Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542275
1. What's been the most defining moment in your career so far? My recently launched debut exhibition, Misophonia, has been my most defining moment so far, and was a project that took many years to realise, from the conceptualising to the making of it. Miso- phonia is a risograph animated project designed to create an immersive and unsettling experience through combined sounds and visuals and invites the audi- ence to step into the shoes of someone with this condition. Misophonia is a neu- robehavioral condition associated with an intolerance, hatred or even disgust of specific sounds. Noises such as other people chewing, breathing or sniffling (to name a few) induce discomfort and even rage in the person with the condition. Eight years ago, I moved from Malta to Denmark to study animation, which meant I moved from one of the noisi- est, most densely populated countries in Europe, to one of the quietest. And suddenly, just like that, I had uninten- tionally removed myself from a hidden daily pressure that I hadn't even realised was secretly overwhelming me. Towards the end of my time in Denmark, I received an ADHD diagnosis, which made com- plete sense of my general sensitivity to flavours, textures and of course, sounds. I graduated in the beginning of 2021 and was extremely lucky to immediately be contracted onto a project. So far, I've continued to be lucky and jump from project to project working as a freelanc- er. This type of work doesn't encourage much creative input or decisions from a freelancer like myself, so I've heavily pursued trying to realise my own personal creative projects on the side, which is how Misophonia came to be. 2. As an artist, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? Social media is really important nowadays because it's a great way to grow your audience and reach, if you know how to utilise it. Very honestly, I'm pretty rubbish at using social media for my own work. I just forget to take photos or record myself when I'm working, as I usually feel it takes me out of the zone. It takes a lot of patience, energy and know-how to make it work to your advantage. I mainly use it to keep track of other artists online, find current references and keep touch with friends abroad. I was also much more susceptible to comparing myself to other artists online when I was younger, so I try not to engage with social media that much just so I don't go down that rabbit hole again. One of the nice things, however, about social media is that it's much easier to keep track of local events, exhibitions and meet ups, so it's been very fulfilling in that sense. I try to focus more on attend- ing local in-person events and meeting people face-to-face to grow my commu- nity, support and be inspired by other local artists. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? I'm not a fan of AI being used in creative industries, for several reasons. I guess putting aside the mass copyright infringe- ment and damage to the environment (which always gets hand-waved aside by generative AI advocates), I don't see any of this supposed value in taking away creative work from actual creatives. It is the unfortunate reality that several creative jobs have now been delegated to AI. Much of the 'advantages' being touted are that generative AI 'democratises' the art process, ensuring access to the ability to create to everyone. Instead, it steals entry-level opportunities away from aspiring creatives, making an already competitive industry even more difficult to break into. I strongly feel that AI is only being so heavily pushed onto us because large corporations have invested in it, and so are trying to ensure its success by making it seem that a future without it is inevita- ble. It's not. There isn't anything AI can do that we can't do ourselves, especially as creatives. It will only ever be derivative, never truly generative. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? Everything has its season. There will be moments when making creative work is a breeze and everything slots into place, and there will be times where everything feels like it's falling apart. I usually take a big step back, and take a small break from things, if time allows. Even if it's something small like going for a hike, or meeting up with friends, a small breather like this usually gives me the energy to keep going. Although creating Misophonia was won- derful and rewarding in many ways, it was also extremely stressful at times, so the longest hike I ended up taking this year was 40km. The intensity of the hikes is di- rectly proportional to my mood. The more I'm feeling down and stressed, the more physically punishing the hikes become. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators? When I embark on making anything, I primarily make it for myself. "Will people like it more if I do…?" is never even a question in my mind. If I had to try to alter my work to suit someone else, I don´t think the final result would be authentic or engaging. I just have to trust that an audience who is interested in what I do will eventually come. With regards to collaborators, due to this mentality I'm usually pretty careful about who I choose to collaborate with. I like to work on projects with other people, and I love the back and forth and how a project can transform thanks to each other's per- spectives. I make sure to work with people who I feel are on the same wavelength, or have the same outcome in mind. Learning from each other is an extremely rewarding part of the process, and I feel my work would really stagnate quickly if I only worked on projects solo. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? Usually, when I start a new project, it's because the idea has already been bouncing around in my mind for quite a while. I take a long time to mull things over, and think of how I would like to approach a project. Usually by the time I even talk about it with my friends, I'd have been turning it over in my mind for a year or two. When I feel I'm ready to start working on it, I usually start by writing things down, rather than sketching it out. I write down all my thoughts related to the project theme and what I'd like my end result to embody, and then I start gathering visual reference material. Then my next step is to think how I can combine the project theme with my current artistic skills and interests to reinforce the end result, and how can I approach it in a fresh way? After all this mental prep work, the process is never really the same, it depends on the project. 7. Can you let us in on some of the future projects, works? Currently, I'm organising a group riso- graph exhibition called Urban Wildlife, featuring 10 local artists (including myself), that will be hosted at the Malta Society of Arts in November 2026. The ex- hibition will feature 40 risograph printed illustrations that will depict local flora and fauna that are either extirpated, endan- gered or success stories. Urban Wildlife is intended to engage the public and create awareness about human impact on local species. Aside from this, I'm in the midst of soft-opening Purcinella Press, which will be the first risograph studio in Malta, where local artists will be able to riso- graph print their work here, rather than order from abroad. This, plus several other ideas that I have bouncing around, are more than enough to keep me busy for a while. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 DECEMBER 2025 CULTURE This Friday, Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood storms Teatru Astra PAGE 2 ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A MICHELLE GRUPPETTA 7 questions for... Extra round Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your work? My influences tend to be all over the place, but stumbling upon M.C. Escher's work in a museum sparked my love for printmaking. Bold, graphical and playful, it's left a definite mark on how I approach design. Will Mower and Emil Friis Ernst are two other current visual artists whose work I look to a lot, much for the same reasons. Regarding filmmakers, Daisy Jacobs and Nicolas Mé Nard are two anima- tion directors whose short films I just keep rewatching again, and again and again. Their approach to storytelling is equal parts moving and tongue-in- cheek, it makes it impossible not to love their work. Michelle Gruppetta is a multi-disciplinary artist, who primarily works as a previs (previsualisation) and 3D layout artist in the TV animation industry. She graduated from The Animation Workshop with a BA in Character Animation in 2021, and has recently returned back to living in Malta after spending seven years in Denmark. MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta CULTURE MADC's Snow White opens with magic (and a mirror) at Teatru Salesjan PAGE 3