Small Bones of Courage is an exhibit that immerses you the second you walk into the room. You can tell that great care has gone into ensuring the space is fully utilised, and that no corner is left uninhibited in any way. Despite being composed of works by ten different artists working across a variety of mediums, the atmosphere finds the perfect balance between showcasing the uniqueness of each artist while also feeling entirely holistic and not at all overwhelming. This balance works incredibly well with the overarching themes of fragmented memory and identity present in the pieces, all of which make use of collage in some form or other.
The first piece, by Sandra Zaffrese for example, features a book of see-through paper, on which Zaffrese has printed a variety of images superimposed with extracts from Virginia Woolf’s The Mark on the Wall. Many of the images and quotes are then displayed on a wall using an old-fashioned slide projector, the clicks of which resonate throughout the entire space.
The focus is not on any singular idea but a vague multiplicity—loosely linked words and images drifting beside each other, a fracturing of self and memories. Yet, beyond the evident tone of loss, this fragmentation also allows the pieces in the exhibit to reflect broader issues of nationality and womanhood. The works convey a sense of the artist’s attempt to construct their identity from different narratives—some inherited, others discovered. They grasp stories from childhood, myth, and even national literature, not only to conceive of themselves but ultimately to present themselves to us, the viewers.
There is a voyeuristic element in this interaction—a sense of having intruded on someone’s personal space. Afsoon’s Private Life of a Bag is inspired by this quality, as the artist displays the contents of a bag she remembers from childhood. The effect is intimate, yet also invokes curiosity. Each object offers us a piece of its owner, but never the whole.
One of my favourite pieces came from Sam Alekksandra’s CHAOS MMMMEMORY PALACE. Alongside a video installation displayed on three CRT televisions, there is a small View-Master chained to the bare wall behind the screens. On the rectangular picture reel protruding from it is a handwritten note that reads: ‘I AM CHEWING THE GUMS OF TIME’.
The video itself is dream-like—no real plot or characters, just the artist’s solitary journey as she shuffles her way through a variety of things: magazines, costumes, furniture, and decorative objects, all while snippets of nameless songs and voices drift in and out through the headphones provided.
The inspiration behind the piece is memory loss—an issue the artist has personally experienced. There is an undeniable heaviness to the work, yet also a certain triumphant freedom, allowing the present moment to exist without the burden of connecting it to the past. The contrast between the children’s toy and the foreboding, resonant line echoes this strange juxtaposition—the weightiness of time rendering our individual lives trivial in comparison.
Pieces by artists like Malak Elgouel and Esmerelda Kosmatopoulos show how memory loss is not the only external force that shapes or challenges our sense of self. Elgouel’s Shot Through the Skin uses images of bodies and foam sheets—obscuring parts of the skin and tearing a clear view through others—to illustrate her experience of being viewed and contorted by the male gaze. Meanwhile, Kosmatopoulos’s The Jinn from the West uses tapestry illustrations to echo the prejudices held in Eastern societies about Western women. The women in these works are both volatile and mythical—a symbol of progress, yet also a threat to the peace preserved by years of tradition.
The pieces in Small Bones of Courage do not demand or even expect resolution. Through a multitude of voices and mediums—and an incredibly well-curated space—the viewer is invited to experience the fragility and even dissolution of self not as a crisis, but as an opening. It’s an exhibition that lingers, that trusts its audience to sit with uncertainty, and to ponder the echoes that resonate through their own personal narratives.
Creative Team:
Curators: Najlaa El-Ageli & Margerita Pulè
Artists: Afsoon (UK/Iran), Aya Al Barghathy (Libya), Sam Alekksandra (Malta), Charlie Cauchi (Malta), Ioulia Chante (Greece), Malak Elghuel (Libya/UK), Maria Kasaab (Lebanon), Esmeralda Kosmatopulos (Greece/France), Sarah Smahane (Morocco/France), Sandra Zaffarese (Malta)
Small Bones of Courage is a Spazju Kreattiv Commission, produced by Noon Art Projects & Unfinished Art Space supported by the Malta Tourism Authority.
