With a commanding artistic programme all year long, Spazju Kreattiv is honouring women, their work and their talents throughout the month of March in celebration of International Women’s Day. Visual art exhibitions, theatre and performances, as well as cinema screenings featuring strong female leads are all part of the programme, with the capacity to leave a lasting impact. Discover the line-up.
Visual art
Small Bones of Courage
Complex themes of self-identity and personal geography are at the heart of Small Bones of Courage, a collective exhibition curated by Najlaa El-Ageli and Margerita Pulè, featuring the works of women artists who share an intimate experience of dislocation or a fragmented memory.
Artists Afsoon (UK/Iran), Aya Al Barghathy (Libya), Sam Alekksandra (Malta), Charlie Cauchi (Malta), Ioulia Chante (Greece), Malak Elghuel (Libya/UK), Maria Kasaab (Lebanon), Esmeralda Kosmatopulos (Greece/France), Sarah Smahane (Morocco/France) and Sandra Zaffarese (Malta) chart their own identity, creating connections between old and new knowledge through memory and experience.
“Their work reflects a universal poetic landscape; that of the jagged terrain of the heart and the distant vistas of memory,” the event states. “Small bones of courage emerge, as infinitely personal acts of tenacity are remembered. Each artist’s story is a physical and individual form of migration.” From 7th March-27th April.
Fragments
Artist Mariah Borg draws viewers into her immersive, multi-sensory exhibition that explores the non-linear process of healing from adversity through large-scale paintings and digital animation. Fragments engages viewers on multiple levels, where the artist’s work seeks to encourage reflection on personal experiences and the universality of resilience.
The exhibition, curated by Raphael Vella, explores both the setbacks and the progress made throughout the various stages of healing, depicting ‘in-between moments’ of realisation and action, with the aim of fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of human resilience. Until 30th March.
Theatre
Blanket Ban
Described by Time Out as “theatre birthed out of exasperation and you leave fired up to fight for women’s rights”, long-time friends Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella have thrilled audiences beyond our shores with their performance in Blanket Ban, produced by Chalk Line Theatre, which premiered in Malta last week.
Written and performed by them, Davinia and Marta delve into the repercussions of Malta’s abortion laws through interviews and extensive research they carried out with Maltese women, documenting real life stories and experiences and inviting the audience to reflect on the country’s status on this subject. “We’re excited to bring our show home,” says Marta. “We’re also nervous because it’s obviously a hard topic to put forward, but I think above all, we’re extremely honoured.” 7th-9th, 14th-16th March.
The Last Lamentation
In The Last Lamentation by Valentina Medda, a group of 12 women perform a ritual, which they invite the audience to participate in, that acts as a funeral for the Mediterranean, seen as a place of waiting, suspension and passing away. With their backs towards the audience, the performers punctuate the landscape with their dark presence.
“The ritual is made of a repetitive and hypnotic vocal and choreographic score that reworks ritual codes into contemporary forms, a pre-verbal language connecting the mourners to the surrounding environment and its living beings,” the event states – a performance inspired by the ancient tradition of professional mourners, which connects the lament of Sardinia – the artist’s birthplace – with that of the neighbouring countries. 27th March.
Cinema
I'm Still Here
In this political biographical drama, I’m Still Here – based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir of the same name – the story of Eunice Paiva unfolds, a mother of five and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, dissident politician Rubens Paiva, during the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s. The film received critical acclaim and won Best International Feature Film, becoming the first-ever Brazilian-produced film to win an Academy Award. 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 22nd, 28th March.
War Paint – Women at War
In War Paint – Women at War, a feature documentary film by Margy Kinmonth, the trailblazing role of women war artists on the front lines around the world and championing the female perspective on conflict through art comes under the spotlight.
Artists featured include Dame Rachel Whiteread, Zhanna Kadyrova, Maggi Hambling, Assil Diab, Dame Laura Knight, Marcelle Hanselaar, Cornelia Parker, Maya Lin, Shirin Neshat and Lee Miller. This entirely female cast of contributors seeks to tell vital truths in turbulent times. 30th March.
