2026: Sixty 

60: A Journey into Colour, Life, Memory and Transcendence Paul Cassar’s New Solo Exhibition

Paul Cassar’s vivid palette will once again be showcased in his new exhibition: 60. The exhibition commemorates the artist’s sixtieth birthday while also being a uniquely personal tribute to the memory of a loved one.

This exhibition is being held at the art gallery within Creative Expressions at Bishop Emmanuel Galea Street, Żejtun. Opens on 9 January 2026 and runs until 9 February 2026.

60 marks Paul Cassar’s sixtieth birthday this January while also being dedicated to the memory of his elder brother, Joseph, who was also sixty years old at the time of his passing. Paul has honoured his brother’s memory with a portrait: "Remembering Joseph (il-Kuċċ) My Brother 2025". This vivid portrait, in Paul’s signature style, is a memorial to his brother’s cheerful personality and love of music.

This exhibition stems from a particularly difficult period in the artist’s life, when Paul lost not one but three of his loved ones, his older brother and both of his parents within a year. This difficult period has led to an evolution in Paul’s art, where transcendence has now taken centre stage.

Furthermore, Paul has chosen a very particular format for his paintings: 60 x 60 centimetres, which not only reminds us of the artist’s and his brother’s sixtieth year but also creates a powerful, cohesive visual impact.

Paul explores transcendental subjects in several of the paintings. He has shown a new preoccupation with souls, the afterlife and the possibility of bridges between different planes, between our world and the next, as can be seen in paintings such as “Timeless Bridge," "Reaching Eternal," and "Eternal Echoes.”

The transcendental dimension of Paul’s work is also an extension, as it were, of Paul’s preoccupation with the cosmic aspect.  Paul’s fascination with the cosmos – as seen in works such as "Until the End of Time" in his previous exhibition – shows his interest in vastness and what is beyond us, a preoccupation that now extends to the infinity of eternity.

Paul’s dedication to vivid colour, abstract forms – including abstraction in landscapes - and intense light can once more be seen in his latest works. Something of note however, is the addition of gold and golden yellow tones, a striking feature of some paintings such as the “Timeless Bridge”, “Melody from Roman Cave is Coming…”, “Eternal Symphonic Energy” and “Time Melange”. Gold in Byzantine art symbolised heavenly glory and divine light; the paintings of the present exhibition, even those not overtly transcendentally themed, are also linked to the eternal and the otherworldly through the use of golden hues.

This exhibition also showcases Paul’s well-known interest in the organic – spirals, growth and renewal return to the limelight, this time linked with the afterlife and the cycle of the soul. The Tree of Life motif – a powerful symbol of growth, strength, continuity and eternal connection – features in the painting “Tree of a Child into Eternal Soul”. Other paintings such as “Eternal Nexus Ocean to Cosmos” link the cosmos to the vastness of an ocean teeming with life while “Chromatic Awakening” inventively re-imagines plant life, creating an atmosphere of contemplative, reflective serenity.

The exhibition includes Paul’s signature abstracts and abstracted seascapes and landscapes, like the outstanding “Seas of Mystery” and more traditional landscapes. Paul’s self-portrait will not disappoint and will once again be one of the highlights of the exhibition. Paul’s self-portraits reflect the introspection of this artist who is a poet not only on the canvas but also on the written page, two passions that complement and supplement each other.

60 showcases Paul Cassar’s poetical imagination and emotional honesty. It is a moving synthesis of his technical mastery, philosophical contemplation and sheer passion for colour, showing an artist grappling with life, loss, renewal and the nature of eternity in a pivotal moment of his life.

Katya Glanville Vella, 5th November 2025