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  • "Fridamania" by Michelle Galea, paintings exhibition at Wignacourt Museum in Malta until 27 April

"Fridamania" by Michelle Galea, paintings exhibition at Wignacourt Museum in Malta until 27 April

20 April 2026

‘Fridamania’ is an art exhibition dedicated entirely to portraits painted by Michelle Galea, representing the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). Frida, being one of Michelle’s biggest inspiration, is the perfect subject that lends itself to the use of vibrant colours favoured by Michelle. All works are painted in oils on canvas and adopt the hard-edged technique, evoking a bold and direct sentiment.

Michelle Galea refers to Kahlo as presence, tenacity, and endurance rather than as an image or style. 
She engages with the entirety of Frida Kahlo's personality rather than just treating her as an icon, transforming her into a muse in her own right.
Due to both process and technique, the 34 pieces are equally daring in their two-dimensionality. Galea takes a different approach, starting from black and working towards light, in contrast to artists, including herself, who are frequently trained to start with lighter tones and gradually build towards darker ones. This technique strengthens the painting's immediacy by creating a sharper contrast between tonal areas. Each piece is ultimately anchored by its expression within this unique surface, especially in the rendering of the eyes. As Galea declares: "The expression and the eyes are the most important, that is what I always focus on. Particularly with this style, if you do not get them right it does not feel like the person."

This exhibition is significant not only as a portraiture exercise but also as a remarkable example of a modern artist devoting an entire exhibition to the entirety of Frida Kahlo—not just her style or her iconic image, but the distilled force of her character, tenacity, and self-construction. As Kahlo herself stated: "The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to" and "At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can." Galea frames the work directly: "She always suited me perfectly for my style, my character, my everything. I hope I did a well homage to her and that she would be happy about it."

Click here for more detailed info and logistics.

Wignacourt Museum, Rabat, Malta (EU)