Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547002
1. What's been the most defining moment in your career so far? Preparing for my first solo exhibition, (UN) EXPRESSED, has been the most defining moment so far. The process has pushed me to understand my practice more clearly and to feel more confident making work that is personal and honest. Working so closely with self-portraiture has asked me to be more open and vulnerable than I have been before. The slow process of drawing and painting gives me time to sit with difficult feelings and gradually understand them. It has involved a lot of reflection and decision-making, and it has taught me to trust my instincts. Recognition through exhibitions abroad, selections and awards has meant a great deal too. More than anything, it has shown me that work rooted in a very personal experience can still connect with people beyond my own circumstances and beyond Malta. 2. As an artist, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? Social media makes it easy to keep thinking about the next project, the next post, the next thing to show. I try not to let that rhythm dictate the work. These platforms are useful, but they can create an expectation to keep producing simply to have something new to put out there, rather than allowing the work to develop on its own terms. It's important to still experiment, make things that may not work, and create without asking whether they're worth sharing. I also protect part, or sometimes all, of the process from being shared. Not everything needs to become content. Sometimes a work needs time to exist privately before I understand what it's saying, or whether I want to show it at all. Mostly I use social media to document what I'm doing: Be- hind-the-scenes details, works in progress and glimpses of my day-to-day life, which show how the work develops alongside my real life. I also like sharing exhibitions I visit. It's lovely when a friend tells me they went to see a show after seeing it on my Instagram stories. Even in a small way, that encourages people to visit exhibitions and support other artists. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? I think it can be both, depending on how it is used. I also work in a museum, and there are parts of that role that depend on physical pres- ence, communication and human interaction, so I don't see AI as something that can simply replace everything we do. At the same time, there are real concerns around authorship, originality and artists' work being used by AI systems without their consent. As for my own practice, I don't think AI can replace what I value most about making art. My work comes from lived experience, observa- tion and the physical process of drawing and painting. The time spent looking, changing things, making mistakes and slowly working through a piece is part of what gives it mean- ing. AI can be useful for research, organisation or exploring ideas, but I still see it as a tool rather than a replacement. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? It's only human not to feel motivated all the time. In some periods, making work feels natural, and in others it's difficult even to enter the studio. I have learnt to allow myself to rest when I need to; I always say that rest is also a form of productivity. Stepping away is often exactly what I need to return with a clearer mind. At the same time, I think there needs to be a certain amount of self-discipline. I try not to wait until I feel completely inspired, because motivation often comes once I have actually started. Art books and long podcasts bring back inspiration and remind me to enjoy the process rather than fixate on the final outcome. Being surrounded by creative people who are close to me also helps, as we share ideas, encourage each other, and go see exhibitions together. Because my work is so connected to personal experience, the subject itself can become emo- tionally difficult. Sometimes I need distance from a piece before returning to it, and I've learnt that's okay. I try to let the process move at its own pace without expecting every studio session to result in something finished. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators? This is actually something I explored in my the- sis and art project five years ago. I think there needs to be a balance, but ultimately the work has to begin with something I genuinely want or need to explore. I follow my own instincts and trust that the audience will follow. When I first started making self-portraits, I wasn't really thinking about an audience. Self-portraiture felt like the most direct way to explore difficult emotions I had suppressed for so long, without having to explain them directly. I was working from my own experi- ence, and my face is the face I know best, so it felt natural to use it to express things I might not otherwise say. Making these self-portraits also made me more comfortable talking about my own feelings with others. When it comes to collaboration, I really value the opinions of people I trust. I love exchanging ideas, hearing different perspectives and making amend- ments together. I think the best collaborations happen when everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, while still respecting what each person brings to the project. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? I don't think I have one specific routine that I follow every time. Usually, a project begins with something that makes me curious or excited enough to explore it further. It could be a personal experience, an image or simply something I keep thinking about. I normally give an idea some time before deciding what I want to do with it. Once an idea begins to take shape, I start gathering references, taking photographs, sketching and experimenting with materials. Since I work across drawing, painting and installation, the process differs from project to project, and I don't always know at the start what the final work will look like. I like having a sense of direction, but I also think it is important not to plan everything. Some decisions only become clear once I am actually making the work, and I enjoy letting the project change and develop along the way. 7. Can you let us in on some of the future projects and works? Right now, I'm immersed in bringing (UN) EXPRESSED together and looking forward to seeing how the public responds. After that, I'll be taking part in a collective exhibition at the newly opened MANI Centre in Attard, curated by Melanie Erixon, as well as a group exhibition at Bizzilla Art Space, curated by Marika Azzo- pardi, and another at Valletta Contemporary, curated by Maria Eileen Fsadni. Beyond these confirmed shows, I'd like to take a short break and then continue developing my drawing and painting practice. I already have some ideas I want to explore, but I don't want to put too much pressure on what the next body of work needs to become. I'd rather give myself some space to experiment and see what develops naturally. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2026 Theatre PWF Theatre Company presents Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A SHANICE FARRUGIA 7 questions for... Multidisciplinary artist Shanice Farrugia works across drawing, painting and installation, with a practice rooted in contemporary realism and self-portraiture. Her debut solo exhibition, (UN) EXPRESSED, curated by Melanie Erixon, opens on 16 October at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba. Developed over the past two years, the exhibition brings together 18 self-portraits exploring emotional restraint, quiet endurance and anticipatory grief. Art Reflections Through Time exhibition to open at the Malta Society of Arts PAGE 2 PAGE 3 MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta