MARBLE OF THE SENATE. SAND OF THE COLISEUM(2024)

FUTURE: An archaeologist discovers the remnants of a fallen empire. She seeks to recover, reconstruct, and reflect. Stories coated in a film of silt and dust, obscured over time, asking to be retold. What did it all mean, and how did it get here?

Mounds of arid earth give way to what first appears to be the finest marble. But on closer inspection, what lies hidden beneath layers of time are forgotten facsimiles: once semiotic constructs created to denote and connote for your entertainment.

Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?
She soon discovers that this once great civilisation was not built on solid foundations but an illusion. A dream factory turned graveyard.
She seeks to find out what threatened this once-active hive of industry. Sea level rises or other factors related to climate change, perhaps.

No.

A studio eroded by ego. Peacocking. Gatekeepers became infected by greed, transmitting this virus from up above to below the line, until one day, not one crew member was left on the studio floor.
It was as if everyone just upped and left mid-take, with no one to proclaim, “It’s a wrap.”

PRESENT. An artist has created an installation that is speculative in nature, surrounding you with artefacts – or should we say “artefictions.”
Stories coated in a film of silt and dust, obscured in our time, fabricated for your entertainment.

Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?

MARBLE OF THE SENATE. SAND OF THE COLISEUM featured as part of MONUMENT, an exhibition curated by R Gallery.

15th March to 1st May 2023, R Gallery, Malta.

FRANK U JIEN (2024)

VISUALS

Jien u Frank(Frank and I) unfolds as a multifaceted curatorial endeavor led by Andrew Borg Wirth, with narratives by Maria Theuma and developed in collaboration with the Portelli family. This project aims to honor the innovative and boundary-pushing contributions of the celebrated Maltese modern artist, Frank Portelli.

By engaging with Portelli’s extensive archives, this project invites Malta’s vibrant contemporary artists across performing and visual arts to engage audiences with the rich tapestry of Portelli’s life, his artistic milestones, and pivotal moments in the history of Maltese art.

Educated in London and returning to Malta in the 1950s, Portelli was instrumental in founding the Malta Modern Art Circle. ‘Frank u Jien’ delves into the intricate personal, professional, and creative facets of Portelli’s life, offering attendees a nuanced perspective of his era and artistic endeavors, particularly his signature ‘Crystallised Cubism’ and ‘Contours’ styles.

With most events happening in Portelli’s original studio in Attard, which has been recently restored by Valentino Architects and acclaimed at the 2022 World Architecture Festival, the project is a testament to Portelli’s lasting influence. Supported by the Arts Council Malta and Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, ‘Frank u Jien’ is the culmination of extensive research and development.

Curated by Andrew Borg Worth. Written by Maria Theuma. Directed by Becky Camilleri.

WE’LL FIX IT IN
POST (2023)

^{GROUP SHOW}Since the earliest days of cinema, Malta has served as a place of endless movie-making possibilities regarding its seascape, landscape and built environment. Initially drawn here by the blue waters of the Mediterranean, filmmakers quickly realised the potential of Malta’s historic architecture and geological features upon which to superimpose a wide array of narratives. Throughout the decades, Malta grew a sizeable service industry in response, skilfully catering to the needs of film crews while pulling a veil over its own identity. Cloaked in a multitude of guises - from unspecified corners of ancient empires to modern-day settings - Malta has only rarely appeared on screen as itself. “We’ll fix it in post” suspends, above, a solution to the realities of shooting in a location that isn't quite as production designers may have envisioned.

France, Turkey, Libya, Italy - the list of countries Malta has doubled for is long. Most times, the country remains unspoken. In the overlaying of these stories of other places and times, Malta’s own national story must be hidden or outright deleted to make room. Figures instrumental to Malta’s past and present – Prime Ministers George Borg Olivier and Dom Mintoff -may have earned their place in our squares and piazzas. Still, before the cameras roll, they must be draped in a cloak of blue screen to be digitally erased later.

We’ll Fix it in Post featured as part of Far Reach, an exhibition curated by R Gallery.

13th to 27 September 2023, MaHalla Berlin.

BACKLOT(2023)

^{SOLO SHOW}
Since the earliest days of cinema, Malta has served as a place of endless movie-making possibilities in terms of its seascape, landscape and built environment. Initially drawn here by the blue waters of the Mediterranean, filmmakers quickly realised the potential of Malta’s historic architecture and geological features upon which to superimpose a wide array of narratives. Throughout the decades, Malta grew a sizeable service industry in response, skilfully catering to the needs of film crews while pulling a veil over its own identity. Cloaked in a multitude of guises - from unspecified corners of ancient empires to modern-day settings - Malta has only rarely appeared on screen as itself.

