Ambrose Avellano unveils Death and Resurrection exhibition at Fine Arts Gallery

Ambrose Avellano launched his latest works, Death and Resurrection, at an unveiling in the Fine Arts Gallery on Monday.

Composed of two large works, he said it explored the religious theme of death and resurrection.

“I started doing religious works in 2018 with the pandemonium exhibition,” he said.

“I tried to see the world events through the eyes of the Bible.”

“Now I am trying to see the two most important events in the history of mankind based on their renaissance and how the Catholic Church, who dominated the Christian story, manufactured their own version of how they understood it.”

“I have tried to bring it down to a very basic level.”

Seeing the works for the first time was local artist Gino Sanguinetti who spoke about the works and said that resurrection is a common theme across various religions, including ancient Egyptian.

He added that the human experience of life is a moment in time, giving the example of the launch of the exhibition itself, stating it is never to be repeated and as a result it is a person’s responsibility to live in the present, as existence before and after life is not to be feared.

Mr Sanguinetti said that he is not scared of what came before him and therefore should not fear what will be when he dies.

“There's that period of gestation that we were not and we don't say ‘I didn't see Nelson, I didn't see the evacuation, I didn't see the Great Siege’,” he said.

“We're not scared of that time when we were not and we will not be. What we are is a kind of interval of life."

“I mean, this situation that we have here now, all of us getting together in relation to these works is precisely that. This will not be repeated again. And I think this would be another painting if you have the death or resurrection.”

“This is the life. And of course, throughout you mentioned the Renaissance, but it's a constant, especially in relation to religion of the dead Christ.”

“There's always this urge for the human being to transcend and to go to the other side, and that there is hope on the other side.”

Mr Avellano explained why he depicted a dog, a labrador, in his painting of death.

He suggested that the love for pets, which is extensive and akin to parental love, can be likened to the love of God.

“Everybody put a man on a cross endless times. He wasn't the only one that was crucified in those days. The streets were strew with crucifixions,” he said.

“I'm going to do it as a metaphor. And what is a relevant metaphor for the way we live today? And there is the culture and the industry of pets. It's massive.”

He added that people love pets as if they were their children.

“It's amazing how we put our love into our pets,” he said.

“What I'm trying to do is use the dog as a metaphor for the love of God, giving respect for us.”

He added that that the piece is more about faith, and it's about believing or not believing.

Mr Avellano said the importance of metaphors in conveying abstract ideas, such as the shadow representing an earthly presence in his resurrection painting.

“The shadow is quite important, because the shadow tells you he's on planet Earth. He's not floating in space, he is on the planet Earth, and the shadow signifies that.”

The paintings are available for viewing at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates Square.