GANNI PACE
“You don’t find art. Art finds you.”
With these few words, Maltese sculptor Ganni Pace describes his initial encounter with what has defined most of his life. Like the most unlikely of love stories, art found him while he was still a very young boy, out with his father and brother near the limits of Mdina. There he picked up a piece of clay and, upon impressing a leaf to it, was awed at its simple beauty. One week later, his father brought him back a sack full of clay from Rabat.
GANNI PACE
“You don’t find art. Art finds you.”
With these few words, Maltese sculptor Ganni Pace describes his initial encounter with what has defined most of his life. Like the most unlikely of love stories, art found him while he was still a very young boy, out with his father and brother near the limits of Mdina. There he picked up a piece of clay and, upon impressing a leaf to it, was awed at its simple beauty. One week later, his father brought him back a sack full of clay from Rabat.
DELVING INTO ART
..a world he truly loves.
Supportive of his son’s love for art, Ganni’s father, a man who could barely write his name, introduced him to the old masters of art; Donatello, Michelangelo and Rubens through magazines he would procure from Sunday markets at Valletta. But Ganni first delved into professional art when still at primary school. Upon learning of a school of art in Valletta at the Auberge d’Italie from professor George Borg, he immediately enrolled and spent the first 2 years learning design.
DELVING INTO ART
…a world he truly loves.
Supportive of his son’s love for art, Ganni’s father, a man who could barely write his name, introduced him to the old masters of art; Donatello, Michelangelo and Rubens through magazines he would procure from Sunday markets at Valletta. But Ganni first delved into professional art when still at primary school. Upon learning of a school of art in Valletta at the Auberge d’Italie from professor George Borg, he immediately enrolled and spent the first 2 years learning design.
DELVING INTO ART
…a world he truly loves.
Supportive of his son’s love for art, Ganni’s father, a man who could barely write his name, introduced him to the old masters of art; Donatello, Michelangelo and Rubens through magazines he would procure from Sunday markets at Valletta. But Ganni first delved into professional art when still at primary school. Upon learning of a school of art in Valletta at the Auberge d’Italie from professor George Borg, he immediately enrolled and spent the first 2 years learning design.
Click image to watch the video.
MASTERING ART
A treasured opportunity.
He was then approached by the same professor to join his clay-modelling class. As a boy who was not too keen about academics, this school was his window into a world he truly loved and from which he could make a living. Of course, it was not easy at first when he was not earning much. However, his breakthrough came in the form of a scholarship to learn art and how to teach it, in Italy or the UK. The scholarship was only awarded to one artist every 4 years, a golden opportunity Ganni still treasures to this day.
Click image to watch the video.
MASTERING ART
A treasured opportunity.
He was then approached by the same professor to join his clay-modelling class. As a boy who was not too keen about academics, this school was his window into a world he truly loved and from which he could make a living. Of course, it was not easy at first when he was not earning much. However, his breakthrough came in the form of a scholarship to learn art and how to teach it, in Italy or the UK. The scholarship was only awarded to one artist every 4 years, a golden opportunity Ganni still treasures to this day.
“In nature I see creation. I see God and all that is bigger than myself. That,” Ganni continues, “is where I drive inspiration from.”
“In nature I see creation. I see God and all that is bigger than myself. That,” Ganni continues, “is where I drive inspiration from.”
A PAST TEEMING WITH MEMORY
“Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce masterpiece!”
Ganni’s past teems with fond memories connected to art. “I remember the president emeritus Anton Buttigieg who had visited my study,” Ganni recalls. “I was working on a statue of the prophet Moses and he said – ‘Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce masterpiece. Continue, continue working!’ I would mention this episode to him even years later!” At one point, after some years looking for a job, Ganni was working in a local bank when he received a phone call from the artistic director of Malta’s Museums, asking whether he would undertake the job of restoring the president’s fountain.
