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1. What has been the most defining moment in your career so far? In 2015, I had the opportunity to go on a one- month residency to London to be part of an international group of artists and create a body of work and exhibit it as part of a collective exhibition. Just before I was about to leave an unexpected event occurred and it proved to be a very difficult period in my life. I was debating whether to go since I wasn't feeling up to it. Nonetheless, I went just the same and it proved to be a very pivotal moment in my artistic career. I realised during that period that creating art was a necessity for me it served as a healing ground for me. Creating art is a calling. It is essential for my well-being. 2. As an artist how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? I know that it is a necessity. It is one thing cre- ating art and it is another sharing your artwork with an audience. I post often on social media because we live in a world of connection. With so many distractions it can be easy to get lost in this sea of information. I still try to move at my own pace, though. Obviously, there is this pres- sure to be current and relevant and to perform for the algorithm. You are jumping through hoops to get some attention. The attention from social media is a vicious cycle once you get a taste of it you want more. You have to keep in mind, why you are posting. Is it necessary? I know that social media is a communication tool but you need to bear in mind it is a tool at your disposal not the other way around otherwise you get sucked into the machine. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? Like anything else there is this fear of the unknown. We do not know the full implications and capabilities of artificial intelligence yet. Of course, as an artist you feel threatened that the heart and soul of your work will be stolen in an instant. At this point there is no going back. I am sure there are endless opportunities. I am an old school type of person; I prefer to have direct contact with my work with no enhancements or barriers. I know that artificial intelligence can be a great tool, but I would rather do the work without any interference. Artificial intelligence is sponging our creative juices. I know that once you share your work with the public, your artwork is no longer fully your own. It can be manipulated and used as others see fit. Once you have shared it, it has become part of the public domain. I think that this the threat that we feel as artists; we will lose our relevance and artistry will just become a cheap copy. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? At the beginning of my artistic career, I used to force myself relentlessly even if I didn't feel inspired at all. Looking back, I can feel that some of the work was forced. With time I realised that it was a necessary to give myself a break, to let my mind explore different areas. It will all be feeding into your creativity. Your mind needs to rest to be inspired. You are not going to find that happy coincidence by hustling all the time. I also know that it is part of the process. Sometimes will be easier to create than others. On other days the creativity comes shooting out through you without any effort at all. You need to prepare for those moments. The times in between will be in preparation for when you are feeling truly inspired. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators? It is wonderful to have an audience that is fol- lowing your work and have done so for a num- ber of years. The people who follow my work know I follow my gut instincts when it comes to creating. I do no create something because I feel that it will appeal to my audience. It has to come instinctively from my creative urge. My creative instincts take precedence. If I am not motivated to create the artwork it is not go- ing to happen. Of course, I value my audience's opinions otherwise I wouldn't share my artwork with the public. I value what they see in each piece but I also know in my heart what I want to create. Usually, I find the works that resonate with me the most are not the ones that the audience resonates with. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? The work usually leads me as to what the theme of the exhibition will be. I don't have a specific topic in mind. I let the work dictate which direc- tion I am headed. Once I have started a flow of work I can see where the subject is leading me. I usually work in a series and rarely do one offs. I continue to work on a series until I feel I have exhausted it and have taken it as far as I can go. I know when the series has run its course. The pattern I have noticed is that in an exhibition I can already see points of reference of what my next series will look like. Points that I would like to explore further. So, I can see the link between one series and another. There is a fine thread between each series. I think it is important to remain open during the process, some of best work I feel usually comes from the unexpected turns I have taken while I am working. I may do a group of works I am not content with but they will serve to explore new ground. 7. Can you let us in on some of your future projects, works? I will be exhibiting a new series of paintings entitled The White Space In Between. These are a series of works that I have been working on for a number of years. This series of paintings will be shown between 7 and 28 March at the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat. I started to notice that I was increasingly inter- ested in the background space that I left empty when creating works. I was interested in the weight and the density that this space holds. We associate white space with being empty but, is that space really empty? Without that white space that object would cease to exist. That white space is essential to understand the objects in between. We need space in order to breathe. Not just physical breathing but breathing space to perceive all that is around us. This space is es- sential for our well-being. I found in my works I became more interested in "the background space" and the importance of that space. This could also be a metaphor for our own lives, how without that space between things are lives can become chaotic and tangled and lacking clarity. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 FEBRUARY 2026 THEATRE Dystopian classic 1984 to be staged at Teatru Manoel this March PAGE 2 ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A XAXA CALLEJA 7 questions for... Extra round Who are your biggest influences and how have they shaped your work? The biggest influence was my art teacher Jason Lu who trained me in academic drawing and painting. He taught me that rigorous discipline is necessary in order to be free in your work. Although I am not an academic painter that initial training helped me with my eye and hand coordination. Later on it gave me a certain freedom in my work where I was more sure about my line and gesture. Artists who I have admired for many years express strong emotions in their work such as Goya, Van Gogh, Edvard Munch and Frida Kahlo. I feel such an authenticity and vulnerability in their work. It pushes me to express my own vulnerability into my work. When I still feel moved by the depth of their emotions that still emanate from their works after all these years, it inspires me to evoke such emotions through my own work. Xaxa Calleja has been working on her craft since 2006. She is a painter and considers her works to be her visual diary. She shares her life experiences through her work. Each series that she creates is a reflection of that period of her life. MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta CULTURE From Castrum Maris to Delimara's mighty guns PAGE 3