Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/228594
29 maltatoday, BROTHERLY BLOODSHED pg 34 't play it safe SUNDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2013 FUNKY FRANKFURT pg 38 CHESTNUT CRAZE pgs 36, 37 Raw and direct Up-and-coming artist Daniel Muscat speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about his exhibition Taht Saqaf Wiehed ('Under one roof'), currently showing at the General Workers' Building in Valletta Daniel Muscat When did you first realize you wanted to draw? What motivated you to keep at it? As cliché as it may sound I have been drawing – or rather, scribbling, at a very young age. All children do that anyway. Having said that, I don't really believe in talent. Art, like anything else, needs a lot of work and practice. You just need to like it that's all. At age seven, I started attending private lessons under the tuition of Matthew Cassar and only stopped when I was 18 years old. Since then, I have been practising on my own, learning and getting inspirations from various sources. I tend to get bored easily with many things but interestingly, painting and drawing never seems to bore me. It's a very vast space where I can roam freely, and I suppose that this is what has helped me to keep at it. more quantity than quality. Something I am disappointed with is the lack of young people who visit exhibitions, especially art students. Also, sometimes I have the feeling that most young artists, although promising, wait to 'make it', or play safe. "As to how I fit into the scene, I believe it is a matter of creating a space in which to fit, rather than finding a place on some established platform. I do not believe that nowadays good work can be different from the norm in a Modernist manner, since we have seen it all and done it all and nearly everything is accepted. I just believe in presenting intrinsic art. "As regards what's coming up for me in the future, the first thing on the list is my debut solo exhibition which would hopefully happen early next year. I also intend to work more with X242. Our aim is to use our studio in Zurrieq to its full potential, and also use other alternative spaces around the island which would be adopt to show our works in For more information on Ryan Falzon, log on to www.ryanfalzon.com Are there any particular themes or subjects that you keep returning to? Somehow I keep returning to the human subject. The central theme which interests me and which I like to explore (in this case visually) is human existence and all that comes with it. The way I approach this subject might change somewhat, but it remains basically the same motif all the way. Who are some of your main influences? I refer to other artists' works quite frequently and learn what I can from them. The list is probably endless but scene is quite varied in style and even motifs, and I think that is very healthy especially on a small island like ours. It is still hard for me to say how I fit in this contemporary scene. I am still a newbie in the art world so I guess that will come by time if I keep on evolving my work. if I had to mention the main ones they would be: Goya, Giacometti, Modigliani, Picasso, Schiele, Bacon, Freud and Dubuffet. I feel that they have all approached painting in a very raw and direct manner. How would you describe the contemporary art scene in Malta, and how do you fit in it? To be honest I'm not the most upto-date person when it comes to the contemporary art scene in Malta. I happen to visit only a handful of exhibitions, usually of people I know personally. But overall I think there are a lot of promising young artists out there and the art scene in Malta is evolving slowly but steadily even when you take into account the increasing numbers of exhibitions being held at different cultural centres around the island. The contemporary local art What were some of the highlights of your experience as an artist so far, and what's next on your list? The only highlight as a painter so far is the day I decided that I will take painting more seriously and put all my energy into it. This first exhibition is in fact the result of that decision: to produce good work one needs to put a lot of effort into it. It doesn't just happen like that. I intend to continue practising everyday, then we'll see from there. What is the thinking behind this exhibition? Will it have a motif that ties things together? Hopefully this exhibition will help me see better where I stand as a painter and I would like to take it as an opportunity for my own growth as a person. I feel I have much more to learn. I would like to get out of my small bubble and see how the public responds to my work so far. I am sure that I will go through a lot of changes, even stylistically, in the future. It is only natural. Even though I didn't try hard to keep to a particular theme or motif it seems to revolve around human existence. The exhibition will remain open at the General Workers' Union building, South Street, Valletta until December 27