Ryan Falzon Produces Mural Dealing With Malta’s ‘Greyification’ At University
Local artist Ryan Falzon has just produced a brilliant site-specific mural on the University of Malta grounds, dealing with the island’s “greyification”.
The site-specific, four-panel painting is currently set up outside the Art and Art History Art Studio at the University of Malta Fine Art studio.
“The large-scale work deals with the greyification of Malta. The construction boom is changing the essence of the island, impinging on one’s personal physical space and psyche,” Falzon told Lovin Malta.
“At several points during the day, living on the island feels like a real-life simulation of some point-and-shoot, street racing video game. The new money generated, or laundered, from the industry gives a sense of entitlement that rubs onto the general public,” he explained.
“The work should be seen as an act of activism, following recent direct actions such as the Kemmuna takeover by graffiti a few weeks ago. Such action received praise from all spectrums of society, demonstrating that deep down, there is a will for change. Most care about the environment but feel helpless to actually bring significant change.”
“The painting is a call for sustainable development and stirs away from the arguments that new projects are needed to house the population, and that all urban environment was one day fields that were earmarked and eventually developed.”
The work was done using a mix of media, including cement applied on the surface using industrial techniques.
“They play with textures in the work creates a tactile quality to the painting, which puts it in a different direction from graffiti and street art.”
“The location in which the mural was setup up was considered throughout. The painting faces a vast, bleak popular parking area, thus a substantial amount of people pass the location daily.”
“All of the areas are stark white, and the mural is to pinpoint that that specific building is used as a creative space for students in the arts. The studio is surrounded by metal structures currently used as offices and faces two large construction sites.”
“The area is somehow a Ballardian dream – bleak, melancholic, solitary, chaotic and dystopian. The outer two panels depict two contemporary living rooms, showing interior styles and the new phenomenon of the plant parent, that is keeping many potted plants indoors.”
“This is also reflected in the inclusion of trendy plants such as the Monstera, a fashion that gained traction during the pandemic and seems like it is here to stay.”
“The second panel shows a traditional bitħa, a traditional Maltese courtyard with plants such as leopard plants and old-school lighting. The third shows a few wilting plants on a concrete plastered background, representing the current situation on the island.”
“What strikes from the third panel is the striving, element-resistant succulents are a call for action and resistance towards the rampant, unsustainable development.”
“Standing under the concrete background panel, the gold splashes make one feels as if gold is raining on the viewer, again poking at the dream of Malta as the Dubai of the Med, the perfect paradise island in brochures.”
The painting is the final work for the ART3400 Painting Workshop within the Department of Art and History of Art at the University of Malta, which is led by Profs. Schembri Bonaci.
Have you spotted the mural?
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