Aħmar Ħelu w’Qares (Bittersweet Red) is artist Darren Tanti’s instinctive reaction to the most profound moments in his life; the incredible joy of blossoming life and the deep stoic sadness in the face of looming death. These events are very ‘unique’, but in the wider context of life, they are universal and frequent. Every unique story has been lived over and over again and shall be relived for innumerable times, and art is the proof of it.
Inspired by this reflection, Tanti’s works manifest the interaction between past and present. The large paintings permeate the space at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq, inviting the viewer to feel engulfed within the artist’s thoughts and feelings. Most of the paintings presented are ‘reproductions’ of paintings from the past, artworks made by other artists in other centuries that show, in a way or another, the ongoing loop of human experiences.
The artworks are mainly mixed media that is black colour pencil, white chalk and oil on canvas. In certain moments, the images are subtly revealed through the layers of colour, and in other moments the images reveal properties reminiscent of Rorschach inkblot. These moments of digression from the original source are the links between the past and the present, the experiences and reflections of our predecessors and the ones the artist has been through fused together.
Where: il-Kamra ta’ Fuq, 4, New Life Bar, Church Square, Mqabba Daily: 6am – noon
