Maltese artist Ryan Falzon, famed for his thought-provoking and sociopolitical charged works, takes us on a tour of his studio-garage. Scroll down and read through Ryan’s own words to learn about his creative nest and art practice.

“This is my printing station at the studio. When I was working on the ‘Quick Fix’ prints and the ones for the Berlin MiniPrint show (pictures below), I was a purist in a sense that, I didn’t combine any printing techniques. For my new works, I am using several other techniques, mainly monoprints and acetone printing. One can experiment in printing, but in the end, it is still a technique, where a false move might ruin everything or… make it better.”

“Here’s an example of a Quick Fix and a Berlin lino print: The Hero as a Young Butcher (Left) & Sarah (Right).”

“Some preparatory thoughts for my forthcoming exhibition…”

“A few more pilled-up thoughts and ideas. The top piece is a manipulated screenshot from music video ‘Domino Dancing’ by Pet Shop Boys… a Glitch Print.”

“I don’t sketch much. I usually paint directly onto the canvas. These are random ideas on scrap canvas. Maybe I’ll blow them up one day!”

“The middle postcard, it’s from my friend Patti. The right one, it’s from Hockney’s show, and the other represents a portrait of William Hogarth. I always liked Hogarth, his working methods and use of narration and series, his satire and all. I bought Hogarth’s postcard from Tate Britain to remind myself that, out of all the artists represented at Tate, Hogarth (a British 18th century painter) was the closest I could relate to.”

“I always surround myself with works, posters, anything that reminds…”

“I can label this as the blue corner: Filfla (left) belongs to my first solo in 2014, War Hero (far back) forms part of  ‘We Lost the War’ 2017 show, and Kings in Town (Right) was exhibited during ‘Divergent Thinkers 2’ in 2013.”

“Kings in Town was inspired by a tacky windscreen sticker. This sticker used to embellish the rear windscreen of a 1950s car which I had laid my eyes on a few months before I started working on the painting. ”

“My work is immediate to Malta’s local environment: it is imbued with local visual language that only people with a Maltese background will be able to understand. But I also tackle universal themes: violence, relationships, solitude, progress, repression….”

“My art is raw and naive so it gives the impression that it is was made without careful thought, or made by someone who does not know how to paint. The style serves me well for what I want to say.”

“My canvases are layered with significance. The subjects I choose are subjects that a lot of people could relate to. Golden Boy and his Junk (picture above) echoes a Facebook wall: it is loaded, and feeds the brain with, mundane icons (garbage). Just like junk food, mundane icons are “essential” for good brain health. It is a medieval composition, where the head is given more importance than the body. I love how the figure stands alone, conveying power, giving off the feeling of a keyboard warrior.”

If you would like to know more about Ryan Falzon’s works click on this link http://www.ryanfalzon.com/

PHOTO CREDITS: Eve Cocks (Studio) & Ryan Falzon (Paintings)