Backlot deconstructs and reimagines this island nation Cinecittà and examines how Malta’s malleable landscape and host of resources are used in the creation of fiction watched by audiences the world over.

Combining video work, installation, found objects and site-specific intervention, Backlot seeks to highlight film industry practices, their impact, and tropes while playing with notions of erasure, disguise, and the co-opting of Maltese cultural touchstones in service of another’s story. Through the assemblage of authentic fakes, the juxtaposition of film montage and immersive installation, this re-created 'backlot' is a celebration of Maltese craftsmanship and a playful abstraction of the film industry that continues to visit our shores.

Utilising the skills and services of individuals who work in film in its own creation, Backlot intends to refocus our gaze on Malta, not as a set, but as an internationally known actor, finally in the leading role.

26th May to 25 June 2023, Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Castille Place, Valletta.

BETWEEN SEA AND LAND (2023)

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Curated by Jo Baring.

Building upon A.E. Housman’s (1859-1936) poem Between Sea and Land this virtual exhibition takes inspiration from our relationship with the sea and the fluid boundaries that are created, changed and re-made in the shifting sands in the area between the sea and land.

This liminal place is known as the littoral zone, and is an area of shoreline that is a space where the daily movement of the tides leave physical traces that are made and re-made in a constant cycle of change, of ebb and flow. It is a place of transition and transformation, of covering and uncovering, where the sea and land meet and merge in ever changing boundaries.

BIL-MIXI ĠEJT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF IL-BAMBINU (2023)

^CURATOR

Bil-Mixi Ġejt: The Life and Times of il-Bambinu is an exhibition illuminating the world of the late Mikiel Abela. More popularly known as il-Bambinu, he was one of Malta's most prolific għannejja, known chiefly for his makkjetti and folk ballads. The title is inspired by a line from an improvised verse he famously sang during a performance held in honour of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in the late 1970s. Ever the quick-witted balladeer, he cheekily appealed to the dictator:

Sur Gaddafi tħobb lil Malta

Jien miż-Żejtun bil-mixi ġejt

Nitolbok biex tagħdirna

U fittex raħsilna ż-żejt.

Mr. Gaddafi, You love Malta

I have walked all the way from Żejtun

To implore you to empathize with us

Spare no time in reducing the price of your petrol

The stanza encapsulates Il-Bambinu: a man from a humble background, proud of his nation and who, like all great għannejja, did not shy away from challenging authority.

Audio recordings, film, photography and ephemera expose audiences to Il-Bambinu's music. This exhibition speaks to the significance of his style and storytelling qualities, placing his figure in the social and cultural context of his time. Il-Bambinu's work is firmly rooted in the soil of his homeland. The collection highlights the context in which his work was created, offering audiences a gateway to a Malta that no longer exists. This event aims to build knowledge and appreciation for one of our most beloved folk musicians. It also seeks to highlight Malta's musical traditions and allow future generations the opportunity to access their cultural heritage.

The project is in collaboration with the Magna Żmien Foundation. Images and sound are courtesy of the Magna Żmien Foundation and are sourced from the Ġuża Mifsud Collection.

Curated By: Charlie Cauchi as part of Ritmu Festival.

SHE SAID DARLING WITH A K (2022-2023)

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Katya elicited conflicting feelings from those closest to her, but everyone who knew Katya Saunders agrees on one point – she was a woman who lived her own truth, no matter what.

Juts over three years after her passing, MGRM celebrated Katya’s life with an exhibition that highlights the different facets of one of the first transgender women who broke boundaries in terms of sexual diversity and inclusion in Malta.

Complemented by the launch of her official biography, penned by Ramona Depares, the catalogue of photographs, clothes and memorabilia showcased in this exhibition will take us on a journey to get to know the real Katya.

She Said Darling with a K, 17 December 2022 - 22 January 2023,
Space A, Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Castille Place
Valletta, Malta . Curated by Charlie Cauchi and Romeo Roxman Gatt.

TENDER LOVING CARE (2022)
LADY JANE’$ (2022) SUNSET STRIP (2022)

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The peep show booth is something of a relic of the past. It is often associated with night life
in metropolitan areas. Charlie Cauchi transports us to 1960s Soho, using the intimate form
of address associated with the peep show. She provides the “patron” with a motion picture
viewing experience – this time it is free of charge. Offering a peep behind the curtain, she
explores notions of agency, alliance, and reliance in relation to the female body.

In Lady Jane’$, Charlie weaves together archival footage of strippers attempting to unionize, with a
recent interview with her uncle, who ran a clip joint for a brief period when first moving to
London at the end of the 60s.

In Tender Loving Care, women are at the service of men, in more ways than one.

