Maltese artist, Paul Cassar, will once again present his vivid and expressive palette in a new exhibition entitled “60.”
The title “60” refers to Paul Cassar’s sixtieth birthday this January and is also dedicated to the memory of his elder brother, Joseph, who was also sixty years old when he passed away. Paul honours his brother with the portrait “Remembering Joseph (il-Kuċċ) My Brother 2025”, a vivid work in his signature style that commemorates Joseph’s cheerful personality and love of music.
This exhibition emerged from an especially difficult period in Paul’s life, during which he lost three loved ones within a single year: his elder brother and both of his parents. This experience has led to a transformation in his artistic direction, with transcendence now becoming a central theme in his work.
The artist has also adopted a highly symbolic format for this exhibition, with all paintings measuring 60 x 60 centimetres. This format refers to both his and his brother’s sixtieth year and creates a strong and cohesive visual impact across the exhibition.
Several works explore transcendental themes, revealing a new preoccupation with souls, the afterlife and the idea of bridges between different planes of existence. These ideas are expressed in paintings such as “Timeless Bridge,” “Reaching Eternal,” and “Eternal Echoes.”
This transcendental focus extends Paul’s long-standing fascination with the cosmos. His interest in vastness and what lies beyond, previously evident in works such as “Until the End of Time” from an earlier exhibition, now expands into reflections on the infinity of eternity.
Paul’s dedication to vivid colour, abstract forms—including abstraction in landscapes—and intense light is once again evident in this latest body of work. A notable development, however, is the introduction of gold and golden yellow tones, which appear strikingly in works such as “Timeless Bridge,” “Melody from Roman Cave is Coming…,” “Eternal Symphonic Energy,” and “Time Melange.”
In Byzantine art, gold symbolised heavenly glory and divine light, and in this exhibition, even paintings not overtly centred on transcendence are connected to the eternal and the otherworldly through these luminous hues.
The exhibition also highlights Paul’s long-standing interest in organic forms. Spirals, growth and renewal come to the forefront once more, this time linked to the afterlife and the cycle of the soul.
The Tree of Life motif—a powerful symbol of growth, strength, continuity and eternal connection—appears in “Tree of a Child into Eternal Soul.” Other works, such as “Eternal Nexus Ocean to Cosmos,” connect the cosmos with the vastness of a life-filled ocean, while “Chromatic Awakening” re-imagines plant life in a way that creates an atmosphere of contemplative, reflective serenity.
The exhibition features Paul’s signature abstracts, abstracted seascapes and landscapes, including the outstanding “Seas of Mystery,” as well as more traditional landscapes. His self-portrait is once again among the highlights of the exhibition. These self-portraits reflect the introspective nature of an artist who is a poet both on canvas and on the written page, two passions that complement and enrich one another.
The exhibition will be held at the art gallery within Creative Expressions at Bishop Emmanuel Galea Street in Żejtun and will be available until 9th February.
“60” presents Paul Cassar’s poetic imagination and emotional honesty in a powerful synthesis of technical mastery, philosophical reflection and passion for colour. The exhibition captures an artist confronting life, loss, renewal and the nature of eternity at a pivotal moment in his life.
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