The Grand Harbour’s silent call
Harboured, as a title for an exhibition, could subliminally direct the viewer to different interpretations. SARAH CALLEJA talks to Joseph Agius about her current exhibition at Mqabba’s Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq.
JA: The term ‘harbour’ can be used both as a verb and as a noun. The title of your exhibition Harboured, in the past tense, works on many levels. The title evokes a sense of safety, of protection, of enclosure. However, the verb can be used in another context – that of rumination, of keeping inside, to retain and nurture. At first glance, your choice refers to the first definition. In the exhibition’s mission statement, it is stated: “Sarah Calleja’s grandmother’s stories from WW2 and the most awaited convoy of Santa Maria is her earliest nostalgic memory of the Grand Harbour”. Does ‘harbouring’ and ruminating on these anecdotes also factor in the choice of title?
SC: The subject of the exhibition, which is that of works inspired from the scenes along the shores of the Grand Harbour, was chosen prior to the name. I paint outside and, for some reason, I kept returning to this area. I knew that the works needed to be varied, showing both the industrial and urban but, most of all,...