Vince Briffa b. 1958

1958 Born in Malta. Lives and works in Malta. 2000 Graduated in MA Fine Arts with distinction (Leeds University, UK) and 2009 PhD, University of Preston UK. 2011 to today - Head of Department of Digital Arts, University of Malta. 2015 Associate Professorship, University of Malta.

AWARDS:

2019 ‘Omaggio all’Arte ed all’Innovazione a Venezia

2019’ by The Union of Honorary Consuls of Italy (UCOI) and the National Association of Young Innovators (ANGI) - Venice Biennale

2019 - Arts Council Malta.

AFFILIATIONS:

2019 International Associate - CUT Contemporary Fine Arts Lab, Cyprus

2017 Fellow of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation

2016 co-founder of ISTRA Foundation for Arts and Research, Malta

2002 founding member of stART - a group of Maltese contemporary artists

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS, PROJECTS AND PUBLIC COMMISSIONS:

1999 Hermes - 48th Venice Art Biennale - Malta Pavilion, Le Tese dell’Arsenale, Venice, Italy

2000 Hermes - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2001 Three Pieces - The outer building, Museum of Modern Art, Vaduz, Liechtenstein 2002 Amen - Nemmen - The “Johanniterkirche”, Feldkirch, Austria

2002 Hermes - The Sacristy, “Johanniterkirche”, Feldkirch, Austria

2002 Nixtieq… - Attard Historic Centre, Malta; 2003 Immigrant - Only Atelier, Vienna, Austria

2004 Queen Street Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland / Villa Manin Centre of Contemporary Art, Udine, Italy

2004 Body Works - Pierides Museum of Contemporary Art, Nicosia, Cyprus

2005 MOYA, Vienna, Austria; 2005 re:public - The Vision Centre, Cork, Ireland

2006/7 Selfportrait - A Show for Bethlehem - Show for Peace - Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy and MAC - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santa Fe, Argentina

2006 Hermes - Galerie der Schwarze Punkt, Konstanz, Germany

2006 Body of Glass – After Caravaggio - The “Johanniterkirche”, Feldkirch, Austria; 2007 Playing God - The Preston Minster, Preston, England

2007 Body of Glass – After Caravaggio - Auberge d’Italie, Valletta, Malta

2007 6collabor8 - Palais Liechtenstein, Feldkirch, Austria

2007 Analogue and Digital - Fieldgate Gallery, London, England

2009 Sounds and Visions - Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art, Israel

2009 Heterotopia - Gallery No. 68, Valletta, Malta

2011 Terrain Vague - St. James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2012 Merry-go-round - Interactive Sculpture, Larnaca Airport, Larnaca, Cyprus

2013 Logos - Sta. Barbara church, Valletta, Malta

2014 Kiss the Sky - Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, Malta

2015 Ghoqda - Monument for EU-Africa Summit, Castille Square, Valletta, Malta

2016 The Space in Between - K.B. Gallery, Kaposvár, Hungary

2018 Flowerheads - Arte Gallery, Victoria, Gozo

2019 Outland - 58th Venice Art Biennale - Malta Pavilion, Le Tese dell’Arsenale, Venice, Italy

2020 Out of Time - Arthall Gallery, Victoria, Gozo.

SELECTED COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS:

1982 Contemporary Art Exhibition - Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta

1983 Ggajta - British Legion and Ta’ Cenc Hotel, Gozo

1983-1990 Maltafest - Auberge de Provence, Valletta, Malta

1984 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Piccadilly, London, England

1985 Marriott Hotels Contemporary Art Exhibition, Christie’s Sales Rooms, London; 1985 Chenil Galleries Contemporary Painters - Kings Cross, London, England

