Joseph Calleja was born in Rabat (Gozo) in 1981. He moved to Edinburgh in 2004 to study Drawing & Painting then Art, Space & Nature (MA) at Edinburgh College of Art. He’s based in Edinburgh still, returning regularly to his workshop in Qala (Gozo).
The site plays a crucial role in Calleja's As Coastline is to Ocean series. This aspect took precedence throughout his making process, reshaping certain pieces and omitting other explorations. Calleja alludes here to the notion of the in-between, through a series of site-specific works. Two of his key pieces – Shards of Zen and Antipode – relate to specific points within the gallery, down to the exact geo-location.
His series Imcaqlaq (below) examines the frame and its historical use to adorn, protect and delineate the artwork it surrounds. Looking at this periphery as a focal point, the frames Calleja works with become the subject of the work. In this series the re-assembled glass follows suit, protecting no artwork behind it other than itself.
Imcaqlaq c.216 2018
Reassembled found frame
Imcaqlaq c.192.1 2018
Reassembled found frame
Shards of Zen 2019
Stacked cut glass held together using pressure alone
“A need for meditative stillness before an object lies at the heart of my artistic practice. This has enabled me to respond to my found frames, in a manner where the object informs its subsequent alteration. I create linear drawings – quick responses and imaginings over the potential of an existing object – rather than designs for finished pieces.
By adapting an experimental approach, I carry this meditative state with me throughout the process of making; working in direct response to the formal and conceptual qualities of the materials in hand. Working collaboratively on As Coastline is to Ocean has injected a fresh outlook on my usually solitary practice. ”