Sunset Strip hangs above: a ghostly sartorial reminder of these lusty ladies.

The work forms part of Cauchi’s wider Soho project. Her documentary film Of Vice and Men
is currently in production. They were shown as part of The Ordinary Lives of Women, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta. Curated by Elise Billiard Pisani and Margerita Pule.

DRAGO | IT-TVENVIN TA’ “TORNADO TONY” (2022)

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Drago is a play inspired by the life of the legendary Maltese professional snooker and pool player Tony Drago, better known within his own snooker circles as Tornado Tony. Known for his speed around the table, he’s won two professional titles: the 1993 Strachan Challenge Event 3 and the 1996 Guangzhou Masters.

His combination of exceptionally fast play and emotional temperament have made Tony a popular character in the snooker world.

This biographical work will be penned by writer André Mangion, and will focus on the life of the fiery Drago who’s been known to throw around the occasional cue or two. All bets are off for this production.

Writing: André Mangion
Direction and concept: Sean Buhagiar
Art and Audiovisual Direction: Charlie Cauchi
Sound and Video Installation Design: Niels Plotard
Light Design: Andrew Schembri (Late Interactive)
Hair and Make-up Design: Jackie Grima

UNTITLED ROMEO PROJECT

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ONGOING. MALTA

Malta’s transgender community has been underrepresented in the media, particularly Maltese trans men.

This documentary project portrays the male trans experience through the real lived experiences of one of my dearest friends and a truly great artist: Romeo Roxman Gatt.

Romeo is in the early stages of his transition journey. This work documents this important moment in his life.

BIGILLA

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(2021) VIDEO BY CHARLIE CAUCHI AND TOM VAN MALDEREN

Filmed on a roof overlooking a large construction site, BIGILLA layers audio fragments from various media sources with scenes of construction and consumption. Inspired by Sonia Andrade's video Untitled [Beans] from 1975, the artists question their role, identity and position in contemporary Malta, the island they both immigrated to a while ago.

The work echoes their struggles with a home that is increasingly colonized by money and dominated by identity politics, leaving them less and less room to fit in or being heard.

Shown as part of No Ordinary Terrain (Sandra Zaffarese, Aaron Bezzina, Tom Van Malderen, Keit Bonnici), Muza. Valletta, 2021 and Debatable (Is)land __(s), collective exhibition, Casa Stivala, Kalkara, Malta (2021).

ROSA KWIR

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ONGOING ROSA KWIR ARCHIVE AND PROJECT SPACE. MALTA

Working alongside artist Romeo Roxman Gatt on his project revolving around alternative notions of masculinity. It brings together stories of Maltese trans men, non-binary & LBQI masc-presenting people.

It captures some of the conversations had throughout the project, such as reclaiming derogatory terms and the exploration of modern masculinity.
The project coproject spacemprises of a publication, online archive and project space.

Events Include:

Tender and Masculine: Rosa Kwir’s first group show, exclusively showcasing the work of LGBTQI+ artists. The exhibition unpacks the often complex debates on masculinities but does so from a queer standpoint. By pairing the word masculine with an adjective like tender, the provocation establishes a more nuanced and gentler approach to discussing masculinity. Exhibiting Artists: Amy Pennington, Carlos Maria Romero aka Atabey, Dagmar Bosma, El Hardwick and Orion Isaacs, Elio Mercer, Harry Hachmeister, Heather Glazzard, Jasmine Johnson, June Lam, Luca Bosani, Lucinda Purkis, Remi Graves.

Mykki Blanco Live: Rosa Kwir, in collaboration with Bewyld, hosted acclaimed rapper, performance artist, and activist, Mykki Blancofor Euro Pride 2023.

Mykki Blanco is a force to be reckoned with in the world of music and performance art. Having collaborated with icons like Madonna, Teyana Taylor, Michael Stipe, and Blood Orange, Mykki's work transcends boundaries and defies categorisation.

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AUGUST 16TH 2020, GRAND HARBOUR, VALLETTA, MALTA.

Part of the biannual Pageants of the Seas, Il-Mappa was a one-time audio-visual installation using 60 sailing boats and set in Valletta’s Grand Harbour. Under the Artistic Direction of Chris Baldwin, Il-Mappa focused on the lived experience of Valletta residents and artisans working in the city, particularly work tied to hands, such as guilders, engineers, silversmiths and bell ringers.

Projections by visual artist Charlie Cauchi and coordinated and lit by Petko Tanchev. Motion graphic design: Andres Algeciras. Music composed by Andrew Alamango. The show, produced and commissioned by Valletta Cultural Agency

^{SCHEHERAZADE (2019)}

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2019-2020, VALLETTA CONTEMPORARY, VALLETTA, MALTA.

