Sergio Muscat Photography

I knew it would come… It came the first time I had an exhibition, catching me very much off guard and throwing me off course for a while, and kept appearing like clockwork after each exhibition or project. I thought I could avoid it this time around, but there it was, like the flu – you know it’s going to hit, and you think you’re going to avoid it this time around, or at least be prepared for it, but it still kicks hard, and every time it seems to be even worse than the last (actually, I got the flu too, so it hasn’t been very happy times as of late!)

Coming to think about it, it’s quite a natural thing. The effort that goes into preparing for a project or exhibition, when done well, is totally draining. It takes away all your physical and mental energy. To top it off, there’s that constant nagging feeling of incompletion which I am sure most artists out there will be familiar with. Then the day arrives, it’s a success (hopefully)… and suddenly it’s all over. Instead, there’s void. It’s quite a nasty feeling – not knowing where to go next, not really wanting to do anything for a while, and above all, no idea when it will be over. Then there’s also the knowledge that next time around you’ll have to do better than this, which in itself is quite intimidating.

After “Inheritance”, I was inevitably dragged into it once again. The project took up a lot of time and energy, and together with some other things, was a total energy-drainer. There is little which can be done apart from just riding through it, trying to “enjoy” that moment of mental quietness. It is also probably quite healthy, since I am pretty sure that force would most likely result in mediocrity. Eventually the ideas and enthusiasm start flowing back.

Since a short while now I have been thinking of new projects to work on, and have homed onto one or two interesting things. My process tends to take a while, with a few projects sprouting out and eventually converging or focussing onto one. I have some work I’ve been wanting to work on and I think that it is now mature enough to form a collection in itself, and I’m quite enjoying it.

Of course, I speak this way because I have the advantage that I am not relying on art as my main source of income. I can imagine it’s much tougher for the professional artist who needs to create a steady stream of work. I have gone through periods whereby I’ve yearned to do this as a full time job but now I realise that for the moment this is the best place to be. Having the freedom to work on something or stay put for a while is quite stress-relieving, although I can also think of a few disadvantages to that, including slower evolution and longer “recovery time”. In any case, art for me is an escape, and it can only be an escape if you want to go there rather than have to go there. That’s how I would like it to remain for now.

In the meantime, I’ve also put up the work from Inheritance. You can also see the whole set here.

[View with PicLens]

It has been a few months since I’ve ventured into the blogosphere, and there is a very good reason for it. Since the exhibition in October, I have had very little spare time, and I certainly needed that to avoid bursting out in flames.

Let me wind back a few months, to that fantastic evening in mid-October that started it all. The preparations for the Inheritance Exhibition were now almost ready, and the plan was to start setting up on Monday 18th October. In the meantime, just to make sure I’m totally snowed under, I dreamt up submitting an architectural panel for a fellowship (FMIPP) qualification. It was a tough one, not only due to the excruciatingly high standards, but also because I was doing this while juggling a 6-piece strong exhibition on a shoestring budget which would be open in three days time. I vowed I would keep my cool in the run-up to the qualifications, and being on some of the judging panels helped me keep my nerves in check, however inevitably the butterflies came, multiplied, and made a havoc of my stomach while I was sitting there waiting for the verdict.

It turns out it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, and I must say that the excitement was great when the judges said yes. I now happen to be the youngest Fellow in Malta, and one of the youngest in the UK, which is quite flattering. I also got interviewed for the SWPP magazine, which is quite nice!

Still reeling from this great news, I joined my family to set up the Inheritance exhibition the following Monday. I was very wary on the way it would be received, since “traditional photography” went somewhat straight out of the window with this exhibition. To my surprise, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the exhibition. People were very pleased – dad’s work was an overwhelming success mostly due to his very original style which greatly pleased a more mature audience, while Carlo’s work and mine mostly appealed to the younger generation.

Over the next few weeks, we organised events, and in general kept ourselves very busy promoting the exhibition. In the end it seemed like a great success, and overall achieved our goal of showing how the same, seemingly restrictive, medium can be used in very different ways. I am glad to have spent all the time and energy to do this.

However that’s not all. Rupert Cefai, a fellow artist and friend, had approached me in September with a proposal to set up a small art gallery in Valletta. This had been a topic we had explored ad infinitum during our various conversations over the years, so it didn’t take much effort to delve into it. Over the next few months, Rupert worked on converting this totally run-down room into a great (albeit small) space where our work and that of other artists could be displayed. Gallery Pi opened in December, and again, I am glad to say that the space has been very well received, and we have had some very positive feedback. There is still loads to do, but the enthusiasm is strong and we’re hoping this project will grow into something which will become a mark in the local art scene.

Up next, I’ll be delivering a couple of presentations in the UK for the SWPP conference in London, which is pretty exciting stuff! I am sure it will be a fun experience and I am very much looking forward to it.

If this year stays on the same positive trend as last year, I think there will be quite a lot to write about (and very little time to do so). In the meantime, I’ve uploaded some new photos from the inheritance exhibition and the fellowship panel. Enjoy!

[View with PicLens]

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The Inheritance exhibition is now up and running. It was a more arduous task than I thought it would be… well there are 60 individual works so I guess I should have expected it!

So here we are – more than a year since we began preparations, and over 2 years since we conceived the idea, we’re ready to open the floodgates. The exhibition has been up and running for a few days now, and we have had some very positive feedback, but the big deal will be tomorrow at the official opening.

Today we have been featured on The Times of Malta with a great article which can also be found online here. Let us hope this is merely the beginning of a string of similar features!

For those who have missed it, the exhibition opening will happen tomorrow, Friday 22nd October, at 7:30pm at the Auberge d’Italie, Merchants Street, Valletta.

Children’s Photowalk

On Saturday 23rd in the morning, we will also be hosting a short photowalk for kids in Valletta. We will be giving the children (between 8 and 14) a personalised tour of the exhibition, and then take them for a stroll around Valletta to take some photos. If you are interested, please drop me a note and come along on Saturday at 10am latest at the Auberge. Children below 12 should be accompanied by a guardian. It should be fun.

It is finally here. We have been discussing this exhibition for more than two years, and now it dawns on me that we are only two months away. Scary, when I think of how much work still needs to be done! But I know we’ll get there.

To start off, here is the flier of the exhibition. In the following weeks, I will be posting some snippets of information about the event. This is quite a big thing for all of us – the first exhibition as a family and the result of two years’ worth of hard work. We look forward to seeing you there!

One Father | Two Sons | Three Spirits

By the way, a small note to thank our sponsors, the Malta Arts Fund, the MTA and Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, Avantech Ltd, Dical House and Dimitri, Deco Group and BOV.

It has been over a year in the making. Finally, the tango exhibition is here, and I am very excited to be participating in a collective exhibition after quite a while. There is a reason why I have stopped participating in collective exhibitions, and this is because I feel that the general public, unfortunately, still struggles to view photography as an artform. By being selective about the work I exhibit, I can concentrate on creating the work which gives me most pleasure, and I do not regret this decision.

This exhibition, however, is different. It is the result of a long and leisurely project which I have thoroughly enjoyed working on. No work is staged, and all is the result of images captured live during a number of milonga sessions. It gave me the opportunity to learn and appreciate the culture of Tango, and the time to digest it and develop the images over several months.

The exhibition will feature 7 artists using different media, and although I have as yet seen very few of the works, I am confident that some very interesting concepts have evolved during this period.

Below is the banner for the event. If you would like to attend the opening, feel free to contact me to request an invite.

Tektika Tango Exhibition Banner (Click to view in full)