A Spirit Within

by Olaug Vethal

• Vinyl acrylic on canvas
• 96cm by 96cm stretched
• 100cm by 100cm framed
• c. 2004-2007

In A Spirit Within, Olaug Vethal depicts two figures held together within a vibrant field of colour and gesture. The larger figure envelops the smaller, their bodies connected through sweeping lines of blue, violet, green and pink that move across and between them.

Within Beyond the Visible, the painting invites us to look beyond the physical body towards the inner presence it contains. Vethal’s figures are tangible, yet their connection suggests something less visible: care, consciousness, memory and the emotional bonds through which one life touches another.

A Spirit Within becomes a meditation on presence: the visible body holding something intangible, and the possibility that what defines us most profoundly may be that which cannot be seen.

This work is currently hung at Spazju A, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta until 25th October 2026 as part of the exhibition ‘Beyond The Visible | The Metaphysical Worlds of Olaug Vethal, curated by Christine Xuereb and in collaboration with Christine X Art Gallery