The debut solo exhibition Paradise Lost by Jade Zammit is now open, marking a personal exploratory two year journey that invites viewers to traverse through the artist’s reflections on the idea of paradise—an ideal that has been lost.
Curated by Maria Galea, the exhibition design and layout guides visitors through Zammit’s quest for paradise, ultimately leading to a profound confrontation with reality. Paradise Lost aims to evoke personal reflections and connections with the audience as we reflect on what was once cherished, and the loss we are experiencing around us, be it war, climate change and the loss of our very own identity as an island consumed by construction.
Zammit confronts the fragility of paradises—both real and imagined—that are perpetually “hanging by a thread”. The exhibition poses critical questions: How do these paradises unravel over time? What remains when the thread finally snaps, and utopian visions dissolve into disillusionment? The artworks vary not only in form but also in thematic undertones, reflecting the multifaceted nature of paradise itself—a concept that is as fragile as it is alluring.
Drawing upon romanticized portrayals of non-European cultures, Zammit uses the Gobelin tapestries housed in Valletta’s Grand Master’s Palace as a foundational reference. These 17th-century masterpieces were initially commissioned to evoke awe, mystery, and wonder, and are reinterpreted through Zammit’s contemporary lens. Inspired by the idyllic yet ultimately disillusioning scenes in Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian series and the decaying world of colonial Africa as depicted in Ben Okri’s;The Famished Road, Zammit’s work intricately weaves together threads of personal memory with broader themes of a deteriorating paradise.
Zammit’s work delves into the discomfort associated with the loss of the natural world—a paradise that, much like the tapestries she references, is both beautiful and precarious. Through an almost imaginary perspective, she evokes a deep sense of nostalgia, compelling us to reflect on the fragility of both personal and collective histories. How do we reconcile idyllic pasts—whether personal or cultural—that have fragmented into unsettling realities?
As viewers journey through this exploration with Zammit, they are invited to reflect on her perceptions of paradise. Are we, too, holding on to something that is hanging by a thread? And when that thread snaps, what do we find? Zammit does not merely present a series of artworks; she offers us a space to dream, question, reflect, and perhaps come to terms with inevitable losses.
Paradise Lost at the Malta Society of Arts until October 24th.