Patrick J Fenech is a practicing artist and educator.  He started photography in the late 70s and soon after was awarded a 4 year scholarship by the Institute Italiano di Cultura to study photography and design in Florence and Milan.  He later on obtained an MFA in Digital Arts from the University of Malta, where he is now a visiting lecturer of Photography in the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, and The Built Environment.

His works have been exhibited in solo and group shows in museums, biennales, private galleries and public spaces in Europe, America and Asia. Museum group shows include: The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC and the Kunstmuseum in Wolfsburg, Germany.  Art festivals and biennales include, Rencontres D’Arles 2008,  NordArt 2013,  Valletta Capital of Culture 2018, Ostrale Biennale 2019, Goethe Institute Dresden 2019, and Rijeka Capital of Culture 2020.

His works can be found in state, private and public collections such as the The American Embassy and The French Embassy in Malta, MUZA Fine Arts collection, Malta International Airport, The Farsons Cisk plc collection, MAPFRE MSV Life plc, and others. A number of his works have been published in contemporary art books and international magazines.

Fenech has curated a number of photographic exhibitions some of which include: ‘Pictures in My Mind‘ as part of the ‘5 Sense’ project to celebrate the EU Year for Intercultural Dialogue, 2008; ‘Ten Maltese Contemporary Photographers’ for VLTPH11 (the first Valletta International Photo Festival); ‘STARTLED’, a documentary exhibition about the Maltese pioneering contemporary art group START, as part of the 4th EU OMC AiR programme 2014; TPOTY (UK based) retrospective 2016 and ‘Inside The Fragment’ Contemporary Photography for VIVA festival, 2017.

Fenech has also been involved in research projects which include, coordinating and producing five volumes of ‘The Richard Ellis Photography Collection’.  He is also the recipient of awards namely a Malta Arts Council top fund and the ‘Malta Book Award 2016′ for his documentary on the Maltese Village Festa.  Fenech served on the board of the Spazju Kreattiv Foundation (2013–2020), the Maltese National Centre for Contemporary Art and Creativity.

Patrick Fenech lives in Malta and works between Malta and London.  He enjoys astronomy, literature and swimming.

 

