Lewis Zammit features art exhibit titled ‘Emerging Dimensions’ at The Phoenicia Malta

Lewis Zammit, a Maltese art educator and artist, is currently exhibiting a new series of abstract paintings in the Palm Court Lounge at The Phoenicia Malta.

This exhibition, titled ‘Emerging Dimensions’, comes eight years after his most recent solo exhibition. It is curated by Charlene Vella and is open throughout the month of March.

The paintings emerged from perceptively studying his surroundings while continually questioning elements that are basic to everyday life.

Mr Zammit is of the belief that in the quiet space of one’s minds, “we navigate in our universe of emotions.” Such thoughts and emotions were translated into his non-representational painting.

The abstract pieces possess a main preoccupation with space, and the contradiction between form and space, void versus solid.

In addition, Mr Zammit believes that space can become form and that form can be part of space. This was the starting point for each composition, where the forms are as important as what may at first appear to be empty spaces in these paintings.

The spaces are more pronounced in some paintings than in others, and provide significance in terms of meaning, but they are also important compositionally.

Meanwhile, ill-defined boundaries executed in the sfumato technique intentionally blur the division between these forms and spaces, perhaps being indicative of all the unknowns.

Compared to other exhibitions, Mr Zammit’s latest is more subdued in tone and colour. Earthy tones and cold colours predominate, merging across the oil on panel paintings as undulating lines that are sometimes bolder than others.

Some paintings carry more depth in the physical sense since Mr Zammit often applies texture to the painting that he builds himself.

Mr Zammit explained that, for him, painting is a form of meditation. He states that “to explore the inner universe is to embark on a journey of self-discovery.”

Although his paintings may appear to represent outer space, Mr Zammit explains that nature is the starting point to all of his paintings.