‘Pura’: A mother-daughter dialogue in art by Rebecca and Anna Cassar

During her honeymoon in Bali, Rebecca found herself profoundly moved by the island’s lush landscapes – an endless tapestry of vibrant greens that seemed to breathe life and tranquillity in equal measure.

‘Pura’, the Balinese word for temple, signifies a sacred space of devotion and stillness. In Maltese, pura translates to pure. These dual meanings are gracefully intertwined through the universal bond between mother and child – a sacred relationship mirrored in the creative connection shared by the two artists.

Together, Rebecca and Anna sought to celebrate this bond through a body of work that combines artistic expression and familial intimacy.

In Pura, the viewer is invited into a sensory dialogue where whispers of generations past mingle with the gentle breath of the present. Each piece resonates with emotion – nostalgia, strength, fragility, and resilience merging in delicate equilibrium.

In this new collection, Rebecca steps away from her signature abstract approach to explore a more contemplative collaboration with nature and form. Pura unveils the serene beauty of Bali’s temple culture while capturing the raw essence of the natural world. The foliage – vast, surreal, and dreamlike – transports the viewer into a realm of quiet wonder. Through Pura, the artists offer a meditation on purity itself: a reflection of the soul seen through two intertwined creative visions. Rebecca’s works once again radiate emotional depth – where fragility and power coexist in a single, fluid breath.

Complementing this dialogue, Anna’s ceramic vessels embody the grounding presence of earth and tradition. Crafted from raw, unglazed stoneware and adorned with accents of 23.4- and 24-carat gold, each piece carries a sense of timeless elegance. Semi-precious gemstones, long revered in Balinese temple rituals for their spiritual potency, further enrich the collection – their subtle shimmer echoing the sacred and the sublime.

Together, Rebecca and Anna’s works invite the viewer into a shared space of stillness and connection – a sacred moment where art, nature, and kinship converge in perfect harmony.

Pura opens on Friday, 5 December at 7pm. It will be open on weekdays from 7am to 2.30pm and Saturdays from 10am to 12pm. The exhibition will run until 22 December at Gemelli Art Gallery, Ta’ Qali Crafts Village, Attard. Entrance is free.

Rebecca Cassar Biography:

Rebecca Cassar (b. 1994) is a Maltese artist whose practice spans both abstract and representational art. From an early age, she developed a deep passion for painting, drawing, and art history, continually exploring new media and techniques to expand her creative expression.

In 2020, after pursuing a career in law and earning a Master’s degree in Human Rights, Rebecca made the decisive choice to follow her lifelong dream of becoming an artist. Her work reflects this personal journey of transformation, self-discovery, and experimentation.

Fascinated by the human condition, vibrant colour, texture, and the luminous qualities of gold leaf, Rebecca creates compositions that range from evocative abstract pieces to nuanced representational works. Across both styles, her art invites introspection, provokes thought, andengages viewers on an emotional level.

Since starting her professional artistic career, she has held three successful solo exhibitions: Enlightenment at the Malta Society of Arts, Introspection at 59, Strait Street in Valletta, and Mewġa at Gemelli Gallery, Ta’ Qali. She has also participated in a number of local collective exhibitions.

Anna Cassar Biography:

Anna Cassar (b. 1965) is not new to the art world. She began dabbling with paint during her doctoral studies in clinical psychology in America in 1994.

Anna is a clinical psychologist by profession and has always been captivated by the beauty of form and colour. While in America, Anna held open house viewings of her abstract artworks which were received with much appreciation. She continued to paint using various media including sand, glass, pebbles and shells she had collected during her travels.

In 2008, Anna had a joint exhibition of abstract artworks called Two Faces-One Vision, together with Anna Miggiani at the Auberge d’Italie (now housing Muza).

Anna’s fascination with clay began in 2022, when she was introduced to hand-building techniques in terracotta clay.

In December 2023, Anna had her first successful studio sale which highlighted her fascination with colour and glazes.

She eventually moved to the medium of stoneware clay; gradually understanding its strength and versatility. Captivated by the durability of the medium, she embarked on a journey leading up to her current collection.

The Pura Collection is a collection of vessels in unglazed stoneware clay, embellished by 23.5/24 carat gold leaf and semi-precious stones, forming part of the Pura exhibition.