestors…read more

An Audience with the Connoisseur

‘Connoisseur’ has been giving the Maltese Facebook community a daily-dose of Beauty since June 2013, and has garnered a cult-like following of Beauty lovers. In his first interview ever, the incredibly talented SEBASTIAN SAID gets invited to the Connoisseur’s palazzo in Valletta to talk about his love for Beautiful things. The Connoisseur – who asked to remain anonymous – has also chosen eight pictures of beautiful things: the only criterion we gave him was ‘love’. As I walk up the columned marble staircase, the scent of amber wafts through the…read more

Kris Micallef’s REGNVM

Posted by Iggy Fenech in Art, Artists, Photography

An imagined, underwater kingdom comes to life in Kris Micallef’s upcoming exhibition REGNVM. Kris Micallef, known for his edgy fashion photography that has gripped the imagination of many, is one of Malta’s best and most renowned photographic artists and although young, he has already been exhibited in the Netherlands (Maastricht), Belgium (Brussels), Ukraine (Kiev), France (St. Tropez), and Palestine (Jerusalem). Now, he is ready to move away from fashion and landscape, with his upcoming project REGNVM. In a nutshell, REGNVM is about a submarine kingdom, whose inhabitants live in a…read more

The Maltese Gift-Guide – Saz Mifsud

Mesmerising & Conceptual: Saz Mifsud takes the art of printing on fabric to the next level. Scarves are one of the most underrated accessories. They give life to outfits, add colour and show off our personality and how we feel. Considering they are normally square-shaped, they are also surprisingly versatile, and this is due to their design, which is where Saz’s talent comes in. What Saz does is simple: she takes something completely ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary and beautiful. It really does not take a trained eye…read more

A Maltese Gift-Guide: Isabel Warrington

Pass on your season’s greetings, or indeed any greetings at all, with one-off Glamourpuss cards and gift tags by Isabel Warrington. Isabel Warrington is an actor, designer and artist who started her own brand of cards called ‘Glamourpuss’. Her one-off designs have garnered much acclaim and, being hand-painted, even make gorgeous pictures that can be framed. Here, she tells us how it all kicked off, when she finds time to paint and who is most likely to love her creations! “It all started off as a hobby really,” says Isabel…read more

A Maltese Gift-Guide: Luisa Diacono

Stylish, bold and beautifully hand-painted: Designer Luisa Diacono’s shawls make a perfect gift this festive season! With just over a week to go to Christmas, there will be many who will buy foreign brands and mass-produced items as gifts, but why not invest in something more local? Luisa Diacono, an artist and interior designer by trade, has been hand-painting shawls for years, and here we talk to her about what goes into making them and who they would make a great present for! “Each season, I make it a point…read more

A Tale of Two Titties

Undine LaVerve, Malta’s only, proper American burlesque performer, interviews the legendary Dirty Martini. Visiting Erotica 2010 in London three years ago taught me four things. One: never stare at on old man in heels unless you want him to come over and talk to you. Two: there are as many brands of dildos as there are days in a year. Three: never treat a guy friend to a sex fair on his birthday (sorry Tom!). Four: burlesque is a bit like Cher, one day it’s completely off the radar; the…read more