Federica Zahra is an eighteen-year-old student at the MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts, pursuing a degree in product design. In addition to her education, she is also working part-time at a furniture manufacturer, where she designs furniture that meets practical and functional needs. Having always enjoyed creating things from a young age, she later drew inspiration from TV shows on house renovations that encouraged her to pursue a career in furniture design.
Captivated by the cool glow of a screen, weaving digital worlds on his Atari 130xe in the ancient tongue of QBasic, Etienne Bugeja spent his childhood in the company of pixels and code, discovering a passion for graphic design. His choice of macabre themes is more than just artistic; it mirrors the shadows that touched his life, having had to battle with severe health challenges. Alongside his digital artwork, Etienne has recently turned his focus to giving life to his creations through 3D printing, transforming his eerie visions into physical forms and adding a unique, living dimension to his work.
Justine Navarro is a British-Maltese artist and designer with a Bachelor’s degree in Design, Branding & Marketing from UCA, London, and a Master’s in Digital Art. Her practice includes creating photo-collage paintings and video visuals for DJs and installations, exploring themes of excess, consumerism, wealth, and gambling. With experience as a superyacht chef for high-net-worth individuals including Cristiano Ronaldo, Justine gained insights into global luxury tastes. She is now applying her expertise in branding and taste to launch her startup food and drink products, Canotip and Slim Husk, aiming to make them widely accessible and beneficial.
Raymond Aquilina is a mosaic artist, the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of coloured glass, marble, stone, or other materials. A perfectionist who loves to work with details, Raymond succeeded to take the craft to the next level, where each piece is a work of art. Having always been enchanted by the beauty of the sea around the Maltese islands, Raymond portrays it in his art, expressing its colours that – like moods – change throughout the day.
Marija-Evelina Spiteri is an abstract artist whose passion for art runs deep in her veins. From a very young age, Marija-Evelina’s exposure to art was encouraged to be a display of feelings and emotions, a part of herself and what she goes through, all depicted onto the canvas. Although acrylics remain her personal favourite, Marija-Evelina applies a variety of different mediums and textures creating mystery and depth to her paintings and leaving the artwork to the viewer’s interpretation.
Charlene Joan Sant is a Maltese designer and self-taught seamstress who furthered her skills through studying at the London College of Fashion and École Lesage in Paris. She created her brand Churpina more than 10 years ago. With a focus on swimwear, she creates a yearly collection of limited-edition pieces all beautifully influenced by the culture of the Maltese islands. Keeping the environment close to heart and incorporating sustainable practices at each step of the process, she aims to accentuate the beauty of free-spirited femininity.
Saima Murtaza is a qualified art enthusiast with diverse experience and a history of developing solutions for theme-based projects. Using her initiative, design skills, and knowledge of fine arts, she has introduced various original ideas including metallic handcrafted sculptures that reflect both the contemporary and traditional cultural styles. She believes in bringing forth innovative, sustainable, and unique fine quality art pieces. Bridging the gap between past and present through her artwork, helping the audience to appreciate and experience the historical art forms, Saima wants to pay homage to cultural roots and preserve these traditions into contemporary forms.
Luis Muñoz Jean Baptiste is the co-founder of Bureau105 and works as a graphic designer, certified brand strategist, and certified cultural intelligence facilitator. Luis works with brands and projects to redefine their visual identity as well as their brand strategy and how they interact with the world around them. Luis’s work is part of the permanent collection in the contemporary section at The Museun of Avant-garde in Switzerland. Outside of the office, he splits his time between comic horror graphic novels, heavy rock and music by Danny Elfman, and his vast collection of paint brushes to create and experiment with.
Anton (ton-ton) Abela’s Art tends to delve into the realms of the real, imagined, unconventional, and the unknown. Inspiration comes mostly from the human form, nature, dreams, horror, literature, and his personal experiences. The artworks range from different media and techniques using the bright and dark colours so synonymous with the Maltese islands. Influenced by handmade Maltese tiles, his artistic and creative processes are focused towards breathing a new life to discarded and salvaged items: looking to the past and nature to create something innovative. The artist describes this as “art from the other side”.
Charles & Ron is a contemporary Maltese lifestyle brand with a signature style that draws inspiration from the archipelago, featuring Mediterranean motifs, colours, and stories in all collections. Charles and Ron van Maarschalkerweerd Borg have now been partners for 30 years, and together turned Charles & Ron into Malta’s leading fashion brand. Brushed with a 1990’s fashion sensibility in its design yet still timeless and effortlessly commercial, their work is regularly featured in international magazines, Hollywood music videos, and red carpets. Among several career highlights, in 2018 they were selected to exhibit at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange.