1986 Italian and Maltese Artists - Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana, Malta

1988 Mostra Internazionale d’Arte - Museo del Risorgimento, Rome

1988 The Art of a Rising Generation - Chamber of Commerce, Valletta, Malta

1989 Maltese Artists in Florence - Galleria Renzo Spagnoli, Florence, Italy

1989 Malta -25 Sena Indipendenti - Auberge de Provence, Valletta, Malta

1990 Inaugural Exhibition - The Gallery, Sliema, Malta

1991 Maltese Art - Cairo and Alexandria; 1991 Malta Week - Moscow, Russia

1992-3 Maltese Contemporary Art - Travelling Exhibition, Germany

1992 European Paintings - Gallery 100, St. Julians, Malta

1993 Iljieli Mediterranji - In-Nudo fl-Arti Maltija - Floriana, Malta

1994 Contemporary Sacred Art in Malta - Mdina, Malta; 1994 Iljieli Mediterranji - Dan... Din... Jien, Floriana, Malta

1994 Iljieli Mediterranji - Dan... Din... Jien, Floriana, Malta

1994 Expressions ‘94 - AZAD, Casa Pereira, Valletta, Malta

1994 Gallery Glage - Konigstein, Germany

1995 Works - Institute of Visual Arts, Valletta, Malta

1995 Woman in Maltese Art - Auberge de Provence, Valletta, Malta

1995 First Biennale of Malta - Valletta, Malta

1996 Maltafest - Valletta, Malta

1996 Kreativa - Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta

1996 Contemporary Christian Art - Mdina, Malta

1997 Maltafest - Valletta, Malta

1997 Euromed Conference - Valletta, Malta

1998 WTDC Conference - Valletta, Malta

1998 Labyrinth Gallery - Valletta, Malta

1999 Re-interpreting Preti - Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta

2000 From Hagar Qim to the Ring of Brodgar - Maritime Museum, Cottonera, Malta

2000 25th Anniversary of the Republic of Malta Exhibition - Gallerija il-Foyer, National Labour Centre, Hamrun, Malta

2000 Edinburgh Festival - City Art Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2000 Year Zero - Galeria d’Art Zero, Barcelona, Spain

2000 Millennium Celebrations - Floriana, Malta

2000 MAFA Degree Show - Bretton Hall College, Wakefield, England

2002 UBER - Portomaso, Paceville, Malta

2002 Cityspaces - YMCA Valletta Festival, Malta

2003 Borders - Pinto Wharf, Valletta, Malta

2003 Invisible Cities - St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2003 La Mostra Impossibile - Birgu, Malta

2004 Body Works - Pierides Museum of Contemporary Art, Nicosia, Cyprus

2004-5 Instant Europe - Villa Manin Centre of Contemporary Art, Udine, Italy

2005 Collective - MOYA, Vienna, Austria

2006 Oasis International - Japanese and Maltese Artists - Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, Malta

2006-7 Crossings - Malta, Cyprus, France - Travelling Contemporary Collective Exhibition

2006-7 Selfportrait - A Show for Bethlehem - Show for Peace - Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy and MAC - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santa Fe, Argentina

2007 Search for a Space - Various Venues, Malta

2007 Caravaggio - quote... unquote - Various Venues, Malta

2007 Visions in the Nunnery - The Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts Trust, London, England

2007 The Philosophical Brothel - St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta
2007 6collabor8 - Palais Liechtenstein, Feldkirch, Austria

2007 6collabor8 - The Citadel, Rabat, Gozo, Malta

2007 Analogue and Digital - Fieldgate Gallery, London, England

2008 Watch - Museum of Fine Art, Valletta, Malta

2008 Sea Dreaming - St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2008 Scent - St. John’s Cavalier, Valletta, Malta

2008 Eighteighteen - Malta Contemporary Art, Marsa, Malta

2009 Sounds and Visions - Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art, Israel

2009 Ten - Gallery No. 68, Valletta, Malta

2009 The Life Model - Between Nude and Naked - Gallery No. 68, Valletta, Malta

2009 hello... @ ART PRAGUE 2009 - Art Prague, Prague

2010 With Love? From Me to You - The James Taylor Gallery, London

2011 I fought the X and the X won - National Museum of Fine Arts, Cluj, Romania and National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta Malta

2011 Festival Rues d’été - Graulhet, France

2012 Wicc imb Wicc (Contemporary Self Portraiture) - St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2012-3 Stemperando - Torino, Cosenza, Roma, Italy

2014 Identita’ - AZAD, Republic Street, Valletta, Malta

2015 The Culture of Ageing - St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2015 Virtuoso – Studio 104, Valletta, Malta

2016 Terrain Vague - MADATAC 07 - Madrid Videoart and New-Media Audiovisual Art Festival, Madrid, Spain

2016 I am my photograph – Cologne Off 2016, India

2017 Small Amnesias - Rhythms of Vision, Teatru Manoel, Valletta, Malta

2017 The Malta Stock Exchange Art Exhibition – Malta Stock Exchange, Valletta, Malta 2017Human Matter - MSA Valletta, Malta

2017-8 White Memory - 1989/2018 Art in Malta and Poland, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2017-8Avlea - Closing exhibition, Pafos2017 European Capital of Culture, Markideio Theatre, Paphos, Cyprus

2018 Contemporary Inside 2018 - Junior College, Msida, Malta

2018 Metafourisms – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2018 Visual Acoustics – VIVA, The School of Art, Valletta, Malta

2018 Metafourisms – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2018 Nisga - Storja Kontemporanja – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2018 Understatement – OKNO Gallery, Slubice, Frankfurt am Oder, Poland

