It all started with a poster I saw for an exhibition bringing together Giorgio Preca and Ryan Falzon.
I have long been a fan of Preca. Ever since I first encountered his work at MUŻA in 2022, he remained one of my favourite Maltese artists. Perhaps it is the Rome connection: Preca lived and died there, and I move between Malta and Rome, carrying both places with me.
So one warm afternoon, just a few days ago, I stepped into Palazzo de la Salle which is currently hosting Still Life | Life, Still.
It was almost empty, and I wandered quietly through dark rooms filled with colour. It felt less like an exhibition and more like a private home, layered with memory and imagination.
Alongside Preca and Falzon, I discovered permanent works exhibited in the palazzo by another great Maltese artist who lived in Rome, Antonio Sciortino, a reminder of how far our art travels and how deeply it returns.
The exhibition is a rare encounter across generations. Curated by Giulia Privitelli, it explores the still life genre as a bridge through time, presenting Preca’s meditative compositions alongside Falzon’s contemporary interpretations.
“The exhibition is a rare encounter across generations”
Preca’s still lifes, drawn from both family and private collections, are more than studies of objects. They reflect memory, time and the unseen. His works reveal a continuous search for synthesis, tending towards abstraction, and their return to the Society of Arts, where he exhibited in the 1950s, honours his enduring legacy.
Falzon’s work blends playfulness and provocation, constructing narratives by collaging diverse images and texts. Recently, he has focused on painting domestic plants and gardens, exploring humanity’s innate connection to nature, biophilia, and reflecting on the altered perceptions and behaviours shaped by post-pandemic life, merging artistic expression with contemporary experience.
Visitors are invited to linger and engage, with objects displayed alongside the paintings, celebrating the richness of Maltese artistic heritage.
After my visit, I reached out to both Privitelli and Falzon. Both were very approachable, helping me explore the exhibition in new ways.
A rare encounter not to be missed – Preca, one of Malta’s greats, face to face with Falzon, a contemporary artist who carries his inspiration forward.
The exhibition runs until September 18, and entrance is free.
Read more about the exhibition in this Times2 interview with Falzon.
