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Take me home by Daniela Attard
Exhibition runs: 29 July - 2 August 2021, Thu-Sun 11-8pm, Mon 9-1pm Private view: Wednesday 28th July 12-6pm Opening night: Wednesday 28th July, 6-9pm Debut solo show by UK-based Maltese illustrator and designer iella (Daniela Attard) focusing on leaving home, long-distance relationships, life in constant transit and the phases in-between. Taking place in Malta, London and Sydney this exhibition will travel to key places which inspired and pivoted the work produced. |
"Over the past few years I have struggled with the concept of home and belonging to one place. This is a common problem that comes with leaving your home country to develop and find one’s place in the world.
My home country of Malta is a small and isolated island in the Mediterranean which is still tarnished by conservative views and rampant corruption which permeates the land and ethos of the country.
Like many young people I left Malta in 2012 with the original intention to pursue a masters degree and specialise in a field. I began to experience moments of
homesickness which I dealt with by drawing and making more work. I could never fully fit into British culture, even to this day, but I have learned to use my differences as strength.
I have formed many types of relationships along the way, especially one major one which lead me to travel extensively to the other side in the world, namely Australia - a country with the largest Maltese diaspora.
I will translate these personal experiences into complex drawings that reflect key lessons and experiences from the past few years, exploring complex themes of homesickness, nostalgia and trying to find one’s place in the world.
The work will feature highly detailed figurative work rendered primarily in pencil, along with a selection of sketchbooks and travel sketches.
Malta, the United Kingdom and Australia (and several other places in between) have all shaped my artistic and personal growth and is part of the main reasons to why this exhibition has been designed to ‘travel’. Overall this is a visual story about grief and resilience. The exhibition is named after John Denver’s Take me home, Country Roads, a song I personally dislike but that inspires an intense feeling of nostalgia. " Text by Daniela Attard
The exhibition is supported by the Malta Arts Fund.
My home country of Malta is a small and isolated island in the Mediterranean which is still tarnished by conservative views and rampant corruption which permeates the land and ethos of the country.
Like many young people I left Malta in 2012 with the original intention to pursue a masters degree and specialise in a field. I began to experience moments of
homesickness which I dealt with by drawing and making more work. I could never fully fit into British culture, even to this day, but I have learned to use my differences as strength.
I have formed many types of relationships along the way, especially one major one which lead me to travel extensively to the other side in the world, namely Australia - a country with the largest Maltese diaspora.
I will translate these personal experiences into complex drawings that reflect key lessons and experiences from the past few years, exploring complex themes of homesickness, nostalgia and trying to find one’s place in the world.
The work will feature highly detailed figurative work rendered primarily in pencil, along with a selection of sketchbooks and travel sketches.
Malta, the United Kingdom and Australia (and several other places in between) have all shaped my artistic and personal growth and is part of the main reasons to why this exhibition has been designed to ‘travel’. Overall this is a visual story about grief and resilience. The exhibition is named after John Denver’s Take me home, Country Roads, a song I personally dislike but that inspires an intense feeling of nostalgia. " Text by Daniela Attard
The exhibition is supported by the Malta Arts Fund.