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For Eva, documenting Malta’s privately owned gardens was not on the agenda when she came to Malta, but the foliage peeking out over garden walls and onto the roads, teased her into asking a Maltese homeowner for a tour.

Eva Fekete is a photographer, aesthete and furniture restorer who made waves on local gardening groups on Facebook with her collection of intimate photos of privately owned gardens around Malta and Gozo.

Stepping into a carefully curated garden is a little like reading someone’s portfolio, only instead of what’s written on paper, it’s the flowers, plants and herbs that allow you to find out about their work, discipline and inclinations.

We met Eva for a coffee in Balzan to speak about her photography, furniture upcycling, and discuss ways in which we as a platform can collaborate with her. Here’s some highlights from our conversation:

Your debut exhibition in Malta was at Palazzo Piro; how was that experience?

It was a really nice experience! With the professionalism of Palazzo Piro was easy to organize it and I got the best feedback: some of my photographies were sold. To think that there are people who watch my pictures in their home – well, this thought is heart-warming!

Is it difficult to ask Maltese homeowners to photograph their gardens?

It was surprisingly easy. I’m a member of a lovely Facebook page, the Green Patches – Gardening In Malta, and I posted my idea there at first. Probably that could help that one can check my profile through that page. But still! That kindness and trust always amazes me and I’m really thankful for that!

Then after I started to share my photos more and more proud gardener have messaged me, turning my project to a neverending story.

One thing you only realised after your started photographing Maltese gardens

What I didn’t realized when I started this series was the stories behind this gardens and green yards. The stories about that such commitments and passion to make and keep this places green in the harsh Maltese weather! And what a pleasure can be sitting even in a small yard on a Sunday afternoon when it’s full with pots and plants running up to the walls.

These people makes miracles!

We take extra care with interiors but are disconnected from public spaces. Do you agree?

With all these protests recently they show that they do care about the public green areas. And there are some private actions as well. There was a news about a guy who couldn’t bear to watch how neglected the trees are around his place so he rented a bowser and watered them. Or there are companies who plants trees on their own cost. So there is more and more good example we just have to reach a critical mass to change the trends.

You studied drawing, painting, sculpture and photography – what got you into art at a young age?

I was lucky with the people and the era around me. I grew up in an intellectual family, where my daddy’s task was to help me with my homework. And he was able to explain all the historical and art historical events in a way that the people of old ages came to life! Instead of boring lexical data these people thought about life, about love and fought for it and wanted to express all of that on a current way of fashion or invented new trends. All of that was so vivid!

And the ‘90s of Budapest gave the background to this, where – thanks to the newly discovered freedom – cultural life was so lively! Everyone between the age of 12 and 90 painted, made photos, played music, wrote magazines and fanzines, new and new theatres and clubs opened on every corner of the city. So actually it would have been impossible not to find yourself on some field of arts.

What kind of role did your parents play in your upbringing – did they encourage you to pursue the arts?

I was stubborn enough to be supported and not to argue with. But taking the joke aside I’ve never seen my father so touched and so proud of me like that night after my first performance. He was a very private man who never showed emotions publicly. So probably something went into his eyes that was why he blinked so much then.

What aspects do you feel Malta & Hungary share – and in which areas do you feel they are most different?

On the political level there are too many similarities: money based thinking instead of the value based one and with all the corruption scandals. But Hungary went far more on that way than Malta. And because the mentality of the Maltese people is so different, I believe that Malta will never reach that level.

If you were the prime minister for a day, what’s one thing you would change?

Only one thing??? Ok, let me see. I’d make all the authorities independent from the current government and PM, and assign only experts of their field and NGOs to the respective committees, all with no conflict of interests.  And as a main guideline I would put sustainability and environmental friendly way of thinking into the centre of all of these authorities’ work.

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