Visions of the self through our heritage and its future

Abstract

Artists always sought to capture nature in their work and express the perceptions of the socio-ecopolitical climate of the time. In his recent collection of paintings, Fabio Borg provides a moral and symbolic understanding of the social condition of what surrounds him and depicts the spiritual significance of nature in its context today. His latest collection signifies the harmony of the topographical landscapes and a sort of apocalyptic and dramatic interpretation of our local architecture and rural areas in Malta. This is achieved through the use of bold contrasting colours and chiaroscuro. We mainly judge Borg’s paintings for their formal aesthetic qualities but there is more than that. The artist proposes landscapes not just for viewing the beauty of our priceless natural and built heritage, but also as a reminder that they are in danger of being lost. In a number of his paintings one can see the traditional Maltese facade with the typical colourful wooden balconies, rustic doors and narrow streets, which as we know are being replaced with concrete and steels structures.