Biography
Ray Spiteri is a Canadian born self taught Maltese painter and sculptor with a background in video production, dance, yoga and acting. He worked as an model in New York City for two years. He is currently writing a screenplay called ‘The Love is in me’. Ray first solo exhibition was held in 1997 at the Mermaid Bar (Calgary, Canada) followed in 1998 by a group exhibition at Bat Bar (NYC, NY).
In 2005 his Lady Inspirations solo exhibition was shown at Heritage Malta, and he participated in the Malta Summer Arts Festival in 2006. In 2008, Ray exhibited a large Maltese Goddess inspired sculpture at Raphael Labro’s Awakening exhibition at Cotoner Hall (Valletta, Malta), and in 2009 held a Luv Olives solo show at the Meridian Hotel, (St Julians, Malta).
Ray first carved in Alaska in 2002 and has been selling his Maltese Goddess inspired Maltese local limestone carvings to tourists from various venues in Valletta, the Hypogeum, Ta Rikardu Restaurant (Gozo, Malta) and now at Mysteries, in Covent Garden, London.
Curatorial Comment
I first met Ray in 2006 during the spring equinox special opening by Heritage Malta at the Mnajdra Temples. I have been delighted and inspired to spend many hours discussing the temples and the various ideas around how the sites might have been occupied, inhabited and energised during prehistoric times. As a performer and artist, his work expresses not only the stillness of the figurines, but also the ecstatic movement potential that emerges from that stillness.
Artist statement
I have had numerous signs and omens pointing to the ancient Maltese temple period : one of them is a dream where I was in a Maltese temple ritual with vivid and ecstatic uncontrollable movement of my body. In the movement, I was being cared for and not injured by others around me.I have painted from this experience but in my female energy. I began painting in NYC with vibrant oil colours in 1996 while studying acting and dance. In Alaska in 2000 I began carving soapstone and then after being in Malta and working for a while in various soft stone quarries I began to carve Maltese goddess inspired forms in the local stone. I am currently including Goddesses and temples in a movie script I am writing.
