FILFLA MALTA 2018
Fine Art in the object frame 92 cm x 62 cm x 5 cm
Filfla - a small island in the Maltese archipelago,
about five kilometers away from the main island,
an eye-catcher, a mythical place, a historical mystery.
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Filfla becomes a lonely satellite due to a natural disaster in an unknown prehistory,
when the land bridge between Africa and Italy breaks.
Every year Filfla moves about two inches further away from Malta.
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Closest to the coast are the temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra,
ancient places of worship, dedicated to the Great Mother and fertility.
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In the Middle Ages, the rock - only 333 long and 150 meters wide -
a hideout for pirate ships, also a refuge for fishermen.
There is a fresh water spring there, and - true to the Great Mother - a Lady Chapel.
Then an earthquake comes and it destroys everything.
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In the 20th century Filfla is dedicated to war,
as a British Air Force bombing site where destruction is practiced.
The population protested until Filfla was saved from total destruction.
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Now the 60 meter high rock is a bird sanctuary - and at the same time a restricted zone,
Dangerous for life from hundreds of duds in the surrounding water.
Filfla shows the tides change, how even stone changes,
how even fixed things move on, unnoticed by the eye, gnawed away by endless waters and winds.
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The work stops the endless movement, takes the waves from their back and forth, the sky opens up as a white surface, and brings out the essence of Filfla.
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