Located on the Baฤงar iฤ-ฤagฤงaq shore, within the Pembroke municipality, in Malta, the White Rocks complex provides breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. On entering the abandoned facility, two large paintings instantly catch your attention, each fully covering the side of a three-story structure, towering tall against the backdrop of the sea. These striking murals, concealed from view from the bustling Coast Road, making them a hidden gem for those who stumble upon them. Both are fascinating and thought-provoking.
One of them depicts a woman with a headscarf (pictured), her look serene but profound, as she holds the world in her hands. The artist, Mark Taylor, also known as Meataxe, signed his name near the bottom, in an area partially covered by a little patch of grass. Taylor himself departed this world last February. The well known 35-year old Maltese street artist James Micallef Grimaud, confirmed to Juliana Zammit (a MaltaToday reporter) that it was indeed painted by Mark Taylor. โThe mural shows a woman holding an apple shaped like the Earth. Itโs about greed.โ He added: โSheโs eating the world. The apple is the Earth. Itโs very relevant to now.โ
In James Micallef Grimaud's opinion, there is an acute need for more public art, to neutralise 'visual pollution'. โThere are buildings everywhere; no planning. Itโs all concrete. Thatโs visual pollutionโ. The White Rocks complex, formally abandoned, is now bursting with street art. Its vivid graffiti and murals, daring and enchanting, entice visitors to contemplate and roam about this thriving, living, vibrant art gallary.