Welcome to 1970s Soho. Welcome to the Scheherazade nightclub where everything is for sale. Step right up for an evening of debauchery, of beauty, of brutality and an introduction to a Maltese criminal underworld that makes bank from bodies.

A solo show at Valletta Contemporary, artist Charlie Cauchi drew from the histories of a violent episode in London’s club scene, where Maltese vice bosses laid on entertainment for party-goers that came at a high price for those entangled in its production.

As a London-born woman of Maltese descent, Cauchi has woven stories of Maltese migration and the role of female protagonists in a male world of organised crime into a number of previous works, but Scheherazade represents the largest scale examination of this to date.

Ocula; Flash Art.

SEMPRE VIVA (2018)

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2018, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE PROMOTION, VALLETTA, MALTA.

A large volume fills a courtyard. You may walk around or enter inside. There is a looped video work; a conversation to join, and there are people to meet. Sempre Viva was a three-screen projection of archival material and documentary footage shot in the homes, clubs, workplaces, and neighbourhoods of an inter-generational Maltese diaspora across the UK, the USA and Canada.

This site-specific work formed part of my ongoing Latitude 36 project. Sempre Viva continued the trans-media journey, collecting and disseminating stories of identity, migration and belonging through a collaborative artistic practice. Revealing both personal and collective narratives, Sempre Viva travelled the globe seeking tales of what it means to leave home.

The findings are broad, and the exchange is informal. Stand, or sit; join for as little or as long as you wish. Sempre Viva was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malta. A version of the work has been acquired by Malta’s national community gallery MUZA in 2019.

LATITUDE 36 (2018)

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2018, BLITZ, VALLETTA, MALTA

Part exhibition, part installation, Latitude 36 consisted of a mixture of visual art practices to examine a few past and present Maltese migration stories.

Arranged around the architecture of the ‘townhouse’ structure that is Blitz, Latitude 36 appropriated each room in the gallery to tell a different story.

The work shifted focus onto the Maltese immigration experience from a Maltese standpoint.

Latitude 36 also included a number of live conponents, taking place around the city of Valletta during the cities stint as European Capital of Culture in 2018. Several international performance artists were commissioned or collaborated on the Latitude 36 project in 2018.

CURATED PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

*SH!T THEATRE:'Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats'***

Award-winning performance art duo Sh!t Theatre created a new work for Latitude 36. The duo visited Malta in May to research and develop their brand new show Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats.

Celebrating their final year as Europeans, island-monkeys Becca and Louise wanted to talk about home, your home, what we are doing in your home, what you might be doing in your home and how cheap the beers are here. They conducted their R&D at The Pub, Valletta from May 28th to June 3rd and dig deeper into coming and going: who exactly should come and who gets to go.

Using their unique investigative powers, a final scratch performance was created and shown in Malta in October 2018.

FOXY AND HUSK: 'ISLAND FOX'

Foxy and Husk collaborated on a commissioned project to make a new piece of work for Latitude 36.

Foxy and Husk is a playful performance artist who likes to sing, dance and hibernate. A lip-synch artist, Foxy and Husk is currently working with the Maltese diaspora in the UK and British diaspora in Malta to create a new audio-visual work entitled ‘Island Fox’.

Half human, half animal, Foxy creates full length shows, interactive installations, short films and cabaret turns. Her work is rooted in social research, she collects stories from members of the public, edits, overlaps and then re-presents them through her unique style of lip-sync.

ROSANA CADE: 'WALKING: HOLDING'

Walking:Holding invited audiences to walk hand in hand with a series of very different local strangers. It is a participatory performance for one audience member at a time, offering a gentle meditation on identity, touch and intimacy in urban public space.

NICK CASSENBAUM: ‘BUBBLE SCHMESIS’

Playwright and performer Nick Cassenbaum describes a trip to the shvitz in Canning Town with his granddad.

He intersperses this account with tales of growing up in a family of Essex Jews, going to see Tottenham Hotspur with his dad (and not enjoying himself much), and attending Jewish summer camp

The autobiographical material is accompanied by live klezmer music, performed by Dan Gouly and Josh Middleton.

FROM PURITY TO PERVERSION (2017)

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2017. FRAGMENTA, VALENTINE HALL, HAMRUN, MALTA.

“From Purity to Perversion” presents a kaleidoscopic and absurdist reconfiguration of the feminine. On invitation of FRAGMENTA, Charlie Cauchi playfully weaves together archival images, home-movie footage, personal and found artefacts, memorabilia, textures and sounds to explore notions of femininity on the island of Malta. Expect edible delights and tipple from the nipple.