Arthall Gallery in Gozo has announced its next event which is opening in February, and this time it will be the exhibition Cockadoodledoo, featuring four artists.

The gallery explained that this exhibition explores different forms of “cock-crowing,” calling life to rise with its complexities, pain, suffering, and joys. Life not yet defeated or in, any case, ready for the challenge.

The artists provided a brief description of the exhibition – “One morning, not long after his return to the cave, Zarathustra jumped up from his resting place like a madman, roared in a terrible voice, and acted as if somebody else were still lying on his resting place who refused to get up. And Zarathustra’s voice resounded so that his animals approached in a fright, while out of all the caves and nooks that were near Zarathustra’s cave all animals fled-flying, fluttering, crawling, jumping, according to the kind of feet or wings that were given to them.”

Zarathustra, however, spoke these words:

Up, abysmal thought, out of my depth! I am your cock and dawn, sleepy worm. Up! Up! My voice shall yet crow you awake! Unfasten the fetters of your ears: listen For I want to hear you. Up! Up!”

Thus Spoke Zarathustra [trans. Walter Kaufmann], Third Part, Chapter XIII.

The artists said that “at dawn, especially in Gozo, we can still hear cockadoodledoo, cockadoodledoo. However, this exhibition is not to praise the goods of the rural life. It is about the abysmal thoughts that inhabit our souls and seem to slowly disappear. Are they sleeping and can they still be awakened? Or is the zombie state becoming our way of navigating life?”

They added, “scroll and swipe and don’t you ever wake up! We are getting used to cognitively painless experiences. Anaesthesia. Our abysmal thoughts want to lie on the sofa, and everything around us is fighting for its death. Perhaps we are even losing the depth necessary to reach the abyss.”

The four artists are:

– Anze Gallus Petelin: hailing from Slovenia, is an internationally recognised, multi-award-winning painter celebrated for his highly original artistic expression. He is particularly known for his distinctive series of rooster paintings, which have earned worldwide acclaim. His works are featured in both private and public collections across the globe, and he creates a visual language through the interplay of raw materials and the symbolism of light that aims to transcend time and space.

–Tomas Hed: Tomas, originally from Sweden, lives in Gozo, where he lets his imagination and creativity go wild. Here he has found his place to exploit his talents. He worked for many years as an Art Director in Stockholm, having his own studio in Gamla Stan, the old part of the city. Always polemical, provocative and with strong opinions, it’s impossible to be indifferent to his creations. The spirit of his art is inspired by an indomitable character, with a special obsession for challenging values, or “bubbles” as he calls them, of our daily life.

– Heiko Jorges: born in Manheim, lived over 11 years in Berlin, where he worked as a lawyer. He also organised and performed in music events and took part in film shootings before moving to Malta in 2013. He worked as a photographer as well, and attended the University of Ferrara in Italy. His sculptures are made of mixed media reflecting daily and commonplace impressions and street life.

– Johannes Gustafsson: from Orebro, Sweden, lived in Hong Kong, Paris and now in Zug, Switzerland, which is his base for his work at the moment. He has shown his art in 3 continents, and his journey has just begun. His art challenges your mind and makes you look twice. Relatable feelings transformed into minimalistic art presented by tiny figures. Complex simplicity where simple isn’t so simple after all. Dare to be different – be you.

The exhibition opening is on Friday, the 13th of February at 7.30pm, everyone is invited to attend. The exhibition will remain open to the public until the 8th of March.

The venue is Arthall: 8, triq Agius de Soldanis, Victoria, Gozo.

Opening hours are: Wednesday/ Thursday/Friday/Saturday: 10:00 -13:00 and 17:00-19:00, Sunday: 10:00-12:00; Monday/Tuesday: closed.

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