Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/560195
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2015 This Week 33 WHAT'S ON Don't forget to remember How has your time at MCAST shaped and influenced your work? My time at MCAST has certainly influenced my work, in that it has helped me open up a variety of opportunities both voca- tionally and artistically. I feel that before I entered MCAST I had no idea of what I was going in for, until I actually started experiment- ing with a variety of techniques, and a wide range of tools which have broadened my horizons about art in general. I think MCAST has strongly encouraged me to shape my work in that I have pushed myself outside of my com- fort zone and have discovered my strengths and weaknesses, which I had never explored ar- tistically before this experience. I have explored both painting and photography to their full- est potential. By trying out new surfaces, mediums and ways and means of how to express myself. I somewhat travelled through a journey of self-exploration. Within these three years, I liked to challenge myself as much as possible… And I feel that my work has been influenced by these factors: challenge, perse- verance, open-endedness and self-expression. At this point in time, what would you say is the main de- fining factor of your work? The main defining factor of my work is focusing on the themes of personal memory and iden- tity, which specifically revolve around my childhood experi- ences. This is done through the economic scarcity of materials, reductive painterly techniques and the embodiment of young subjects in photography. What do you make of the lo- cal artistic scene? In my view, the local art scene is now creating new and excit- ing opportunities for artists to exhibit their work, which ac- commodates the younger and emerging artists. Because in this case, there is a chance to expose your work as an artist and an excellent opportunity for the Maltese population to create an understanding of what your work is about. In my view, we need more artists who can break boundaries, and challenge the public in different ways. And I still believe that we would need to educate the pub- lic more about the art scene. What is the next step in your artistic development? My ambition for the upcom- ing year is to gain some work experience to be able to fund my Masters abroad. Besides this, I would like to keep chal- lenging my artistic potential by working freelance and looking out for local exciting artistic opportunities which will be of benefit to my artistic career. Maria Chiara Monterosso Following the MCAST Art and Design End-of-Year exhibition, MaltaToday interviews some of Malta's (hopefully) up-and-coming artists. This week, we speak to Maria Chiara Monterosso