Norbert Francis Attard

Norbert Francis Attard (born 4 October 1951 in Sliema, Malta) is a Maltese multi-disciplinary artist, art collector, gallerist and entrepreneur known for his varied approaches to artistic projects, multi-media works, installations and anthroplogical-based projects.

Early years

Attard started as a self-taught painter and graphic artist before turning to installation art in 1998. He graduated in Architecture from the University of Malta in 1977, practicing the profession as architect for twenty years until 1996. He lived in Germany in 1978/1979 working with the firm ‘Licht in Raum’, directed by Johannes Dinnebier, one of Germany’s pioneers in light design.

Works

Whilst practicing the profession of architect for twenty years until 1996, he designed prints, posters, postage stamps and other works. Among Norbert Attard's numerous and most noteworthy artistic works one finds a growing collection of posters designed for various theatres national associations embassies and cultural institutions. On the same lines he has also designed a number of book covers and eight issues of Maltese postage stamps.

In 1998 he focused on installation art and has since then worked in various disciplines, merging expressions of architecture, sculpture, video and photography in different and various media. The relationship of his work to location and memory of site is crucial, as is his attempt to create a sense of balance and harmony through inter-relatedness of often contradictory themes and ideas.

In 1999, he represented Malta in the 48th Venice Biennale.

2002-2005 Committee member of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.

Since 2001 Director of GOZO Contemporary, an art space offering artist’s residencies on the island of Gozo.

1999 Represented Malta at the 48th Venice Biennale, Italy.

1998-2008 Created many site-specific installations in several countries and has participated in many collective international exhibitions in Scotland, England, Cuba, Austria, Italy, Spain, Germany, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Greece, South Korea, Australia, U.S.A., and Taiwan.

SELECTED WORKS SHOWN AT

2005 Artists against Sedition Laws, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.

2005 Art’s Diary: Intervene, Taipei Artists Village, Taipei, Taiwan.

2005 Obsession, The International Video Festival, Galerie X, Istanbul, Turkey.

2005 The Exhausted Body, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

2005 Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena, John David Mooney Foundation, Chicago, U.S.A.

2005 Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art, Naples, Italy.

2004 K.A.I.R., Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.

2004 ART Expo, Mexico 04, Solaris / Observatorio, Michoacán, Mexico.

2004 ARTiade, Visual Arts of the Olympics, Athens, Greece.

2004 Nomadifesta, Kastelliotissa, Nicosia, Cyprus.

2003 Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece.

2003 8th Havana Biennale, Cuba.

2003 Post-Civilisation, Kaohsiung International Container Festival, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

2003 Palestrina and Hell, Johanniterkirche, Feldkirch, Austria.

2003 Intervention I, Manningham Mills, Bradford, England, UK.

2002 Edinburgh International Arts Festival, Scotland, UK.

2002 2nd Liverpool Biennale, England, UK.

2001 The Floating Land, International Site Specific Art Laboratory, Noosa, Queensland, Australia.

2000 Edinburgh City Art Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1999 48th Venice Biennale, Italy.

1999 Diaspora, International Art Meeting, Oviedo, Spain.

1999 2nd Florence Biennale, Italy.

1998 Breath, International Art Symposium, Chonju, South Korea.

1998 Transkutan, Olympia Park, Munich, Germany.

1998 XIX Biennale of Alexandria, Egypt.

Publications

2007 Between Earth and Sky - Norbert Francis Attard Book published by Midsea Books Limited in collaboration with Heritage Malta. Main text edited by Ranier Fsadni. Additional editing by Lisa Gwen Baldacchino. Critical Essay by Richard England. Foreword by Aomi Okabe. Photography of Prehistoric Artifacts and Temples by Daniel Cilia. ISBN 99932-7-087-3

2004 Norbert Francis Attard, Four Olympics Book published by NY ARTS BOOKS, New York, USA. Edited by Dennis Vella. Critical Essay by Stanley Borg. Foreword by Tereza de Arruda. ISBN 0-9727451-0-6

2002 I See Red Everywhere Book published by The Carnyx Group, Glasgow, Scotland. Foreword by Richard Demarco. Introduction by Peter Serracino Inglott. Additional writings by Fiona Calder, Neil Cameron, Richard Carr, Richard Demarco, Emmanuel Fiorentino, Quentin Hughes, Paul Sant Cassia, Diane Sykes, Julian Treuherz, Raphael Vella, and Kenneth Wain. ISBN 1-903653-12-6

1996 Norbert Attard, Prints and Paintings, 1977 - 1996. Published by Roemer-und Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim, Germany. Edited by Dennis Vella. Foreword by Kenneth Wain. Additional writings by Dennis Vella, Meir Ronnen, Dominic Cutajar, Anne Musgrave, Richard England, Peter Serracino Inglott, Raphael Vella, Emmanuel Fiorentino, Rose Lapira and Theresa M. Vella. ISBN 99909-68-14-4

1983 Norbert Attard, Artist in Malta, 1977–1983 Published by Edizioni Galleria De Amicis, Florence, Italy. Introduction by Dominic Cutajar. Foreword by Richard England.

1978 While the Heart watches Limited edition handmade box. Twelve poems by Michael Zammit and three signed lithograph prints by Norbert Attard.

Exhibitions

2007 Arrivals: Art from a new Europe Published by Turner Contemporary and Oxford Modern, UK. Text by Miria Swain

2006 3rd Echigo Tsumari Triennial Published by Front Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.

2006 The Exhausted Body Introduction by Nina Dimitriadi. Published by Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Text by Mario Azzopardi and Margarita Sanches Prieto.

2006 Twenty-Five years / 25 artists. Text by Dennis Vella. Published by Middlesea Insurance, Malta.

2006 Taipei Artist’s Village annual catalogue. Published by Taipei Artist’s Village, Taipei, Taiwan.

2005 100 Artists for a Museum Published by Casoria International Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy.

2005 Paths of Europe Published by Apollonia, Strasbourg, France. Text by Monika Sielska and Konstantinos Dimitris.

2005 Kamiyama Artist in Residency exhibition catalogue. Published by K.A.I.R, Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Text by Aomi Okabe

2005 Blitz Published by START, Malta. Introduction by Raphael Vella. Text of works of Norbert Francis Attard by Michael. J. Mumford.

2004 Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival. Published by Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Text by Mario Azzopardi.

2003 Borders. Published by START, Malta. Text by Richard England.

2000 Diaspora, Published by Ciudad de Oviedo, Spain. Text by Anke Mellin.

1999 48th Venice Biennale: Aperto over all. Malta: Norbert Francis Attard, Vince Briffa, and Ray Pitre. Text by Adrian Bartolo. Published by Edizioni La Biiennale

1996 Norbert Attard, an Invitation to..... Published by Foundation for International Studies, Valletta, Malta. Introduction by Kenneth Wain. Foreword by Victor Pasmore.

1992 Norbert Attard, Paintings Published by Gallerija Gaulos, Gozo, Malta. Introduction by Peter Serracino Inglott.

1986 Norbert Attard, Lithographs and Silkscreen Prints Published by The National Museum, Valletta, Malta and the National Museums of Canada (Ottawa). Introduction by Richard England.