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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2020 4 THIS WEEK ART Malta-born, Spain-based illustrator Steven Scicluna speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about creating community-conscious art across national borders ahead of his participation in the upcoming Spread the Ink exhibition Making a contribution Could you give us a brief run-down of your trajectory as an artist and illustra- tor? What were some of the highlights of your career so far, and what would you say are some of the most important lessons you've learnt along the way? As someone who studied graphic de- sign and later illustration, and is a self- taught artist, my trajectory has always been informed by these three creative pathways. They often intertwine, run parallel to each other and most defi- nitely serve as a source of inspiration to one another. Over the years I've had the chance to work as a designer and illustrator in a number of studios in London and Valencia and now work as a freelancer on a global level. In the pro- cess I've also had the chance to hold or participate in a number of exhibitions across Europe and even Asia. Looking back, there are a few projects that stand out. I find that the most mem- orable ones are collaborations or pro- jects which involved a team of people rather than solo work. The time spent working on the woodcut illustrations for Antoine Cassar's long poem Erbgħin Jum (Ede Books) was a highlight, which I worked on together with my friend and designer Marco Scerri and Antoine himself. Even if we collaborated real- ly closely on the project, Antoine gave us the freedom we needed to produce something which we were ultimately all really pleased with. Another standout was the N15 Street Art & Culture Festival which I organ- ised together with a small group of friends back in 2015 in the neighbour- hood of Seven Sisters in London, which is where I lived at the time. We organ- ised the whole thing really quickly, in a matter of two or three weeks, and at the end managed to bring together a bunch of artists and local establishments to celebrate the multi-cultural communi- ty of the neighbourhood, and paint the facade of a local community centre in the process. I would say that the biggest lesson I've learned is in balancing the need of cre- ating art for personal reasons with using it to create some kind of social change. While I still value art as a tool for self exploration and expression, I'm equally as happy using art, design and illustra- tion as a way of collaborating and mak- ing some sort of contribution. How do you feel about your Maltese background now that you've spent so much time living abroad, and how have the enduring memories of Malta impact- ed on your art, if at all? This is an interesting question. While my background and upbringing in Mal- ta is not something that has or will ever change, I feel that there has definite- ly been a shift in the way I handle and perceive it. It might seem obvious, but over time you come to realise how de- fining your early years really are to your identity. They become a sort of anchor. something you keep coming back to and a yardstick by which to measure new experiences. When I lived in Malta, I yearned to get out and explore the wid- er world. I tried to channel this sense of curiosity into producing art (how and whenever I could) and I don't think that this has ever changed since then, even after experiencing life in a number of other countries and lands. At the end, I'm always a guy from a little island liv- ing abroad. What are some of the main challeng- es – both creative and logistical – that you face as an artist in your day-to-day practice? Ah, where to start! Challenges are the very engine of creative careers. For people who work solo such as I do, self-control and maintaining a routine is crucial if you want to get stuff done.. and it takes a while to learn these things and actually start implementing them in your daily life. I could be a fairly moody and erratic person – which is great for creating art and sparking off ideas, but maybe not so much for keep- ing a steady routine, even though this has changed a lot over the years. So, I would say that trying to achieve a bal- ance between these two ways of work- ing is one big challenge that I face on a day-to-day basis. How closely are you following the Maltese visual arts scene these days? From what you can see, what would you change about it? I try to follow it as closely as I can. It is now easier than ever to do so from afar, especially this year with everything moving online. I also try to stay as in- volved as I can within it through collab- orations with other Maltese creatives, commissions and client work, and other projects such as helping set up the Mal- ta Community of Illustrators (MCOI) together with other Maltese and Mal- ta-based illustrators earlier this year. My impression is that the visual arts scene is more prominent, international and sophisticated than ever, with plenty of new art spaces serving it, both online and offline. It also seems to have gained a certain self-confidence which was sorely miss- ing from the more DIY art scene of my youth, maybe as a result of the help that new institutions such as Arts Council Malta are providing. Of course, there's always room for improvement and it would be great to see the country as a "Over time you come to realise how defining your early years really are to your identity" Steven Scicluna