INDEX:
1: Introduction
3: Exhibition
4: Publication
Holey is an exhibition by curated by Matthew and Julia Galea. Holey featured the works of: Caesar Attard, Matthew Attard, Aaron Bezzina, Isaac Bezzina, Kane Cali, Rachelle Deguara, Madeleine Fenwick, Courtney Florian, Julia Galea, Matyou Galea, Patrick Galea, Pierre Portelli, Sasha Vella
This show loosely follows the concept ideated for Ħudha (2019) as an independent, artist led pop up exhibition with no funding or institutional backing. All works presented were specifically made for the show (apart from one). Whilst hard to point at decisively and quantify, there is a half hypothesis that the nature of the work is very different to what the artists (especially the more established ones) show in other exhibitions. Like in Ħudha there was a healthy mix of established practitioners and those who exhibited their work for the first time. Fun fact, there were 4 couples exhibiting together in the show.
The show was held in Mdina in what were former stables used by the knights. Because of this any intervention in the space had to be minimal and completely reversible.
Holey came with a digital catalogue (and a very limited print run) that picked up on the homogenisation of language in artistic discourse driven by LLM’s. It was written as a caricature of artistic calls and rationales that flooded social media in 2023. The language used targets some very obvious references, but it’s the kind of thing where if you know, you know. Whilst certainly more domesticated as an attempt at an “underground show” the subversive nature of the show is still felt.