1. What is Dreams from Malta: Four Visual Narratives, and what broader cultural initiative does it represent?
The exhibition brings together four artists — three from Bulgaria (Rosen Donchev, Vanya Zapryanova, Kiril Katsarov) and one Bulgarian artist based in Malta (Vania Goshe) — who offer uniquely imaginative interpretations of the Maltese landscape and identity. This exhibition is part of The Road to an Exhibition, a European cultural programme dedicated to showcasing Bulgarian artistic productions abroad and promoting cross-cultural dialogue.
2. How do the four artists each interpret Malta through their distinct visual languages?
- Rosen Donchev employs archaeological and mythical imagery — such as ship forms, angels, ritual patterns, and echoes of megalithic architecture — to evoke Malta’s layered past and collective memory.
- Vanya Zapryanova, through her Threads of Memory series, uses collage, acrylics, textiles, and pastes to explore themes of dreams (dissolving boundaries), threads (connections across time and place), containers (preservation of memory), and island (isolation and beauty), forming dreamlike, textured atmospheres.
- Kiril Katsarov, the youngest, constructs digital collages inspired by Maltese streets and architecture — most notably St John’s Co-Cathedral’s marble floor — merging tradition and modernity into a mosaic-like reinterpretation of place.
- Vania Goshe, who has resided in Malta since 2008, paints bright, expressive depictions of everyday life — luzzu boats, Mdina’s colorful doors, Senglea’s Gardjola, and lively Rabat squares — celebrating the emotional resonance of local life.
3. In what ways does Dreams from Malta explore and symbolize the notion of “dreams”, memory, and heritage?
The exhibition’s engagement with dreams operates both metaphorically and methodologically allowing each artist to navigate layered histories, visual textures, and emotional narratives:
- Donchev’s works conjure mythic dreamscapes where history and symbolism intertwine.
- Zapryanova’s tactile surfaces dissolve temporal and spatial boundaries, offering sensory dreams of Malta’s layered epochs.
- Katsarov’s digital compositions merge fragmented memories and architecture into a contemporary visual dream.
- Goshe’s vibrant paintings evoke the sensory dreams of daily life—bright, animated, and immediate. Collectively, the exhibition invites viewers to consider Malta not as a fixed image, but as a living memory reconstructed through diverse creative lenses.
4. What additional components accompany the exhibition beyond the visual display?
Beyond the exhibition on the museum walls, the artists’ creative processes are being documented in a short film. The project includes an accompanying digital exhibition (to launch internationally) as well as workshops, demonstrations, and community outreach programmes—particularly targeting youth and diverse audiences—to extend engagement beyond the physical venue.
5. Who has curated and funded the exhibition, and why is this significant?
This exhibition is curated by Natasha Noeva. It is financially supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture under its National Plan for Sustainability and Development, and by the European Union via the NextGenerationEU instrument, highlighting how cultural diplomacy and EU cultural funding enable cross-border artistic exchange.