Malta’s First Ever Young Artist Of The Year Is Just Getting Started
There’s a good reason Matthew Schembri was named Young Artist of the Year by the Arts Council Malta recently.
Apart from producing works in every genre, from drawing to digital art, the young artist is a perfect example of how beneficial supporting artistic programmes can be.
He’s participated in three Aġenzija Żgħażagħ initiatives; Taħżiż, Divergent Thinkers, which he won, and The Literary Contest of Novels for Youth, which he also won.
But speaking to Matthew, anyone can see that he is really invested in one thing.
“I am very much interested in challenging traditions by creating art that may be seen as non-art, anti-art or some kind of a hybrid that cannot easily be pigeonholed under one established artistic field,” he says.
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“I intend to produce work that alters roles usually assigned to art creators and art audiences. Aspects such as interactivity, participation, and relations are at the core of my latest art projects, where the spectator is active and, most of the time, even become the artist,” he says.
Matthew’s had a lot on his plate for a few years now – apart from being involved in various exhibitions, and producing works in both the visual field as well as the literary field, he’s also been awarded a residency in the US.
He is also currently hosting his own exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv.
WiN is Matthew’s way of exploring the loss of his own mother, Rose Schembri. The installation offers visitors keys to fifty-seven wooden boxes, each box holding an item that belonged to the artist’s late mother. Each item is covered in gold leaf, to point out their metaphoric preciousness.
Once opened, the item found inside the boxes can be taken home.
Some might find it difficult to think of artistic expression after the passing of their mother, but Matthew finds inspiration in all parts of life.
“Appropriation from daily life, contemporary issues and popular culture act as a catalyst in achieving what I have in mind when working on visual art projects. A point that is extremely important for me is that I do not compromise artistic ideas for anything. Art must always remain at the forefront – the rest is secondary,” he says.
What do you think of Matthew’s art?
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