A pop-up exhibition featuring paintings created live during past editions of the Malta Jazz Festival is currently on show at Christine X Art Gallery in Sliema until July 18.
Titled Jazz Legends, Malta Memories, the exhibition brings together works by artists Jeni Caruana, Ebba von Fersen Balzan and Olaug Vetha. These paintings capture not only the musicians but also the atmosphere, rhythm and emotional intensity of jazz music.
Among the highlights are Jeni Caruana’s striking studies of internationally acclaimed jazz musicians including Manuel Pulis, Tyshawn Sorey and Danilo Pérez. Executed with bold, gestural brushstrokes and expressive linear drawing, the paintings evoke movement, sound and improvisation. Rather than producing literal portraits, Caruana distils fleeting moments of performance into dynamic compositions, wherein gesture, colour and light become visual equivalents of musical rhythm.
The exhibition also features works by Ebba von Fersen Balzan and Olaug Vethal, whose interpretations of the Malta Jazz Festival offer thoughtful and distinctive perspectives. Displayed alongside Caruana’s paintings, their works create a rich visual conversation that celebrates both the festival’s history and the enduring relationship between music and the visual arts.
As part of the pop-up exhibition’s closing programme, Christine X Art Gallery will host a ‘Meet the Artist’ evening with Caruana on July 17, from 6pm onwards. Visitors are invited to meet the artist, discuss the works on display and hear first-hand about the experience of painting live during the Malta Jazz Festival.
The exhibition opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 1pm and 4-7pm and Saturday 10am-1pm at Christine X Art Gallery, 53, Tigné Street c/w Hughes Hallet Street, Sliema, Malta SLM 3141.
