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QUOTES FROM CRITIQUES ​
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Tony Briffa kien wera interess bikri fit- teatru, qasam "konfuż" li ma jħallikx tkun privat. Fl- istess ħin kien qed jaħdem l- ewwel esperimenti tiegħu biċ-ċeramika: invenzjonijiet b`saħħithom, dominati minn kulturi kuntrastanti u aħmar qawwi.
Mario Azzopardi - Kullħadd- 17 ta Ottubru,1993.
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"Though Tony Briffa has been around for quite some time - I must admit that it only with this latest showing I felt fully awakened not only to the innate possibilities residing in his talents but also to a blossoming maturation."
E. Fiorentino - The Sunday Times - Malta
7th November1993.
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"Hemm tant involviment, kura, imħabba u paċenzja evidenti f`dan ix-xogħol li l-artist għandu doża qawwija ta liriċita`profonda."
E.V. Borg - In-Nazzjon Tagħana
1st November 1993
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"The stratum of sophistication is mostly conveyed by the intense glow of the glazing. Tony Briffa allows himself not only to be inspired by an inherent good taste, but in many instances becomes a direct echo of the beautiful maiolica pieces of the 17th and th18 centuries,"
Dominic Cutajar - The Times.
1-11-1993
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"Their stained, worn, handled, scratched, mottled surface with dribbles and drippings show not only Tony`s technical virtuosity and bravura but also his potential in sensitively creating texture both tactile and sensuous."
E.V.Borg - Malta This Month
January 1994
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"A leading exponent of Malta`s contemporary ceramic flourish (Tony Briffa) - has here embodied his sense of wonder and awe in his vigorous, personal reconstruction of the ancient diety, by employing familiar curvilinear and cognate geometric forms as well as through a fabulous patina of blues and gold, suggestively, merging prehistoric symbolism with memories of old hallowed icons."
Dominic Cutajar - Woman in Maltese Art - exhibition catalogue - 1995.
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"Briffa`s imagination seems boundless, yet this brainstorming is backed by attention to finish, with excellent glazes and harmonious toning."
Jeorg Andersch - The Saturday Mercury - Hobart,
5th August 1995.
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"Ultimately, all Briffa`s small, strange-looking devices exude an aura of ambivalence: it is their meaning or function which is metamorphic in the interpreter`s eyes."
Raphael Vella - The Malta Independent - Malta
20th October 1996
"Conceived more as sculptural pieces, Briffa`s works ask to be touched and caressed, walked around and observed from as many viewpoints as possible."
Lara Stickland - The Times.
4th November 1996.
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"Għal Briffa il-forma antropomorfika, jigifieri meta oġġet, f dan il-każ vażun jieħu l-forma tal-bniedem, għandha s-sinifikat tal- fertilita tal-ġisem tal-mara, kontenitur tal-ħajja."
Tony De Giovanni - L-orizzont.
3rd November 1993
"Through his humanity, Tony Briffa speaks of la condition humaine. He speaks in the various voices of joy, perplexity, and exaltation familiar to us all"
Joseph Paul Cassar - Corpora brochure
August 1996
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"Det er ikke let at finde en keramiker, der kan løfte det keramiske arbejde over det dekorative kunsthåndværkerniveau og tilføre det kunstnerisk vid og bid. Men Tony Briffa fandt mig, og det er godt, for han kan. Og det i grader, hvor jeg, næsten, kan føle trang til at råbe stop, stop, af frygt for at han skal flyve så højt, at vingerne af den kunstneriske skabertrang skal smelte. "
Grethe Olsen - Galleri Emmaus - Haslev, Danmark
2009​
" In the fugue the music keeps returning to the main melody, transforming it. So does Mr Briffa's work. It is not an escape, it is a restless quest for variations on an original melody."
Victor Vella - The Times of Malta.
30th July 2009
"Largely because of the exceptional quality of your work and the extent of your artistic achievement, you have been awarded a grant from The Pollock- Krasner Foundation."
Caroline Black - PKF
December 2014
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"The exhibited works are clear evidence of the artist’s constant juggling with the form-function paradigm. He intentionally upsets the objects’ equilibrium and renders them unusable not only through a change in size but also through a further dissonant amalgamation of form an image, steering the process of evolution of the object into hybridity"
Vince Briffa - Re- Collection brochure
8th April 2016
"A sculptor by nature, Briffa always departs from the form and seeks to create movement, whilst colour comes in later, particularly through the demand of the ceramic medium. He is in total command of his technique yet there is a struggle that takes place between what he wishes to express and what his medium will offer him."
Sarah Chircop - Sunday Times of Malta
1st May 2016
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"Briffa's polychromatic creatures naturalised the ceramic medium. His imaginative sculptural objects appeared as animate beings."
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Nikki Petroni - The Malta Independent
11th July 2016
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Winner of our Featured Artist Open Call in the fine art category is Tony Briffa. Tony Briffa`s goal-oriented sculptures seek to resolve personal criteria via 3D ceramic formats. While exploring space, gravity and movement, Briffa shares narratives that surprise and are comical, while remaining understated.
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Artrepreneur 14-07-2021
Tony Briffa fra Malta viser sine farverige og morsomme skulpturer lige hjemkommet fra flere udenlandske keramikbiennaler – ligesom der vil være et nyt udvalg af de populærere små skulpturer.
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Mikkel Kim Nørballe, Galleri Nørballe 2020
Playfulness and the passage of time are integral aspects of Briffa's oeuvre. The artist juxtaposes, redefines and comes up with original narratives, creatures and formations. One can see this as an attempt at reclassification and recontextualization.
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Joseph Aguis Times of Malta 2021
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