Paul Camilleri is a Malta-based painter who draws inspiration from his immediate surroundings and rapidly changing context. His compositions are purely abstract, yet his subjects are grounded in the figurative. Possessing a strong aptitude for line, texture and colour, his paintings have a bold, commanding presence that nevertheless requires close, and intimate inspection. Rather than utilising a flat surface, he builds his work in a sophisticated, collage-like fashion, using a selection of linen and cotton fabrics, which section and compartmentalise the surface upon which his seemingly organic forms hang, quasi suspended in a vacuum of thinly veiled chromatic hues, which threaten to spill beyond the frames that contain them. There is a delicate balance at play between the controlled, dominating forms in the foreground, vis-à-vis the watered down, expressive, and chromatically graded backgrounds. Despite the appearance of a limited palette, Paul plays with warm and cold hues, which he juxtaposes and aptly folds into the layers of his paintings. These poignant nuances, only acquiring visibility when establishing close rapport with his paintings. Paul’s compositions are deceiving, in that they appear simple and straightforward to the naked eye; yet, this apparent simplicity is merely a disguise for the meticulous process at play, which, together with chosen materials betray, as well as marry a background rooted in architecture and design, fabrics and textiles, and the applied arts. Despite having received considerable artistic training at a relatively young age, Paul is an emerging painter, having debuted in 2022 in a collective exhibition, titled ‘FUQ TLIETA’. Although he has only been exhibiting his work since 2020, his work is highly sought after and can be found in private collections in Malta and abroad.