English
Migration Nation is an extensive project and exhibition thinking through the human impact of climate migration by London-based Maltese artist Iella.
Migration Nation is an extensive project and exhibition thinking through the human impact of climate migration by London-based Maltese artist Iella.
Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity are now a reality for large numbers of people around the world, many of whom have no choice but to leave their homes in search of safety. Migration Nation is a direct reaction to this reality, and an attempt to attach a humanity and emotion to events which seem so vast and incalculable as to be beyond our understanding. Barn Swallows (Huttafa) and other birds take the place of peoples in transit, as their journeys unfold, in a narrative which runs through the exhibition.
Through large-scale acrylic paintings and intricate etchings, Iella offers a moving portrayal of the human experience of displacement; her imagery evokes a deep empathy for the displaced, highlighting the shared struggles of humanity across borders.
Alongside Iella's work, invited artist Christian de Souza Jensen (aka SeaPuppy) shows a new animated work, echoing its call for climate justice and a humane treatment of migrants. Towards the end of the exhibition path, the installation created in a collaboration with the Malta Community of Illustrators, is reflective of a collaborative instinct in which the physical act of building a structure from many contributions can also be seen as a call for solidarity and empathy with those less fortunate than ourselves. The public is invited to interact and contribute to this piece.
The works in this exhibition were created in London where the artist lives and in Sydney during an extended residency in 2023, but a link with Malta is retained through references to the luzzu, to Mediterranean shorelines, and to birds which stop on our islands during their long migration. The story told is universal, and the problems posed are existential; not only for the human race, but for life on this planet as we know it.
Creative team:
Artist and project management: Iella (Daniela Attard)
Curator: Margerita Pulè
Invited artist: SeaPuppy (Christian de Souza Jensen)
Collaborators: Malta Community of Illustrators, Clara Azzopardi, Zoe Briffa, Jessica Cutajar, Shanice
Farrugia, Kath Flask, Miriam Galea, Mel Grech, Zoe Marsh, Ellie Scerri, Matthew Schembri, Moira
Scicluna Zahra, Naomi Smith, Steffi Venturi, Kyle Xuereb Cunningham
Curator: Margerita Pulè
Invited artist: SeaPuppy (Christian de Souza Jensen)
Collaborators: Malta Community of Illustrators, Clara Azzopardi, Zoe Briffa, Jessica Cutajar, Shanice
Farrugia, Kath Flask, Miriam Galea, Mel Grech, Zoe Marsh, Ellie Scerri, Matthew Schembri, Moira
Scicluna Zahra, Naomi Smith, Steffi Venturi, Kyle Xuereb Cunningham
Supported by Arts Council Malta
Malti
Migration Nation hija magħmula minn proġett estensiv u wirja li tħares lejn l-impatt tal-bniedem fuq
id-dinja minħabba l-migrazzjoni klimatika, xogħol l-artista Maltija Iella li tgħix Londra.
Min ma semax jew ġarrabx il-livelli tal-ibħra telgħin, avvenimenti ta’ temp estrem, u l-iskarsar tar-
riżorsi naturali? Dawn saru parti mill-ħajja ta’ ħafna nies madwar id-dinja kollha. Ħafna drabi, dawn
ma jkollhomx għażla oħra għajr jitilqu minn darhom u jfittxu ambjenti aktar siguri. Migration Nation
tindirizza din ir-realtà. Tagħmel dan billi tinterpreta b’mod uman, mimili emozzjoni, ġrajjiet li huma
kbar, inkalkulabbli u ta’ spiss mhux mifhuma sew. Il-ħuttaf u għasafar oħra jieħdu post il-bnedmin
bħala vjaġġaturi li jakkumpanjawna tul il-wirja.
Migration Nation hija magħmula minn proġett estensiv u wirja li tħares lejn l-impatt tal-bniedem fuq
id-dinja minħabba l-migrazzjoni klimatika, xogħol l-artista Maltija Iella li tgħix Londra.
Min ma semax jew ġarrabx il-livelli tal-ibħra telgħin, avvenimenti ta’ temp estrem, u l-iskarsar tar-
riżorsi naturali? Dawn saru parti mill-ħajja ta’ ħafna nies madwar id-dinja kollha. Ħafna drabi, dawn
ma jkollhomx għażla oħra għajr jitilqu minn darhom u jfittxu ambjenti aktar siguri. Migration Nation
tindirizza din ir-realtà. Tagħmel dan billi tinterpreta b’mod uman, mimili emozzjoni, ġrajjiet li huma
kbar, inkalkulabbli u ta’ spiss mhux mifhuma sew. Il-ħuttaf u għasafar oħra jieħdu post il-bnedmin
bħala vjaġġaturi li jakkumpanjawna tul il-wirja.
Pitturi kbar bl-akriliku u xogħol ta’ tnaqqix elaborat magħmula minn Iella jiftħulna panorami ta’
ċaqlieq epokali. Ix-xbihat iqanqlu fina ħsus ta’ empatija għal min jitlef daru u jagħfsu fuq l-isfidi
komuni tal-umanità.
Flimkien ma’ xogħol Iella l-artist mistieden Christian de Souza Jensen (magħrfuf bħala SeaPuppy) ser
juri xogħol animat ġdid. Xogħlu jtenni s-sejħa għall-ġustizzja klimatika u mġieba xierqa lejn il-
migranti. F’xogħol imtella’ flimkien mal-Komunità Maltija tal-Illustraturi, tmiem il-wirja tirrifletti istint
kollaborattiv frott tal-att fiżiku tal-bini ta’ struttura permezz ta’ ħafna kontribuzzjonijiet li jwasslu l-
messaġġ ta’ solidarjetà u empatija lejn min hu anqas ixxurtjat minna. Il-pubbliku mistieden jagħti
sehmu f’dil-istallazzjoni.
Ix-xogħol tal-wirja nħoloq Londra u Sydney, fejn l-artista qattgħet residenza twila fl-2023. Malta
għandha sehem permezz ta’ referenzi għax-xtut Mediterranji, il-luzzi u l-għasafar li jpassu minn fuq
Malta. Din hija storja universali dwar problemi eżistenzjali, dwar il-bniedem u kull ħlejqa f’did-dinja.
Tim kreattiv:
Artista u maniġment tal-proġett: Iella (Daniela Attard)
Kuratriċi: Margerita Pulè
Artist mistieden: SeaPuppy (Christian de Souza Jensen)
Kollaboraturi: il-Komunità Maltija tal-Illustraturi, Clara Azzopardi, Zoe Briffa, Jessica Cutajar, Shanice
Farrugia, Kath Flask, Miriam Galea, Mel Grech, Zoe Marsh, Ellie Scerri, Matthew Schembri, Moira
Scicluna Zahra, Naomi Smith, Steffi Venturi, Kyle Xuereb Cunningham
Imtella’ bl-appoġġ tal-Kunsill Malti għall-Arti