Multidisciplinary artist Shanice Farrugia works across drawing, painting and installation, with a practice rooted in contemporary realism and self-portraiture. Her debut solo exhibition opens this month, and this feature looks at how she approaches the work.

A Defining Moment

For Farrugia, preparing her first solo show has been the most significant point in her career so far. It pushed her to understand her practice more clearly and to make more personal, honest work. Self-portraiture has required her to be more open, and the slow pace of drawing and painting gives her time to work through difficult feelings. Recognition through exhibitions abroad and awards has also meant a great deal, particularly the sense that deeply personal work can connect with people far beyond her own experience.

Social Media and Pace

She finds social media useful but wants to avoid letting its constant demand for new content set the pace of her work. Some projects need to exist privately before she knows what they mean or whether they should be shown at all. She uses platforms mainly to document her process, from works in progress to everyday studio life, and enjoys seeing visitors come to exhibitions after encountering them online.

AI: Threat or Opportunity

Farrugia sees artificial intelligence as both a risk and a possibility, depending on how it is used. She is concerned about authorship and about artists’ work being used without consent. For her own practice, she believes AI cannot replace lived experience, observation and the physical process of making work. She sees it as a research or organisational tool rather than a substitute for the artist.

Staying Motivated

Farrugia accepts that motivation comes and goes. She allows herself time to rest, which she considers part of being productive, and she often steps away from emotionally difficult pieces before returning to them. She also believes in showing up to the studio even without inspiration, since motivation often arrives once work has begun. Books, podcasts and time with creative friends help to renew her enthusiasm.

Instinct and Audience

Her work begins with something she genuinely needs to explore, and she trusts that an audience will follow. Self-portraiture, she explains, gave her a direct way to express feelings she had kept suppressed, using the face she knows best. In collaborations, she values trusted opinions and enjoys shaping ideas together.

How a Project Begins

There is no fixed routine. A project usually starts with a curiosity, an image or a personal experience that lingers. Once an idea takes shape, she gathers references, takes photographs, sketches and experiments with materials. She prefers to keep some room for change, letting decisions emerge during the making.

What Comes Next

Her immediate focus is (UN)EXPRESSED. Upcoming commitments include a collective show at the newly opened MANI Centre in Attard, a group exhibition at Bizzilla Art Space, and another at Valletta Contemporary. After a short break, she plans to continue developing her drawing and painting, without putting pressure on what the next body of work should become.