Charlie Cauchi & Romeo Gatt present

She said Darling with a “K” - Reimagining Katya Saunders

Walk with us along the life of Katya Saunders in a space that holds her stories, her objects and most importantly, her immortal spirit.

Note: The physical exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv closed on the 22 January 2023. This page is being retained for archival purposes.

Photo Credits - Elisa Von Brockdorff

She Said Darling With A “K” Reimagining Katya Saunders

Video work (27 minutes) featuring Anthony Sultana.

One of her closest friends, Anthony Sultana, is our guide through the exhibition, highlighting some key moments in her life and their friendship.

Windows

Key garments from Katya's collection are on display here. She often used cinema as a reference, sighting such figures as Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly and Bette Davis. Each window is a nod to her love for Classical Hollywood Cinema.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Hat, cigarette holder (donated by Anthony Sultana), sunglasses

Image donated by Marie Therese Galea Bason.

My Favorite Things

Jacket embellished by Katya Saunders. Shoes.

Katya had a penchant for ribbons and anything that sparkled. She amassed quite a collection of gems and fabric and was known to embellish items of clothing, giving them her own personal stamp. This jacket is an excellent example of this. A selection of shoes accompanies it - some a little worse for wear, others still pristine, all featuring ribbon.

Now Voyager

Dress by Charles & Ron

Another Charles & Ron gem, this outfit was designed specifically for Katya to wear to a family wedding. Katya loved fabric and would sit with Charles and Ron, dreaming up sartorial creations just for her. In this instance, it was curtain fabric that caught her eye.

My Fair Lady

Dress by Charles & Ron

According to Katya folklore, she wore the dress at a fashion show in Paris in 2000. It was designed exclusively for her by Charles & Ron. She would typically wear it with long white gloves, a tiara, stings upon strings of pearls, and finish it all off with a small, silver crucifix.

Katya Self Portrait

Donated by Anthony Sultana

Katya drew this self-portrait while living in London. Sitting at a café in her new Cutler and Gross glasses, she could see her reflection in the mirror. She took out her eyeliner and started to sketch. She gave this to Anthony as a gift. It lives lovingly in his home.

Friday Night

Installation featuring footage of Rock Café opening night in 1992 (donated by Magna Żmien), soundscape, posters from the Katya Saunders archive.

Katya was an iconic figure on the local club scene. In a homage to her clubbing days, the exterior of this nightclub toilet is covered in posters and pictures of her out on the town. Most prominently is the iconic poster advertising her 1977 performance at Tugulio Head into the powder room. There's a message waiting for you.

Abundance

Sculpture. Selection of Katya's clothes, ratchet straps

This work comprises clothes from Katya's collection, which was donated to MGRM. Her collection is vast, and this is only a fraction of what she left behind. This piece symbolises the weight that one carries throughout their life.

Essentials

Installation inspired by Katya's eccentric storage. Featuring all things necessary in life: shoes, Chanel and Champagne

Not one for domesticity or conventional living, according to those that knew her well, Katya had the eccentric habit of storing shoes in her fridge. Others claim that if you opened her fridge in the good old days, all you would find was Chanel and Champagne.

Very Modern

Artwork. Collection of shoebox lids inscribed by Katya Saunders

Katya had quite the shoe collection. She kept the majority of her shoes in boxes, inscribing each one not only with the description of the shoe but also the type of outfit that could be worn with it. "These stunning shoes are to be worn with the stunning Jackie O Dress. Simply divine", she writes on one, punctuated with a giant heart.

Storming the Catwalk

Sculpture. Wedding dress skirt, fabric

An infamous event at Charles & Ron's fashion shows is the inspiration behind this piece. One particular year, she felt she should model the bridal gown the designers had intended to include in their latest show. Not only was she not asked to wear the dress, but she was also asked to attend only as an audience member (with front-row seats, of course). She wore a glorious white dress, and rather than sit quietly in the aisle, she took matters into her own hands. She waited for an opportune moment to storm the catwalk, upstaging the bride. The exaggerated train also reflects her larger-than-life attitude and her penchant for drama!

Angel

Artwork. Two leather pockets, leather shorts and denim skirt.

Hermes

Katya in drag. Donated by Anthony Sultana

Katya originally superimposed these photographs onto an existing Hermes catalogue. She has scrawled "Clark Gable, 1939. Paris" in the margins. The original artefact is displayed within the archive table below.

Full of Passion, Drama and Truth

Artwork. Sequined corsets, metal

The butterfly is often seen as a symbol of the trans community. Here, two of her corsets are transformed into these delicate creatures.

Artefacts 1, 2 & 3

Personal items from the collection. Shoes, with knife insert, ashtray and cigarette holder, wigs in Jean Paul Gaultier box.

Fabulous

Video work.

This work includes voices from today’s transgender community, commenting on Katya’s influence and their present-day realities. Featuring Shylo, Alex and Nadesh.

Bianca Jagger Series

Digital print. Image by Sid Hoeltzell – Miami

The title of the work is misleading, perhaps as Katya herself had intended. For, in fact, the model standing beside her is not actually Bianca Jagger but Monica Sue Hoffman. On the original photographs, she captioned the work: “Bianca Jagger. New York, October 1982. Test shots for Yves Saint Laurent.”

Shorts

Designed and decorated by Katya Saunders. Donated by James Mifsud

These shorts were entirely embellished by Katya, using jewellery and part of a chandelier. Her dear friend James has decided to display them in a Perspex box, turning them into a work of art in their own right.

Armando

Images donated by Marie Therese Galea Bason

Box, veil, chandelier

The love of her life was said to be Armando, a dashing Venzualean pilot. According to those closest to her, he broke off their brief engagement because the family disapproved of their relationship. The breakup left her devastated, and she would often refer back to this heartbreak throughout her life. On those most melancholy of moments, she would take out a veil she kept in a box in her apartment and muse over this loss.

Diamonds are Forever

Installation. Crystal chandelier dress, designed and created by Mark Edward Mifsud

A nod to her love of crystals and chandeliers, this dress was created by Mark Edward Mifsud. The design of the dress takes on the concept from Katya’s habit of adorning her garments with chandelier crystals, and reimagines it as a full dress.

Acknowledgements

Charlie Cauchi

CURATOR
Charlie Cauchi is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker living in Malta. Her work encompasses video, sound, text, archive and built environments. Her practice is a hybrid, amalgamating documentary practices, academic research, and fantastical construction. She holds a BA and an MA in Film Studies from Queen Mary University of London. Charlie is the founder and creative director of Sajjetta Ltd, an independent audiovisual production company. She is also co-founder of Rosa Kwir, Malta’s first dedicated LGBTQI+ gallery and archive, and is the President of the Malta Producer’s Association.
Romeo Roxman Gatt

CURATOR
Romeo Roxman Gatt is a multidisciplinary artist who explores sexuality, identity, gender, love and consumption within his practice. For a while now, the artist has been working with themes of humanising and interacting with consumer objects, making the inanimate iconic and fetishised. He is also interested in documenting and archiving trans and queer experiences and has recently launched a new project called Rosa Kwir. This project revolves around alternative notions of masculinity, bringing together stories of Maltese trans men, non-binary & masculine of centre people. He is also co-founder of the first queer focused project space and contemporary art gallery in Malta. Romeo has an MA in Visual Communication from the Royal College of Art and was selected for Bloomberg New Contemporaries, ICA, London, and Bluecoat Liverpool (2016)