WHERE THE WILD RIVER SLIPS
TARCIS FENECH
7–24 MAY

In their debut solo exhibition Where the Wild River Slips, multi-media artist Tarcis Fenech presents a series of otherworldly sculptures. The forms in this collection reimagine the cultural symbols of their Maltese heritage and Catholic upbringing. Working with earthenware clay, Fenech uses sprig moulds pressed from shells to create organic textures that feel ancient. Synthetic embellishments punctuate the series–a loving nod to the gaudy aesthetics of their background and sources of inspiration.

This series draws from a realm within Fenech’s psychological landscape: an imagined sacred site where water flows into the sea and is subsumed by the infinite. Here, time distorts. Nostalgic memories collapse into apocalyptic tomorrows. Playful castles emerge from hands that yearn, giving way to haunted shrines steeped in grief. Ethereal forms suggest a strange practicality, implying ceremonial function within this bizarre domain. These sacred objects are intended as companions, sharing in melancholy and joy, and stimulating ritual and reflection as one reconciles the past and faces an uncertain future.