CV

1957 – Born in Floriana Malta. His father, Gianni Fenech, is a painter in the Modern Art Group in Malta.  1975 – Completes high school at St Aloysius College, a Jesuit run school and enrolls in the painting course at the School of Art at the Malta College of Arts Science & Technology, Polytechnic.  1979 – Starts to experiment with photography producing B&W silver bromide prints.  1982 – Has his first solo exhibition of B & W photographs ‘Caged Spaces’ at Gallerija Fenici, Valletta. 1982 – Awarded Phoenicia International Trade Trophy Cultural Award by the State of Malta.  1983 – Meets Petr Tausk  photography lecturer at Prague University and author of several book on photography and friend of Mario Giacomelli and Bill Brant.  Petr Tausk acquires some of Fenech’s B&Ws and recommends to contact Sue Davis director of Photographers Gallery in London. 1984 – Awarded Italian scholarship to study design and photography in Florence and Milan for 4 years. 1984-85 is commissioned by ‘Musicus Concertus’ of Florence as PR photographer for their classical concert season photographing names such as Lorin Mazel, Barbara Hendrix, Alirio Diaz…etc.   1988 – Graduated in photography at IEDD Milan, specializing in advertising/still life photography. 1988 – Married textile designer Jacqueline Robinson and settled in London practicing printmaking at Camberwell School of Arts. Works as a free lance photographer.  1990 – Set up his own design and photography studio in Malta servicing the commercial and culture sector.  1992 – Awarded best poster design by  Malta Advertising Awards – Client, Ministry of Tourism and Culture.  1995 – Art director and partner with Robinson Fenech Design Associates Ltd, creative consultants.  2000 – Assisted Prof Margaret Harker from University of Westminister, Head of the School of photography and then Pro-Rector of the Polytechnic of Central London in compilinginformation for her publication about ‘The Photographers of Malta’ (1840 – 1990).  2003 – Joins ‘Start Contemporary’ and exhibits his first video installation work (see ‘Borders’ exhibition.)  2004 – Invited by the University of Malta to give lectures on photography to art students in the Faculty of Languages and the Arts; a post he still retains till today.  2007 – Commissioned project to digitize and research in the archives of 19th c. Photographer Richard Ellis (1827 – 1924) containing more than 40,000 glass plate negatives for the purpose of publishing.  2008 – Invited by St James Cavalier Arts Centre in Valletta to conduct photography workshops as part of the EU culture programme for the ‘Year of Intercultural Dialogue’, which then culminated in an exhibition which he curated at the same venue – ‘Pictures in My Mind’.  2009 – Funded by the MCCA to attend a conference on ‘International Opportunities for the Arts and took part in the project and exhibition ‘Here There & Everywhere’ – Transcultural Exchange – Omni Park Hotel – Boston MA.  2009 – Appointed by Malta Arts Festival committee to curate the visual arts exhibition for 2009. “The Life Model – Between Nude & Naked”, involving 7 international and local artists.  2010 – Selected by a jury from the  Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The Philips Collection and the Katzen Art Centre in Washington D.C. to represent Malta in a contemporary video art expo, ‘In The Loop’ At the National Portrait Gallery. 2010 – Awarded a Malta Art Fund by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts to curate the first Photography Festival in Malta in May 2011.  2011 – Invited by Satacchi Gallery in London to attend a forum on ‘New Directions in Contemporary Photography’ January 17.  Main speaker Charlotte Cotton.   2001 – Launches the first festival of photography in Valletta, VLTPH11.  Curates Ten Maltese Contemporary Photographers exhibition and one of the artists is invited to take part in a group show at the BOZAR in Belgium.  2011 – Invited by the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences to lecture contemporary photography to MFA digital art students at the University of Malta.  2012 – BBC2  programme ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’  interview re the The Richard Ellis Archives. 2013 – Appointed board member at St James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity Foundation. 2013 – Member of the OMC group Artists Residencies, EU, Brussels.  2014 – Organizes OMC AIR 4th meeting in Malta at SJCAV, Valletta. 2014 – Invited by the Faculty of Built Environment to lecture photography at the University of Malta. 2014 – Attends Res Artis regional meeting in Vilnius. 2015 – Completes a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts at the University of Malta. 2015 – Launches own photo documentary project ‘The Yearly Ritual of the Maltese Village Festa’ to be published towards the end of 2016. – Invited by the Chinese Cultural Centre to attend a short residency programme in Beijing and Kunming, China. 2016 – Invited to curate a selection of the TPOTY awards for travel photography at SJCAV, Valletta Sept-Oct. 2017 – Curates the contemporary photography section of the VIVA Valletta International Visual Arts Festival at SJCAV, Valletta May – June.  2018 – Is invited by the Ostrale Biennale in Dresden to present a talk about the participation of the Ostrale Biennale during the Valletta Capital of Culture 2018.  Launches a personal contemporary art exhibition ‘DIS_’ supported by Valletta Capital of Culture 2018.  2019 – Takes part in the Ostrale Biennale, Dresden, 2019 showing three installations.  Is invited by MICAS the new national contemporary art space to take part in ‘Jumpstart: an Incomplete Timeline’ curated by Edith Devaney from the RAA, London.  2020 – is invited to participate in the international art show ‘Power! Light! at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and at the Rijeka Capital of Culture in Croatia. 2023 – is invited by MICAS to participate in a collective of Maltese contemporary art show.

 

E X H I B I T I O N S

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MUZA, ‘Caged Spaces’ series solo exhibition, B&W photographs, curated by Caroline Tonna, JUNE-JULY.

Malta Biennale 2024 – Selected to show ‘Me and My Favourite Insect’, photography installation at the Malta Pavilion, MUZA National Museum, Valletta – MARCH – MAY.

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The Spazju Kreattiv Art Collection – An Open Research, Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta NOV 23 – MARCH 24.

Malta Contemporary Art Spaces, MICAS VIRTUAL project featuring works of contemporary Maltese artists, curated by Jo Baring, MAY.

Marie Gallery 5 official launch of new gallery at The Centre – Tigne Point, JAN.

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RHYTHMS OF VISION – Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta – video projection to accompany live music by Avro Pärt, Spiegel im Spiegel, featuring Tricia Dawn Williams and Beibe Wang. 17 SEPT.

SPACEX, MALETH II – project in collaboration with the University of Malta and Prof Joseph “Sci” Borg. ‘Spiral Loops’ animated video transmitted live from outer space on 17 AUGT. https://www.facebook.com/events/605798047625112/?post_i…&notif_id=1660603049415896&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

OXFORD FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS – commissioned video projection to accompany live music by Avro Pärt, Spiegel im Spiegel, featuring Tricia Dawn Williams and Beibe Wang. JUNE.

