Artist’s creative process on display at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq

The exhibition In Search of the Unknown by Maltese artist Darren Tanti is currently showing at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq in Mqabba and is running until July 6. Rather than presenting a finalised body of work, the exhibition offers a rare insight into the creative process behind Tanti’s art.

Unlike typical exhibitions that focus on finished pieces, In Search of the Unknown invites the public into an open-studio experience where the artist’s evolving ideas, experiments and artistic decisions are visible.

The project is designed to reveal the dynamic and sometimes chaotic journey of creation, highlighting the varying intensity of the creative process.

Afloat IV

This initiative follows numerous previous exhibitions at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq and is intended as a collaborative effort to spotlight the development of art in progress.

Tanti, an experienced artist and educator well known in Malta’s contemporary art scene, leads the project. The exhibition is curated by Melanie Erixon.

Tanti’s work explores themes of hyperreality and experimental techniques, combining digital and traditional academic art methods. The exhibition features connections to both his earlier and recent works, including inspirations, new ideas and even projects that may have reached dead ends. This transparent approach contrasts with the conventional tendency of artists to exhibit only their finished pieces.

Night is watching

As an educator with over 15 years of experience, Tanti emphasises the importance of the artistic process in education and creation. His commitment to process-driven art aligns with his teaching roles, including senior lecturer in fine art at the MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts and lecturer in the master’s in teaching and learning programme at the University of Malta.

Tanti’s artistic career includes numerous prestigious exhibitions internationally. Notable highlights include Time, Space, Existence at Palazzo Mora during the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014, and representing Malta at the Venice Art Biennale in 2017 with Homo Melitensis.

Judith, after Caravaggio

He has also participated in all editions of the APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale.

His solo exhibitions such as Aħmar Ħelu u Qares (2021), Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction (2022), Remember/Dismember (2023), and Apotheosis (2023) have garnered widespread recognition. His artworks are part of private collections both in Malta and abroad, as well as held by public institutions including MUŻA and the embassy of Malta in Washington, DC.

The aftermath

In Search of the Unknown invites visitors to engage with the fluid, exploratory nature of artistic creation and offers an educational perspective on how art develops through experimentation, reflection, and discovery.

The exhibition’s venue, Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq, is located at 4, Church Square, Mqabba. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 6am to noon, and Sundays from 7am to noon. Additional evening hours will be announced weekly. The project receives support from local businesses and organisations including Fish and Fish, Best Print Malta, Beati Paoli Restaurant, Art Waves, InterVisions Ltd, inkontru.app, MEEC Ltd, and New Life Bar, Mqabba.