Atlas Insurance has issued its 2023 calendar, featuring a selection of sculptures and artworks by local artist Francesca Balzan.
Over the years Atlas Insurance has featured both established and upcoming artists from different backgrounds who fall across a wide spectrum of creative abilities and make use of different media as well as bringing their own styles to their pieces of art. Atlas Insurance believes that as a Maltese company it is critical to nurture Maltese culture and celebrate those elements that truly make us all Maltese.
Through Ms Balzan’s work, the focus is on the Maltese and societal heritage by showcasing sculptures of past and present characters in Maltese society. The photos of these sculptures are accompanied by audio recordings that can be accessed by scanning the QR code on each page of the calendar.
Atlas Insurance Chief Commercial Officer Robert Micallef commented: “Once again we are choosing to showcase some of the best artistic talent that these islands have to offer. Francesca’s artworks captured in this calendar, perfectly encapsulate the essence of the local community and its various characteristics.”
Mr Micallef continued: “Rather than having a limited number of calendars that are distributed internally, this year we are choosing to offer extra copies of this calendar to clients who visit our branches at this time of the year, as a way of celebrating and supporting local talent. We hope that you will enjoy hearing the colourful characters which inspired these sculptures speak and come to life through the QR codes included throughout!”
Ms Balzan studied privately under the tutelage of Maltese artist Harry Alden, before obtaining a diploma from the Malta School of Art. Aside from being a practising artist, art historian and author, she is also self-taught in sculpture. She stated: “I do what I know: I observe what is around me, and I mine information from our archives to create my art. Atlas itself is a company with a long legacy and an appreciation of our uniqueness and our past so this collaboration has been ideal!”