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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2016 31 This Week Young painter Gabriel Buttigieg speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about his first solo exhibition, entitled 'Paintings', currently on show at Heritage Malta, Valletta What led to your interest in the visual arts, and how did you continue to cultivate it in your earliest stages? I have always been a very visual person. Colours and shape and the ways they inter- act fascinate me. I guess that like everybody I need to express myself and I find art, espe- cially the visual arts, give me scope for ex- pression. I also find a lot of satisfaction and inspiration in literature, and reading is one of the greatest joys in my life. I found a lot of support from my tutors, who cultivated in me different skills and attitudes. I hope to continue developing these skills into a per- sonal language that reflects my feelings and my understanding of the world around me. Was the human figure always something you liked to focus on? Why do you think this particular subject works with your own artistic abilities and inclinations? Depicting the human body is for me a pow- erful way to reflect on the human condition. The physical presence is often a strong sym- bol for the inner life. Lately my paintings have moved away from depicting solitary figures and moved towards exploring rela- tionships between various figures. I want to express different moods and feelings through a narrative that is present but not explicit. I like ambiguity. What kind of significance does this exhibition have for you? What does it say about your work so far? This exhibition is the product of a period of frenetic activity last summer. It was in a sense the climax of a number of months' work in which I was, maybe unknowingly, building towards this 'explosion' of energy. In fact, given the location, the Heritage Mal- ta premises in Melita Street, Valletta, my curator Michael Fenech and I had to make a selection of paintings to show, and leave a considerable number of others out simply for reasons of space. The work I am exhibiting is naturally part of my being, and very much linked to the way I would like to develop as a professional artist. The works are mostly large scale, and the style is very gestural, immediate and im- pulsive. I intend to continue exploring this style in the future, without limiting myself to any single style. In answer to your ques- tion, I see this work as the early stages of a long journey of exploration and discovery ahead of me. What do you make of the Maltese visual arts scene? What would you change about it? I think that there are a lot interesting things going on at the moment. There seems to be a number of young artists who want to challenge the status quo. There is also a new interest in private galleries. The more young artists show their work and the more their work is seen by the general public – but especially by artists themselves – the more scope there is for dialogue and cross-fertilization. This can only be a good thing. Rather than change I can only comment on what I would like to see. I wish we had a tradition of critical review. As it is, most artists do not have enough feedback, except the soft, positive "prosit tal-programm" type of feedback, which may be encourag- ing, but does not really help improve one's work. I find that this lack of truly honest feedback is dangerous. I also wish that art- ists find better institutional support, not just in financial terms, to help professional- ize their practice. One important aspect is the lack of spaces that are publicly funded where artists can show their work. What's next for you? I am working on a number of projects, which include thematic exhibitions as well as commissioned work. I am excited by the possibilities I see ahead of me and am look- ing forward to continuing developing as an artist. Paintings will remain on display until March 13 refugees! the recreation of a photo of the drowned Syrian child for the magazine India Today. George Clooney ticked off a journalist at the press conference for the Coen Brothers' opening film Hail, Caesar! When asked 'what he does for refugees' he turned the question back to the journalist, asking her what she does for refugees, mumbling au- dibly under his breath that she should 'knock herself out'. In the short film category, win- ning films also dealt with mi- gration and the notion of xeno- phobia, of being unwanted and nomadic. Golden Bear winner for Best Short Film Batrachian's Ballad by the Portuguese direc- tor Leonor Teles, deals with the stigma of Romani gypsies in Por- tugal in an experimental, and hu- morous manner. On a more humorous note Brit- ish actress Emma Thompson, starring in Alone in Berlin, a film that deals with resistance to Nazi Germany in wartime Berlin, criticised the UK and called it "a cake-filled misery-laden, grey old island", stating that she felt Euro- pean and that the UK should stay in the EU. This did not go down too well with Britain's popular rag The Sun, who sent a giant sponge cake to her home back in Blightly, which she subsequently scoffed with great mirth. Michael Moore's much awaited Where to Invade Next? was, in a word, a flop, and the portly documentary maker failed to make an appear- ance at the festival due to poor health. Other films of note included Letters From War a docudrama on war in Angola, directed by Ivo Ferreira, Life on the Border, a documentary compiled from footage gathered by eight chil- dren who were given cameras by the Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi and asked to capture their own lives, and The Road to Istanbul directed by Rachid Bouchareb which deals with a Belgian woman who finds out that her daughter has gone to Syria to join Islamic State. Catch many of these films and more at the Valletta Film Festival (www.vallettafilmfestival.com), and the Kinemastik International Short Film Festival (www.kin- emastik.org). Visit these websites for updates, ticket prices and pro- grams Gabriel Buttigieg Figures in a landscape