Currently NUVO art & dine is exhibiting the first commemorative exhibition of Ebba von Fersen Balzan organised by her husband Saviour Balzan and Nuvo. The choice of the German restaurant as Saviour said was “significant. It was here that we spent our last suppers together... It was here that we enjoyed some very precious moments.”
Ebba’s Sketchbook was inaugurated by Ingeborg Beggel, Deputy Head of Mission from the German Embassy and Vince Briffa, Artist and Art Director on the 17 June. Friends attended the opening; artists, some of whom worked closely with Ebba, and distinguished guests including Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Labour MP Helena Dalli. Nuvo’s patron chef Stefan Shulte opened the night and invited all guests to savour of his delicacies and Franken red and white wines.
In her speech Beggel compared Ebba’s strength with that of the females fighters fighting during the struggle for the independence of Eritrea. She compared the independent mindedness and perseverance in the Eritrean female fighter to Ebba.
Vince Briffa who knew Ebba spoke about the intimacy an artist’s sketchbook holds.
“To speak about an artist’s sketchbook is really to speak about a person’s compelling desire to draw what he or she observes from life; of someone’s very own personal journal brought about by the gathered experience of this journey we call life.
“A sketchbook provides us with a live record of an artist’s process of visual thinking and reveals the deepest aspects of one’s creative process. Indeed, it finds its parallel in a writer’s urge to describe. A sketchbook is a place where one dialogues with oneself, where one draws, writes and scribbles – it is a descriptive testimonial of some of the most intimate moments of one’s experiences.”
The exhibition, as its title suggests, is made up of 65 sketches chosen arbitrarily by Art student Gulja Holland. These sketches portray mainly Maltese and foreign landscapes in ink, pastels and some in oil. Some of these sketches led to larger works of art. However, some of them are a finished product in themselves.
In his note on his German-Maltese wife and her art, Saviour Balzan wrote: “It is my way of celebrating her memory in a short time since her death.
“Discovering her extensive work in her studio in Malta and Brittany was an experience. It led me to understand the inspiration for many of her studio works which are in themselves too complex to be exhibited without some careful attention to presentation… something I am unable to do by myself. The works here are just a taste of the dozens of her undiscovered sketchbooks.”
He added, “Being with her was a patient but unique experience. I am artistically unable to describe the profoundness of her work. Ebba would always say it is not important to understand a painting – if it conveys an emotion, and you like it or it means something to you – then it means the painting is worth something.”
Vince Briffa ended his speech saying: “We are privileged to witness this collection of pages taken from Ebba’s beloved sketchbooks. Ebba is here presenting us not only with her own live record of the places she’s been to in order to paint or sketch, but is also, through this modest but wonderful collection, showing us her technical and creative resourcefulness; her progression of ideas and investigation into forms, colour and character. Most of all, through such work, Ebba is here laying bare full evidence of her inquiring mind.
“…These private sketches, drawings and paintings are evidence of Ebba’s commitment, conviction, and determination to take the road less traveled.”
Ebba’s Sketchbook can be viewed until 18 September at NUVO art & dine, 104, Zonqor Street, Marsascala.
All proceeds will go to Din l-Art Ħelwa.

For further details about Ebba von Fersen Balzan’s work please contact Saviour Balzan on sbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt

What are some of the highlights of this year's festival?
Around 225 artists, with more than half being Maltese, will be performing this year in the Malta Arts Festival. All performances have something different to offer in their own right, so it’s difficult to point out highlights, really. We have artists of international repute; both Maltese and foreign, and others who are younger, whose talent is of the highest standard and whose performances we are sure will go down well with our ever-growing audiences. This is a balance we always try to maintain: to have established artists performing on the same platform with the more experienced ones.

