Patricia Abela hija artista Awstraljana bbażata fil-Blue Mountains. Patricia studjat l-Arti Viżwali fl-Università ta’ Newcastle u għandha Baċċelerat fl-Arti tal-Arti Viżiva u Diploma fl-Arti Viżiva (rebħet il-Jean Wright Memorial Scholarship). Hija għandha wkoll Diploma tal-Edukazzjoni permezz tal-Università ta’ Western Sydney.
Jien ta’ nisel Malti u Awstraljan tal-ewwel ġenerazzjoni. Il-ġenituri tiegħi kienu ġardinara li emigraw minn Malta lejn l-Awstralja f’nofs is-sittinijiet. Trabbejt fi ġnien tas-suq fl-Awstralja u ngawdi l-ġardinaġġ bħala passatemp. Insib il-bushland Awstraljana ta’ ispirazzjoni peress li hija unika u differenti f’tant partijiet tal-Awstralja. Għandi passjoni għall-ambjent u l-prattika tal-arti tiegħi tirrifletti dak li qed jiġri lil uħud mill-flora u l-flora li huma fil-periklu jew mhedda fid-dinja.
Jien ispirata min-natura, l-arti u l-komunità li jingħaqdu biex jagħmlu differenza pożittiva u bidla ambjentali fid-dinja.
Nittama li ningħaqqad mal-komunità Maltija u mal-parteċipanti neqsin mid-dawl billi noħloqu installazzjoni li tutilizza tekniki ta’ insiġ tradizzjonali u kontemporanji. Qed nittama li nkun kapaċi naqsam il-ħiliet u l-għarfien tiegħi biex imbagħad niżviluppa l-ideat tiegħi aktar waqt li nkun waqt ir-residenza. Ninsab ħerqana li nkun nista’ nara l-installazzjoni f’esebizzjoni fil-Valletta Design Cluster u naqsam kif ukoll niċċelebra l-kisbiet ta’ dawk li pparteċipaw fil-workshops. It-tama tiegħi hi li noħloq ħbiberiji u konnessjonijiet ġodda mal-wirt Malti tiegħi u li ngħin biex nispira lill-komunità Maltija biex tara kemm hi importanti li naħdmu flimkien għall-bidla ambjentali u s-sostenibbiltà.
Ix-xogħol tal-arti tagħha jirreaġixxi ħafna għas-sbuħija sublimi tal-Park Nazzjonali tal-Muntanji Blu elenkat fil-Wirt Dinji u l-fraġilità tiegħu. Patricia tesplora l-kunċetti tan-natura temporanja tal-ħajja u l-permanenza tal-mewt billi tuża materjali naturali u oġġetti misjuba. Din it-tranżizzjoni mill-ħajja għall-mewt hija rappreżentata f’forom ta’ skulturi u tpinġijiet li jinkorporaw is-saħħa u l-qawwa spiritwali. Il-materjali naturali huma simbolu tal-impermanenza tal-ħajja.
Il-prattika tal-għoqod minn Patricia hija riflessjoni tal-prattiki tradizzjonali fin-Nofsinhar tal-Paċifiku billi jiffurmaw oġġetti bl-idejn permezz ta’ materjali misjuba fl-ambjent.
Din it-tradizzjoni hija mħallta ma’ kunċetti tal-Punent ta’ skala u forma biex jinħolqu oġġetti kemm familjari kif ukoll mhux magħrufa. Din tibbilanċja kemm l-effimeralità kif ukoll il-permanenza. Għalliema tal-arti u l-istudji, Patricia ffaċilitat proġetti tal-arti fil-Vanuatu. Hija l-fundatriċi u direttriċi tal-Vanuatu Art Project (VAP).
Patricia Abela is an Australian artist based in the Blue Mountains. Patricia studied Visual Arts at the University of Newcastle and has a Bachelor of Arts Visual Arts and a Diploma of Visual Arts (winning the Jean Wright Memorial Scholarship). She also has a Diploma of Education through the University of Western Sydney.
I am of Maltese descent and first generation Australian. My parents were market gardeners that immigrated from Malta to Australia in the mid 1960’s. I grew up in a market garden in Australia and enjoy gardening as a hobby. I find the Australian bushland incredibly inspiring as it is unique and different in so many parts of Australia. I have a passion for the environment and my art practice reflects what is happening to some of the flora and flora that is endangered or threatened in the world.
I am inspired by nature,art and community coming together to make a positive difference and environmental change in the world.
I hope to connect with the Maltese community and visually impaired participants by creating an installation that utilises traditional and contemporary weaving techniques. I am hoping to be able to share my skills and knowledge and then develop my ideas further whilst on residency. I look forward to being able to view the installation on exhibition at the Valletta Design Cluster and share and celebrate the achievements of those who participated in the workshops. My hope is to create new friendships and connections to my Maltese heritage and to help inspire the Maltese community to see how important working together is for environmental change and sustainability.
Her artwork is highly responsive to the sublime beauty of the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park and its fragility. Patricia explores the concepts of the transient nature of life and the permanence of death using natural materials and found objects. This transition from life to death is represented in sculptural forms and drawings that embody strength and a spiritual power. The natural materials are a symbol of the impermanence of life.
The practice of knotting by Patricia is a reflection of traditional practices in the South Pacific of forming objects by hand through materials found in the environment.
This tradition is melded with Western concepts of scale and form to create objects both familiar and unknowable. It balances both ephemerality and permanence. A teacher of art and studies, Patricia has facilitated art projects in Vanuatu. She is the founder and director of the Vanuatu Art Project (VAP).