MARIO ABELA WINS first place at the CREAVENICE

We’d like to congratulate Mario Abela on receiving overall winner prize for his piece ‘The Eternal Hunt’ at the CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo The prize is a solo show in Venice, which we eagerly look forward to. He came first overall amongst over 4000 entries, 39 of whom were chosen to exhibit at Crea until 27th April 2025.

A big congratulations also to the other winners including that of another Maltese, Sasha Vella.

'The Eternal Hunt - after Antoine Watteau’s Rendez-vous de Chasse (around 1717-1718) Watteau’s “Rendez-vous de Chasse” presents a fête galante scene of a hunting party, a moment of leisure and friendship. However, my painting aims to delve deeper beneath this idyllic surface, exploring the underlying complexities and contradictions inherent in human existence.

Derrida’s deconstructionist philosophy offers a valuable lens through which to examine this exploration. Deconstruction challenges the notion of fixed meanings and reveals the underlying binary oppositions that structure our understanding of the world. In Watteau’s painting, the dichotomy between pleasure and pain is invisible; often obscured by the superficial beauty of the scene.

My painting seeks to disrupt this binary opposition by highlighting the darker realities that often coexist with moments of joy and celebration. Thoughts, sufferings, and health issues are universal experiences, yet they are often hidden behind carefully curated facades. Hence the eternal hunt for meaning carries on...

Oil on canvas
133cm x 169cm
2024






“2570 Revolutions Around the Earth.”This exhibition showcases the 39 finalists of CREA OPEN 2025.
From April 12 to 27, 2025, at the Legno & Legno space of CREA.'

If you wish to see any available work by Mario Abela at the gallery, find them here: https://www.christinexart.com/artists/marioabela