What did you learn from last year?
Last year we were aware that for the festival to grow it needs acts of international fame. By International I do not mean foreign, but rather, events of a level which will attract attention when one looks at the programme. The Caravaggio: “Quote…Unquote” exhibition featuring five Maltese artists was a case in point, together with Puerto Flamenco of Francesca Grima, Carmine Lauri’s recital with John Alley, the principal keyboard player of the London Symphony Orchestra, the duo featuring cellist Enrico Dindo and pianist Pietro De Maria, and the presence of prominent theatre group Odin Teatret. These gave a certain weight to the festival, which paid back positively this year considering the amount of requests from foreign artists to participate in The Malta Arts festival. That Maltese artists would want to participate in a Maltese festival is obvious, what is an important step forward is the fact that the festival is attracting the attention of artists beyond our shores. This augurs well for the growth of the festival in the future.

In what way will this year's edition be catering to different audiences/age groups?
From the very first edition in 2006 the festival always catered for different audiences and age groups. This third edition is no exception, with events ranging from popular to more avant-garde and research performances. I don’t like the idea of categorising audiences by age group or any other label. Our aim is to present the widest possible range of genres and styles without imposing any particularly. What I mean is that when one is designing a programme of this sort, one has to keep in mind to balance the events as much as possible. What we strongly believe is that as a country Malta needs to promote its own - but not exclusively - contemporary art more vigorously. In order to gain respect on the artistic level, a country needs to promote not only what it already has, but what it produces. Contemporary art is a manifestation of the fact that art is alive and that structures are sound for this to happen. The visual art exhibitions this year by Richard England and Patrick Fenech support our commitment. Moreover, this year we launched the Contemporary Music series, which will feature only contemporary music. The first of three concerts in this series will present music by contemporary Maltese composers, thus proving that this reality is strong in Malta and all it needs is that we believe in it and promote it.

How do you think the various artistic genres are spread out and represented this time around?
Regarding genre and styles, the festival offers a wide spectrum. From classical music to jazz and contemporary music, an acoustic pop gig by local band Chasing Pandora, a choir recital by The New Choral Singers, a spectacular concert called ‘A tribute to the Stars’ and a performance of Egyptian music by virtuoso Oud player Hazeem Shahine; theatre from Shakespeare presented by London’s Globe Theatre to Chekhov produced by Maltese production company Actinghouse Productions and Odin Teatret from Denmark, a Maltese play in English by Vince Vella, a theatrical project celebrating Maltese playwright Francis Ebejjer and street theatre by Spanish group Azar Teatro; dance from the Ballet National de Marseille to Puerto Flamenco’s Apacheando; visual arts by artists Richard England and Patrick Fenech. All these are spread over the 17 days of the festival. Strada, the street party, will be back this year following last year’s success. We are also introducing the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival this year. Maltese pianist Stefan Cassar together with French ensemble Quator Stringendo is this year’s curtain raiser.

What can you tell me about the venues chosen this year? Floriana seems to be a popular new addition...
This year, in fact, we will not be limiting ourselves to Valletta. The Argotti Gardens and the La Vittoria Bastion – Ospizio in Florana will also be used. The latter is a new venue and will be used for the first time during the festival this year. It is part of the gardens within the bastions surrounding Floriana. It’s a very interesting place which is proving to be very inspiring for the artists working in it. Ghar id-dud in Sliema will also be used this year.
There are various foreign acts on the program. What was their reaction to being asked to perform in Malta?
It is rarely a problem to get artists over to Malta. I mean, after overcoming the financial hurdle, it’s amazing how many artists reply that they are looking forward to visit our island. A good example is tenor Ian Bostridge, who will be performing together with pianist Julius Drake. He said that following his studies in history, he is particularly intrigued by his visit to our Island after having read about Malta during his student days. We tend to forget Malta’s rich culture and the fact that artists who visit us are always glad to have experienced it. As much as we look forward to share their art, foreign artists are usually aware of our rich culture and history shows that Malta was always a centre where cultures met and converged. This is in fact one of the aims of the Malta Arts Festival: to act as agent for this process of convergence to carry on.

The Festival’s sponsors include the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, the National Lotteries and Good Causes Fund within the Ministry of Finance, HSBC, BOV, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Valletta Local Council.

Tickets to all events are available online from maltaticket.com, or from any of the following outlets in Malta and Gozo: Exotique, Agenda, Vodafone, Bookends and Newskiosk. For more information and a full programme of events visit to www.maltaculture.com and www.maltaartsfestival.com

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