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Lisa Falzon is one of a crop of young artists making waves in Malta’s art scene. Her clear representation of dreamlike figures in telling poses and her attention to detail have caught the imagination of the public at large. 
Like several other artists she started drawing at a very young age and at the age of 16 her first big breakthrough saw her presenting a solo exhibition and making an appearance on TV. Lisa’s art can be seen at www.lisafalzon.com
Do you trace your artistic talent to anyone in the family? Has anyone in your family influenced you in your artistic direction?
The members of my immediate family are all artistic in one way or another – be it musically, or in the computer field. I have also uncles, aunts and great uncles and aunts as well as great grandparents who are artistic. I suppose the environment I grew up in has contributed a lot to my artistic sensibilities. I am sure my artistic family collectively influenced me, but I cannot pinpoint any one person.
When you paint do your try and create something which will be pleasing to others or is it more a matter of a mortal trying to create the immortal?
I paint for two reasons - to please myself and to communicate. The actual act of painting is very gratifying, I cannot explain what it feels like to create. But it goes hand in hand with the other reason - with connecting to people via my art.
I don’t care about the mortality of my art. Who is to say a meteorite won’t hit earth tomorrow and everything gets blasted out of existence? Besides I have studied conservation/restoration enough to know metoerites aren’t even necessary, mostly time alone will do the trick.
I only aim to create art of immediate consequence and messages. I don’t care much about pleasing, it’s more communicating that matters to me.
Which artists have inspired you and why?
I am very inspired by Contessina Anastasia Gribaldi. She was exiled to Romania in the sixteenth century for inappropriate behaviour during mass and in solitude painted many moving and haunting images of the Carpathian mountains and their curious inhabitants.
I suppose I like her so much because she is completely fictitious, and it is very hard to be fictitious even as an artist. She inspires me to become imaginary.
Pablo Picasso is reported to have said: ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’ what does painting do for you?
Art to me is like putting all my ideas and emotions into distillation apparatus, and creating from the mixture a pure and simple image. I use everyday life for inspiration – it is what I put in one end of the apparatus - then I distil it with my equipment - and my paintings come out at the other end. It’s my alchemy.
Have you tried abstract art? Or installations? Any plans to move in different directions?
Style is a matter most artists obsess over, and rightly so because it is important. My style is the way in which I can pictorially describe what I am thinking, or what I want to say. It evolves continually, but only to better versions of itself, not to something completely different such as abstract art. An abstract style would never fit my needs – its vagueness and subjectivity would clash with what I am trying to create with my art. Changing to abstract would be like starting to speak Chinese all of a sudden - I don’t see the point of speaking Chinese when English has worked all my life, unless I think it will fit my purpose better, and in this case it won’t. As for installation, I have worked in 3-D, but any installation I produce will still be totally in my style. One could still tell they were made by me. So don’t expect me to come up with any cubes hanging in the air at St James Cavalier or anything.
Your art would seem to be inspired by some cartoon type quality… your figures are not realistic and look smug, yet there is some darkness there… do the characters reflect your personality or how you see the world?
The ‘cartoon’ comparison keeps rising again and again and I think it is excusable, because locally the Fine Art scene has been terribly limited in styles, therefore people are limited in art to compare mine with. When looking at the art scene globally - for instance, the California art scene - one may mark the increase of ‘lowbrow/visionary’, this ‘cartoonish art’. This extends to new artists all over the world – Murakami for instance. Its part of a new artistic language. It just surprises people in Malta because the exposure has been limited. People here think of abstraction, or cubism, or realism, when they think of fine art.
The ‘characters’ are usually an idea-turned-human. They reflect me in the way all art reflects me because I made it, and they reflect the world because it is the world that made me make them.
What can the authorities do to assist art and people's interest in culture?
My best advice is to create a good art centre for artists to meet up in and produce art in and exhibit art in. Artists are currently alienated from each other. Nothing breeds creativity like working and discussing with other artists. It is still considered a solitary ‘hobby’ here. It’s not taken seriously at all.
They must also fund museums, and organise good museum policies. Some local museums are in a terrible state and honestly, how many Maltese artists even visit museums anymore? They are unattractive, which is a pity because some house masterpieces, and past masterpieces will inspire new masterpieces.
Future plans?
This year I hope to produce an exhibition or two maybe in Summer, being currently rather busy with important things of little consequence. An event or two may be planned with Chiaroscuro Artist Representatives, their website will be updated regularily with news - http://www.chiaroscuroart.com.
If you had to change three things in Malta what would they be?
I would make all our museums and temples technologically advanced and environmentally controlled. Looking at St Elmo, for instance, is enough to make you cry. It’s a pity how we leave our heritage in such a state of neglect.
I would rehabilitate all the neglected housing on the island. Hundreds of homes are left empty while we keep building more and more. It’s got to stop.
I would commission and support planned afforestation programmes which encourage to growth of endemic plants. I believe one such programme is currently underway in Mellieha – may there be more of these. This island needs some green in their pallette.
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