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“SURFING ” ART EXHIBITION ON THE Gozo Ferry Ships. one of its kind Never done Before. Aboriginal and Primitive
Excerpt from the times of Malta Newspaper Article 2003
Denis Calleja’s art has added a splash of colour to the cafeterias of the three Gozo Channel vessels in the first exhibition of its kind.
The exhibition, Surfing, includes eight pieces in showcases on each vessel and, when sold, part of the profits will go to the Arka Foundation of Gozo.
After Gozo Channel sponsored Calleja’s last exhibition, Melange, in October the artist came up with an idea to thank the company by setting up
an exhibition of his works on the ferries. In the past, his work revolved around a fusion of glitter and coloured pens, but he has now moved on to
more figurative painting with less glitter and more acrylic paints.Born in 1954, Calleja works as a computing officer with the University of Malta
and is stationed at Junior College. Although he has always had a passion for art, he only let his imagination loose and started drawing in the year 2000.
He is a self-taught artist and through the use of pens, glitter glue, pastels and plenty of imagination he creates sparkling abstract forms.
The work is ‘outsider art’ – a primitive style that is adopted by people who have had little or no formal training and who produce art without regard
to the mainstream art world’s recognition.’Outsider art’ remains free from all formal conventions and is starting to gain widespread recognition.
Calleja’s work has been extremely well received by critics and admirers – his paintings have been bought by people from Holland, the UK, Germany,
Italy and South Africa.