“The fountain was in pieces,” Anton describes. “I had to number each piece, finally collating all the pieces together like a puzzle. I managed though, and Anton Buttigieg would thereafter visit me frequently at the studio.” Anton Buttigieg also recommended Ganni’s work to a bar in Valletta, which commissioned him to do 3 works of art. It was after he had finished them that he met a woman who was working there. They fell in love and married – another case of how art literally changed his life and how family always played a very important role in both his life and his art.
A PAST TEEMING WITH MEMORY
“Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce a masterpiece!”
Ganni’s past teems with fond memories connected to art. “I remember the president emeritus Anton Buttigieg who had visited my study,” Ganni recalls. “I was working on a statue of the prophet Moses and he said – ‘Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce a masterpiece. Continue, continue working!’ I would mention this episode to him even years later!” At one point, after some years looking for a job, Ganni was working in a local bank when he received a phone call from the artistic director of Malta’s Museums, asking whether he would undertake the job of restoring the president’s fountain.
“The fountain was in pieces,” Anton describes. “I had to number each piece, finally collating all the pieces together like a puzzle. I managed though, and Anton Buttigieg would thereafter visit me frequently at the studio.” Anton Buttigieg also recommended Ganni’s work to a bar in Valletta, which commissioned him to do 3 works of art. It was after he had finished them that he met a woman who was working there. They fell in love and married – another case of how art literally changed his life and how family always played a very important role in both his life and his art.
A PAST TEEMING WITH MEMORY
“Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce a masterpiece!”
Ganni’s past teems with fond memories connected to art. “I remember the president emeritus Anton Buttigieg who had visited my study,” Ganni recalls. “I was working on a statue of the prophet Moses and he said – ‘Some breed rabbits in their workshop. Others, like you, produce a masterpiece. Continue, continue working!’ I would mention this episode to him even years later!” At one point, after some years looking for a job, Ganni was working in a local bank when he received a phone call from the artistic director of Malta’s Museums, asking whether he would undertake the job of restoring the president’s fountain.
“The fountain was in pieces,” Anton describes. “I had to number each piece, finally collating all the pieces together like a puzzle. I managed though, and Anton Buttigieg would thereafter visit me frequently at the studio.” Anton Buttigieg also recommended Ganni’s work to a bar in Valletta, which commissioned him to do 3 works of art. It was after he had finished them that he met a woman who was working there. They fell in love and married – another case of how art literally changed his life and how family always played a very important role in both his life and his art.
Ganni’s inspiration comes from natural elements. His work is also imbued with very strong spiritual nuances. “In nature I see creation. I see God and all that is bigger than myself. That,” Ganni continues, “is where I drive inspiration from.” The semi-abstract result is a fusion of the natural, the spiritual and in many ways, the personal connection to a memory the artwork stirs in the scultpor. He is currently working on an exhibition to be held in October.
A WORD FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
“Above all, imagine!”
Ganni describes Maltese art as one of the richest in Europe, which leaves tourists awed at its eclectic mix of cultures. “Every town and village in Malta can stand as a museum on its own.” It is because of how art surrounds us that Ganni encourages all young artists to sketch whatever they see, to read up on art, to use their imagination. “Above all, imagine. Imagination comes form the subconscious and this reflects different shades of our personality, our thoughts and our styles, making the end result, richer. Then there’s every artist’s mantra,” Ganni says with a smile. “Practice makes perfect. So I say to you what president Anton Buttigieg said to me; continue, continue working!”
A WORD FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
“Above all, imagine!”
Ganni describes Maltese art as one of the richest in Europe, which leaves tourists awed at its eclectic mix of cultures. “Every town and village in Malta can stand as a museum on its own.” It is because of how art surrounds us that Ganni encourages all young artists to sketch whatever they see, to read up on art, to use their imagination. “Above all, imagine. Imagination comes form the subconscious and this reflects different shades of our personality, our thoughts and our styles, making the end result, richer. Then there’s every artist’s mantra,” Ganni says with a smile. “Practice makes perfect. So I say to you what president Anton Buttigieg said to me; continue, continue working!”