2018 IN BETWEEN - lo sguardo dell’arte fra due continenti – Biffi Arte, Piacenza, Italy

2019 Ostrale Art Biennale – Dresden, Germany

2019 Imprint IV – MSA, Valletta, Malta

2019 Collective Exhibition – Valletta Contemporary, Valletta, Malta

2021 Collective Exhibition – Marie Gallery 5, Mosta, Malta

2021 Collective Online Exhibition – IN/BREAK, Transept 2021, ITIA, University of St Andrews, Scotland

2022 OUTLAND – Sonorities Festival, Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, Northern ireland

2022 Signature Collective Exhibition – Obelisk Gallery, Balzan, Malta

2022 Identity of An Island - Alternative Perspectives – Astra Theatre, Victoria, Gozo, Malta

2022 Meta Landscapes - Representations and Perspectives –Valletta Contemporary, Malta.

SELECTED CURATORIAL EXHIBITIONS:

1995 Collective Works - Institute of Visual Arts, Valletta, Malta

1996 Kreativa - Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta

2001-2 Uncertain Objects - Paintings by J. Michael Anderson - Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta

2004 I feel guilty - Video and Installation by Ian Attard - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2004 The A to Z of family planning - Graphic Art by Marco Scerri - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2005 [R][R][F]2005--->XP/VideoChannel - curator for Maltese Participation – Memory & Identity, Cologne, Germany

2005 Digital Discourse - An International Media Art exhibition for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Malta - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2007 Borges and Peccata Mundi - Prints by J. Michael Anderson - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2007 Artifecture - A stART initiative - Malta Today newspaper

2007 Analogue - (co-curator) Pioneering Video from UK, Canada and Poland 1968-88 - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2008 Watch - A collaborative exhibition with the Unit for Contemporary Art Practice, Leeds University - The National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta

2008 Rencontres Arles - curator for Maltese participation, Arles, France

2009 Austin Camilleri & Pawl Carbonaro - curator for the two artist show at the Münchner Künstlerhaus, Munich

2011 Unshackled Transformation - (co-curator), St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2011 Valletta Photography Festival - (co-curator), various venues in Valletta and Auberge d’Italie, Valletta, Malta Malta

2012 H-ardcore - Contemporary Art by Caesar Attard, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2013 Forces - Ceramics by George Muscat, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2013 Re-Visit, the Contemporary Face of Faith - Seven interventions in seven churches, Valletta, Malta; 2013 Art Project Ggantija - Ars Vitae Ensemble - Ggantija Temples, Gozo, Malta

2013 Tampered Evidence - (co-curator), Blitz gallery, Valletta, Malta

2013 Pyrokinesis - paintings by David Xuereb, Ta’ Xbiex, Malta

2014 Eccentricks - sculpture by Emanuel Bonnici, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2014 Made in MT: Maltese Art Now - Malta House, Brussels, Belgium

2014 Art project Ggantija Final Exhibition - Victor Agius - St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2014 Selfie - Ziguzajg Festival, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta; 2015 The Overlooked Performance – Photography by Alex Attard, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2016 Re-Collection – Ceramics by Tony Briffa, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta

2016 Layers – Ars Vitae Ensemble, St Agatha Catacombs, Rabat, Malta

2017 In Transit - Contemporary Media Art by Artists from Malta - NRW-Forum, Dusseldorf, Germany and Town Hall, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

2018 Electromorphologies - Pioneering video art and its language – Valletta Contemporary, Valletta, Malta

2019 Video Vortex XII exhibition - co-curator with Dr Toni Sant – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2019 The Beach - Gabriel Buttigieg – Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland

2021 Spaces in Suspension - Joe Smith & Therese Debono – St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, Malta.

PAPERS, ESSAYS AND TALKS:

2000 The Art of J. Michael Anderson, curatorial essay, Museum of Fine Art, Valletta 2000 Memory, Sight and Expectation, The Moving Image as Continuous Memory, talk, Leeds University, UK

2003-4 Immigrant, curatorial essay, Museum of Fine Art, Valletta

2004 Nixtieq… On Fine Art and the Advertising Billboard, curatorial essay, Attard, Malta

2004 I Feel Guilty, curatorial essay, St. James Centre for Creativity, Malta

2004 The A to Z of Family Planning, curatorial essay, St. James Centre for Creativity, Malta

2004 Maltese Contemporary Art, paper presentation, Artists in Transit Conference; Rotterdam

2004 Absence as Presence: Reflections on the body of work entitled Immigrant, talk, Queen Street Studios, Belfast

2005 Contemporary Practice, talk, Contemporary Art Practice, University of Leeds, UK

2005 Digital Discourse, curatorial essay, St. James Centre for Creativity, Malta
2006 Playing God-On interactive database video narratives, paper presentation, Electronic and Digital Art Unit, UCLan, Preston

2007 Alternative Journeys, paper presentation, Crossings Conference, University of Amiens, France

2007 The body we own and the body we are, Quoting Caravaggio, essay, Arts Council, Malta

2008 Amid the Mundane and the Extreme, essay, NY Arts Magazine, Vol 13 No. 11/12, Nov. 2008, pp. 98-99

2008 No. 68 Redprints, The house that is destined for memories and the memories that are meant for a house, essay, Redprints exhibition catalogue, Blitz, Valletta

