Artistic Director and Curator: Dr Mark Sagona

Identity of an Island

Artist Statement

The artist was born and raised in Ħaż-Żebbuġ, but his father—though baptised there—is of Gozitan descent. In fact, the artist has many family members from Gozo. This awareness has deeply shaped his sense of identity; he feels at home the moment he sets foot on the island. There are times when the artist longs for Gozo, as if he were meant to be there instead of anywhere else.

In this project, the artist explores the sense of belonging he feels towards Gozo by drawing on the important mythological narrative of Homer’s Odyssey. Homer recounts how Odysseus spent seven years with the nymph Calypso, making Gozo—known in the myth as Ogygia—his temporary home, only to leave when the longing for Ithaca became too powerful. Odysseus followed his heart and departed from his newfound refuge to return to his homeland.

During a visit to an archaeological site in Crete, where Homer is believed to have spent time writing, the artist felt a profound nostalgia for Gozo—a longing that transcended both time and place. He experienced a yearning for a mythological Gozo he had never lived in, except through his imagination and his quest to connect with his ancestors.

It is said that Calypso’s cave is located in Xagħra, and coincidentally, Tanti’s family is from Xagħra. Somehow, even if only in geographic terms, Tanti senses a connection between the nymph Calypso, Odysseus, and his own bloodline. This is where the artist's sense of longing for home takes root—in his personal feelings when visiting Gozo, and in the parallel experience Odysseus endured during his time with Calypso, yearning for Ithaca.

For these reasons, the artwork explores the myth of Calypso and the enduring search for home. The main model is the artist’s cousin, who is herself from Xagħra. Tanti likes to believe she carries the blood of Calypso—and of the immortals—running through her veins.