Zack Ritchie, an artist and illustrator with an interest to bring the unexpected into Malta’s urban landscape, has announced a partnership with Mercury Towers, which includes a series of contemporary art installations that will find a permanent home within the St Julian’s development.
The series will draw inspiration from Maltese traditional cultural icons, re-imagined with a contemporary twist, with “a promise to help reinvigorate Malta’s cultural heritage.”
The so-called monuments, which will be large-scale and cast in bronze, will be located in and around the public spaces of Mercury Towers. In keeping with the artist’s playful style, the collection will feature a cast of lively characters, intended to bring enjoyment to the public, as well as provide educational value about the island and its culture to all visitors passing through.
Each character and the story behind it will be revealed once it finds permanent residence within Mercury Towers.
Ritchie’s artistic style is driven by his love for cartoons, which he says were an important part of his childhood, and “inspired possibility and positivity in me.”
Previously, he held a solo exhibition, Malta’s Got Character, inspired by the saying and song, ‘Pajjiz tal-Micky Mouse’, where he explored characters imbued with iconic local elements, such as the luzzu, prickly pear, the Goddess of Fertility, and the eight-pointed Maltese cross.
Main image: Photo by Keith Zammit Cordina – Drawn by Zack Ritchie
