First solo exhibition for artist who followed dad’s footsteps

The Minister for Culture, Dr John Cortes, officially opened Belinda Origo’s first art exhibition in front of family and friends on Wednesday evening at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates.

“I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting them,” Ms Origo told those gathered, unable to state which one she liked best.

“I want to dedicate this exhibition to my dad who is no longer with us but he inspired me in all that I painted.”

Dr Cortes for his part focused on how surprised he was to find that the person he had known for many years was an artist.

“She has come in later than a lot of people do and she has developed lots of different styles in such a short space of time,” he said.

“That is really encouraging and it gives hope to slightly older people like myself that perhaps if we have something we haven’t done, then we can try and do it as well.”

For the past two years Dr Cortes has constantly reminded people of the importance of the arts during Covid, especially during the lockdowns. The fact that Ms Origo’s art flourished during Covid was critical, he said.

“A lot of people said how the arts and culture saw us through Covid. Belinda is a living example of that. She took it following in her father’s footsteps… She flourished during Covid and she made something positive out of such difficult times that we went through.”

Finally he added that he hoped she would inspire others to express their creativity via the arts and that the way she has enriched people with her art is something to treasure.

For more on Ms Origo’s exhibition click on https://www.chronicle.gi/first-solo-exhibition-for-artist-who-seeks-life-in-painting/