2008 Ebba’s Sketchbook, essay, Choppy Books, 2008, p. 177

2008 Choosing Malta’s photographers for the “Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles”, essay, Lensculture, Summer 2008

2008 The (inter)national (inter)face of (inter)action - a look at some of the technologically technologically interactive works at the 52nd International Venice Biennale, essay, Art In-Sight: Artists’ Film, Video and Installation, Filmwaves, Issue 35, Obraz Productions Ltd., Spring 2008, pp. 14-18

2009 Projected Visions - Video Art in Malta, essay, Apollonia online

2009 The Poetics of Poiesis - Austin Camilleri & Pawl Carbonaro, curatorial essay, Münchner Künstlerhaus, Munich

2009 Between a Kiss and the Naked Truth, essay, The Live Model - between Nude and Naked, Malta Arts Festival, 2009, pp. 24-31

2011 Introduction, Valletta Photographic Festival, Valletta

2011 Terrain Vague, essay, Terrain Vague, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2011 Franklin Furnace, talk, book review, National Museum of Fine Art, Valletta

2012 Seeing is Believing, paper and talk at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta 2012 Only and Where are you from? online essays Norbert Attard website

2012 Contemp(t)orary Art, talk, Palazzo Falson, Mdina

2012 The Invention of the Frame, ‘I yam what I yam - l-Invenzione’ film launch, essay and presentation, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2012 The place-moment: a time-marching-on-the-spot as witnessed by the constantly displaced view of the photographic camera, essay, Soul Searching, Sergio Muscat website

2012 The Matter of Moments and the Moments that Matter, essay, Traces of Traces, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2012, pp. 4-5; 2012 The space between clouds, essay, Shooting Society - Documenting Contemporary Life in Malta (C. Borg, R. Vella eds.), Midsea Books, 2012, pp. 40-43

2012 H is for Human, curatorial essay, H-ardcore, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, 2012, pp. 4-5; 2012 Unni Askeland, talk, National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta

2013 Reckoning the Forces, curatorial essay, Forces, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta, 2013, pp. 2-5

2013 Art Project Ggantija 2013, introduction, Ggantija Art Project, Gozo

2013 Re-Visit, talk, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2013 A Journey in Three Instalments, essay and talk, Tampered Evidence, Blitz, Valletta, 2013, pp. 8-20

2013 Fringe, talk, Sergio Muscat, Palazzo Depiro, Mdina

2013 Pyrokinesis, curatorial essay and talk, David Xuereb, Ta’ Xbiex

2014 The creative strategies of juxtaposition and hybridisation, essay, Eccentricks, Emanuel Bonnici, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2014 Art Project Ggantija 2013, introduction, St. James Centre for Creativity, Malta

2014 Made in MT: Maltese Art Now, talk, Dar Malta, Brussels; 2014 Researching Art and Design through Practice: A critical engagement with context, Visual Arts Research in Higher Education, essay, Malta Review of Educational Research, Malta

2015 Searching for Meaning in Chaos, essay, Alex Attard website

2015 The Digital Romantic, Pawlu Mizzi, essay, Her Majesty, Valletta

2015 Discovering Art using Technology: The Selfie Project, Dingli, A., Seychell, D., Briffa, V., Handbook of Research on Creative Technologies for Multidisciplinary Applications, IGI Global, 2015

2016 Re-Collecting identity through Obsolescence and Reusability, curatorial essay, Re-Collection, St. James Centre for Creativity, Valletta

2016 Unfolding the layers of memory in time and space, curatorial essay, Layers catalogue, St Agatha Catacombs, Rabat, Malta

2016 Co-existing dualities - the art of being inbetween, artist's talk, K.B. Gallery, Kaposvár, Hungary

2018 Grasping at the contemporary, Interview, Malta Today

2018 Electromorphologies - Pioneering video art and its language – curatorial talk and gallery walkthrough - Valletta Contemporary, Valletta, Malta

2018 Public talk – Civitella Castle, Umbria, Italy

2018 DRHA Conference – Keynote speech, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2018 Artist’s talk – OKNO Gallery, Slubice, Frankfurt am Oder, Poland

2018 Artist’s talk – Biffi Arte, Piacenza, Italy

2018 Exhibition inauguration speech – Saudade, Gabriel Buttigieg, MSA, Valletta, Malta; 2019 Artist’s talk – Rotary Club, Valletta, Malta

2019 Being on the Beach – curatorial essay, The Beach catalogue, Gabriel Buttigieg 2019 Artist’s talk – Video Vortex, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta

2019 Keynote speech - Video Vortex XII conference – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, Malta 2020 Foreword, Survivors II art photography publication by Joe Smith, Malta.