Artwork by Charlene Galea

Performance by Charlene Galea
Co-curated with Charlene Galea

Secret Location, Balzan, Malta

August 2021

Charlene Galea presents a pop-up exhibition in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, detailing her recent experiences working with the Maltese authorities in crisis management. Her journey here, much like the pandemic, has been tumultuous—engaging in a role with high expectations—whilst feeling like a genie with no more wishes to give.

We’ve been inundated with media articles circulating the havoc wrought by Covid-19, but not all of us has been directly involved in the healthcare system, understanding health concerns and failing to concretely answer recommendations to questions not yet thought. It is this emotional labour that held Charlene between news portals, the often-neglected healthcare system, and a community yearning for advice.

As a coping method, Charlene maintained a journal to jot down her thoughts; be it everyday stressors or overwhelming feelings of helplessness, the fine paper offered a blank slate to place her mind at rest after her shifts. She found a therapeutic essence in this medium, and wondered how far she can expand her creative dexterity to transform her stressors into art forms. The result is a playful expedition into her mind and a philosophical intuition that invites viewers a chance to critically judge our freedoms in light of urgent times.

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