Bricolage: an exhibition by John Paul Azzopardi

John Paul Azzopardi’s work deals with constructs made from a variety of synthetic and organic materials combined together creating a bricolage of intertextuality, thus shaping an arrangement of texts ranging from ancient to contemporary philosophical notions, mythological, and social critique. Existential symbolic expressions are used to reveal hidden psychological structures and phenomenological tensions, thus simultaneously creating a confrontation with contemporary concerns and aesthetics.

Bone – is a collection of fossilized structures that explores the gentle temperance located within the constitution of sound, i.e. its very silent centre. The architectural relationship that oscillates back and forth from the simple and the complex to the living and the dead connects space and form, creating existential structures of interwoven silence. This might confront the spectator with a spectre, the simulacrum of itself that stalls, halts being something in its tracks.

Facing truth, man often does not look. S/he does not see, for instance as when confronting the world, the transient. The rule of words then is that what one sees is what one is, and (to admit) that facing truth, we often see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing…little realizing that this obtains us the golden opportunity to become just exactly that, viz. to be like nothing…which in turn provides us with the further opportunity of doing away with the lethal subject/object diabolical duality seemingly inbuilt into our very thinking processes, our language games and the acquisitive activity that they generate.

Decay – is a collections of works critically examining social conditions manifesting mainly in western culture. Not only do they postulate on issues that are already interwoven in our daily life, but also explores dissonances that in turn generate a deep suspicion leading into the further disintegration and degradation of socio-philosophical notions and their profound meanings.

Mass consumer society unconditionally dissolves meaning and simulates mechanised characteristics creating a hyper reality for contemporary individuals to dwell within. The sea of consumerism continuously creates new needs and interests leaving the dreamer to remain asleep.

The Saṃskāra works refer to the impressions in the mind as they occur in the totality of the events that one faces and lives with constantly. Impressions (positive/negative actions, language, events, and thoughts) leave imprints that become stamped in our psyche. These impressions shape our characteristic traits; possess our being, moulding our thinking patterns, behaviour and responses. Freud’s study on neurosis finds its place within the realm of Saṃskāra. His focus was on the butchering bondage of instability. (Negative) experiences produce seeds that grow, parasites take over our being, paralyzing our basic experience and activity. When we allow these seeds to stabilize, our actions tend to burn more energy. Eventually our animal libido gets caught in the never ending cycle of nature. Once neurosis stalemates our being, we experience the Hanged Man, where our unconscious highly takes control of our rationalizing faculties. Rationality washes up onto the shores of staleness, waiting for psychic equilibrium as if it awaits nature to heal itself. This existence pushes the individual out of its regular daily life and pushes him into a more mythological/abstract situation; fear (awe) and isolation, panic and withdrawal, emotions become disconnected, dislocated, burnt out, and eventually become merely involved with the inner world, with no sense of time he experiences the symbolic dream world of confusion… a collection of scattered themes, dream takes over the everyday-world. The Hanged Man experiences Death of meaning. The psyche is pushed to renounce its Will and waits to re-establish some equilibrium of mental strength. As the individual withdraws further within himself new meaning can eventually emerge finding/creating meaning, a rebirth of new thought and evaluation. Rebirth can take him closer to his silent centre.

The exhibition will be open for the public between the 27th of June and the 27th of July, Monday to Sunday: 9.00am to 5.30pm, in the foyer of Il-Hagar| Heart of Gozo museum premises at St.George’s Square, Victoria –Gozo. The official opening will take place on the 27th of June at 7.00 pm. The Museum extends an invitation to the public to attend and view the exhibition. Entrance is free.