SPACES IN SUSPENSION

This is a collaboration between photographers Therese Debono and Joseph P. Smith.

Once an icon of luxurious hospitality, the Grand Hotel Verdala in Malta closed its doors in 1997 and was left in a derelict state. It is being reflected upon by the two artists at a time when the building has been removed from its original purpose for decades, but moreover, in a very different reality. What was once a meeting point for film stars, top diplomats and high-end tourism, has now become a space suspended in time, where traces of a previous life still linger and a new fate awaits. The documentation of the place happened during COVID lockdown, a time when the concepts of “hospitality” and “meeting” were, and still are, suspended in time. Since then, the building has been totally demolished to make way for a new development.

The artists also managed to trace some ex-staff members whom they photographed on the site of the derelict building.

Joe and Therese both have a Masters Degree in Fine Art - Digital Art from the University of Malta and have exhibited extensively locally and abroad. 

An exhibition and installation of the work was shown at Spazju Kreattiv between October and December 2021.  This project was supported by Arts Council Malta.

​Prints are available in limited editions. Printed on archival cotton paper. Send an email for enquiries and to view the whole collection.