JA: Your recent artistic path has evolved from depicting urban landscapes, the great outdoors and then focusing on singular elements in the shape of trees or thickets of them. The theme of trees coincided, more or less, with the onset of COVID-19, a reaction to being a domestic recluse. Are you seeking thematic freedom from shackles now via abstraction?

FB: During COVID times, yes, there was that nostalgic feel of missing the outdoors and appreciating more those simple things like walking in the countryside. It came natural to me to paint landscapes. I was also concerned about the preservation of our nature. COVID was something that shook us all and I was more inclined to look around me and somehow narrate the story that we were going through. Now I am more aware in narrating the experiences of life that I go through.

Fabio Borg. Photo: Andrew Zarb

I do believe that abstraction brings that freedom in the artistic expression. The fact that my work is evolving is part of my artistic journey. It is not something I forced myself into. I work every day and when you work and produce, you will automatically evolve. I do believe that this is part of being human not just as an artist… we all evolve. As B.J. Neblett states: “None of us are the same as we were yesterday, nor will be tomorrow.”

JA: For Innerscapes, you claim: “I searched in my inner self to produce these works.” What are you searching for introspectively? What have you come across subconsciously in such an endeavour?

Alberi e Dintorni

FB: Aristotle said that “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”. Lately this is what really interests me most. My work is becoming more and more personal. As I stated previously, now I am more concerned to describe those experiences – be they positive or negative – which make me the person I am. Being a sensitive person, everything affects me. If I go through different experiences in life, they all leave an impact on me.

I am searching more this freedom and challenge my limits when it comes to art. I am also more aware that to say something, you don’t need lots of words

These works are like landscapes of my sole, that is why I called this collection Innerscapes. I tried to bring out my emotions and my state of mind. For me, art can be very therapeutic too, I paint to express my anger and my joy. It is like someone who writes his feelings to release himself. My paintings are like a personal diary where I keep my journal. When it comes to give my work a title, most of the times the title reflects my state of mind.

Off-season storms

JA: Minimalism and abstraction stand out as directions you are pursuing, even though trees are being somewhat represented. What do trees embody? A personal rooting, a symbol of being one with the environment? A reference to your past?

FB: I love what Van Gogh said: “The duty of the painter is to study nature in depth and to use all his intelligence, to put his feelings into his work so that it becomes comprehensible to others.”

For me, ‘trees’ represent ‘permanence’. Sometimes we want to remain bound to a certain reality and situations in life. Somehow, we all find our comfort zones and feel comfortable. Risks and challenges make our life more interesting. They help us grow. I am searching more this freedom and challenge my limits when it comes to art. I am also more aware that to say something, you don’t need lots of words. Sometimes even a gesture or a single word is enough to express your feelings. My works are like a single statement.

Under the Blue Sky

Ci sono tramonti non tramontano mai

Blue and Green should never be seen

JA: Innerscapes as a choice of title aptly describes this collection of paintings. As you mentioned in the exhibition’s mission statement, the studio has become a shrine of self-discovery, maybe while you reference your stock of memories and associated imagery. Do these new paintings celebrate the hushed, the silent and the spiritual?

FB: For me, my studio is like a sacred place or a hiding place. I go there and I get lost in myself and in my creations. It is a place where I can be myself because there is no one to judge me. Yes, these works reflect the silent and the spiritual. The more you grow, the more reflective you become, and I do believe that this collection reflects this.

This collection can be also described as a transitional collection of works as well. The viewer is able to see my transition from a more representational expression to a more non-representational one. In some of these works, the viewer can recognise something but in others not much. The audience will be able to see where I am going now in my artistic journey.

Innerscapes, hosted by Gemelli Art Gallery, Ta’ Qali, is on until September 30. Consult the artist’s Facebook page for more information.