Dave Calleja is today opening his second solo exhibition, Remnants, at The Splendid, Valletta.
Remnants are often fragments left from a larger whole − pieces of material history, artefacts or ruins that have withstood time. They are tangible traces of past civilisations, cultural traditions and ways of life that continue to exist and resonate.
This notion of remnants inspired Calleja to explore the connection between these physical traces and emotional energy, distinguishing between what is tangible and what is intangible.
In his fragmented sculptures, the physical remnant represents what can be perceived by our five senses. Emotional energy, however, exists on a different plane: it can be felt and understood but is often perceptible only through a “sixth sense” – one’s spiritual and intuitive capacity to perceive beyond the physical world.
Calleja contemplates how remnant and emotional energy might even exchange roles in these realms: in the physical world, the remnant serves as a form of emotional energy, while in the spiritual realm, emotional energy becomes the remnant − a trace of what was.
Through this lens, Calleja’s work invites viewers to sense the lingering presence of both physical fragments and the emotional echoes they carry.
Remnants, curated by Melanie Erixon, runs at The Splendid, Valletta, until April 12. For more information, visit the Facebook event.