“Proud my art is helping to change lives” says artist Lucienne Spiteri at SiGMA Auction
The industry was out in full force this evening, with international heavyweights such as Betsson Group, Flutter, bet365, Videoslots, Alea, Digitain, Casumo, Altenar, and Pragmatic Play familiar faces amongst the crowd attending the 2026 SiGMA Europe Awards. The event was held in Valletta at the sophisticated private members club – the Casino Maltese.
A much-loved highlight of the evening, the SiGMA Auction has become a time-honoured tradition that offers the industry a tangible opportunity to give back in a measurable and meaningful way. The auctions take place at each awards ceremony, often aligning with SiGMA’s summit calendar. Beyond a percentage of ticket sales, the auctions deliver a valuable source of funding to the Foundation, with bids supporting global projects in education, healthcare, and welfare.
There was a strong feeling of community, with auctioneer Rick Goddard whipping up excitement as a bidding war kicked off, resulting in €8,500 raised. Taking to the stage, artist Lucienne Spiteri, a local painter who has frequently contributes her work to SiGMA auctions, shared her joy in supporting the Foundation, saying: “I’ve been working alongside SiGMA for the last four years, I’m very proud my art is helping to change lives.” Her previous contribution sold for €51,000 at the SiGMA World Auction in Rome last year.
Auction 1: Sold for €1,000 to Booming Games
The painting: Saluting Rocks is part of Bodies in Colour, combining darkroom photography and painting. Exploring femininity, creativity, and freedom within Malta’s close-knit culture, the series celebrates the female form, ordinary moments, and spontaneous abstraction through expressive colour, gesture, and emotion.
The artist: Stef Galea is a Maltese photographer working between London and Malta. Her cinematic work explores identity, femininity, and place. A Central Saint Martins graduate, she has contributed to major fashion publications and co-founded Studio Monde, a North London creative photography hub.
Auction 2: Sold for €1,500 to Adwa
The painting: Born from Zack Ritchie’s love for Saturday morning cartoons, this work transforms Malta’s culture into witty characters. Debuting at Malta’s Got Some Character, it became the foundation for Archipals, evolving into a local brand, bronze monuments, and licensing collaborations.
The artist: Zack Ritchie creates character-driven worlds inspired by 90s cartoons, toys, and pop culture. His bronze sculptures are permanently installed at Mercury Tower, designed by Zaha Hadid. He founded Archipals, expanding across sculpture, collectibles, licensing, and brand collaborations.
Auction 2: Sold for €1,000 to Rob Dowling
The painting: This work is a silent reflection on meeting oneself, understanding identity, and decoding traces of the past so that, with renewed awareness, we can shape and write the future more fully and consciously forward in life ahead in time now.
The artist: Zed1 is a street artist with over 30 years of practice, evolving from graffiti writing to figurative murals on trains, walls, and varied surfaces. He creates humanoid puppet figures in postmodern surrealism, blending irony and melancholy while exploring space, time, and transformation.
Auction 3: Sold for €1,000 to Evenbet Gaming
The painting: This collection reinterprets Perso-Arabic calligraphy – Naskh, Thuluth, and Ta’liq – in honor of Ibn Muqla and Ikhwan al-Safa, focusing on pen motion and Nasta’liq evolution. It highlights writing as a vessel of knowledge in Eastern civilization and celebrates calligraphic patience, tolerance, and poetic abstraction.
The artist: Abbas (Siavash) Sufi Nejad is a visual artist and designer with architectural roots, awarded internationally. He blends Eastern tradition with modern minimalist design, using wood, stone, and metal. His work bridges cultures, promotes peace, and unites functionality with timeless craftsmanship.
Auction 4: Sold for €5,000 to Alea
The painting: Lucienne Spiteri’s The Sentinel depicts a celestial, biblical angel from the Book of Daniel, a divine observer of human affairs and executor of higher decrees. The painting fuses bold, vibrant expression with spiritual intensity, evoking vigilance, mystery, and transcendence.
The artist: Lucienne Spiteri, shaped by early artistic exposure and her self-taught father, creates vibrant, bold works in painting and photography. Her fluid, expressive style shifts with mood and environment, reflecting continuous experimentation, growth, and a balance of sensitivity, energy, and creativity.
Impact in numbers
Between 2023 and 2024, the Foundation raised a total of €935,400 through charitable auctions. Building on this momentum, it went on to generate over €400,000, with 2025 marking a significant milestone for the Foundation as its charitable auctions continued to grow both in scale and influence. Funds have supported projects in healthcare, education, and community. Read more about some of the moments that stood out here.