POWER! LIGHT! Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg. ‘Last Word From Paradise‘ video and light installation. Curators: Andreas Beitin, Holger Broeker. 12 MARCH – 10 JULY.

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‘Nexus’ – Bloom Gallery, Valencia in collaboration with Arneli Art gallery, Beirut and Love and Love Factory, Valencia. Curated by Elizabeth Hefty-Khoury. 21 Dec – 26 Jan 2022.

‘Love Thy Neighbour’ – 5th Asian Triennale Manchester. Collaboration with Alnoor Mitha, 12-24 NOV.

Silesian Museum, Katowice, Poland. Invited to take part in a contemporary art collective, (postponed).

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Rijeka Capital of Culture – ‘Disruption and the Ecological Conundrum’ installation and ‘Me and my Favourite Insect’, contemporary photography.

POWER! LIGHT! Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg. ‘Last Word From Paradise‘ video and light installation. Curators: Andreas Beitin, Holger Broeker. 16 MAY – 13 SEPT., (postponed).

TNAX – VCA. 12 Maltese contemporary photographers, public space, St Johns Square, Valletta. ‘A Shroud for the Sea’, photography composite, MAY.

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Ostrale Biennale 2019 – Historische Tabakfabrik f6, Dresden.  ‘Disruption and the Ecological Conundrum’ installation and ‘Last Word From Paradise‘ installation. Curator Andrea Hilger. 3 JULY – SEPT.

MICAS Summer Celebration – MUZA and Castille Square.  ‘Jumpstart: an Incomplete Timeline’ audio visual installation of works by Maltese Modern and Contemporary Artists. Curator, Edith Devaney from the Royal Academy of Arts London. 21 JUNE.

Goethe-Institut, Dresden.  ‘Me and my Favourite Insect’, contemporary photography.  Introduction by Dr Dorothea Klenke-Gerdes (institute director), and Syowia Kyambi (curator).  Konigsbucker Strasse 84 / 01099 Dresden.  12 JUNE – SEPT.

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‘DIS-‘. Personal multimedia exhibition endorsed by the Valletta Capital of Culture Programme 2018, Space C, Spazju Kreativ St James Cavalier. Curator Andrea Hilger. NOV-DEC.

‘Water Tower Art Festival’ Sofia, Bulgaria. Art residency and exhibition at Miasto 167 Space, G.S. Rakovski Street, Sofia. Curator Nia Pushkarova. JUNE.

‘Contemporary Inside‘ – Six Maltese contemporary artists, Junior College new gallery, Msida. Curator Trevor Borg. FEB

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C U R A T O R

2 0 1 8 – UOM and ENSP Arles School of Photography workshops and exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv with Tadashi Ono. March/April.  2 0 1 7 – Curator for ‘Inside the Fragment’, International Contemporary Photography forming part of the VIVA or Valletta International Visual Arts Festival. Spazju Kreattiv, VLT. April/May.  2 0 1 6 – Curator for TPOTY or Travel Photographer of the Year retrospective exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv, VLT. Sep/Oct.  2 0 1 5 – curates ‘Flying Sculptures’ by ELKA DUO at Spazju Kreattiv, JAN-FEB. 2 0 1 4 – Curates ‘STARTLED‘ a documentary exhibition about the contemporary art group START forming part of the programme of the 4th EU OMC artist-in-residency programme at Spazju Kreattiv, VLT. May.  2 0 1 1 – Produced and organized the first Valletta Photography Festival VLTPH 11 and curated ‘Ten Maltese Contemporary Photographers’ at the Auberge d’Italie Palace, now the new national museum MUZA, VLT. May/June.  2 0 0 9 – Commissioned by the Arts Council to curate the summer visual arts exhibition with the title: ‘The Life Model – Between Nude and Naked’, involving international and local artists. Blitz galleries, VLT. July.  2 0 0 8 – Photography workshops  with British photographer Chris Tribble involving 12 young photographers from different cultures, as part of the 5 Sense project to celebrate the EU year of Intercultural Dialogue. The work was then curated into an exhibition with the title ‘Pictures in My Mind’ at St James Cavalier upper galleries, VLT. May/June.