My essentials: Rebecca Bonaci’s cultural picks

1. Book

This year my reading has mainly been dedicated to research and information for my solo show some of which include The Maternal In Creative Work by Elena Marchevska and Valerie Walkerdine which is basically full of discussions related to motherhood and art. Lady Sapiens by Thomas Cirotteau, Jennifer Kerner and Er’ic Pincas which shows how new research changed the way we look at prehistoric women and how gender roles were not as clear cut as previous historic documents have proved them to be.

2. TV

This past year I haven’t had as much time to watch films as I used to. When the TV is on it’s usually on Ms Rachel or Super Simple Songs. I sometimes watch Big Bang theory before I go to sleep just because it’s easy to watch and it’s OK if I sleep halfway through an episode.

3. Internet

I love history and art documentaries. Sometimes I also put them on while I am painting and don’t feel like listening to music. My favourites are BBC history documentaries. I also love Katy Hessel’s The Great Women Artists podcast. I have also been listening to the She World podcast by Trudy Kerr and Sasha Vella recently as I think it’s interesting to listen to local discussions and debates.

4. Music

The music I listen to really depends on my mood and what I am working on. When I am painting or tattooing, I usually enjoy listening to bands like Hermanos Gutierrez, Air, Maribou State, Khruangbin, Leisure, Arc de soleil etc. Basically music that relaxes me. While I’m cooking or cleaning, I usually listen to Otis Redding, Nina Simone and The Meters.

5. Place

Il-Ponta tal-Munxar in Marsaskala at sunrise because it’s so beautiful. It’s close to my home so it’s realistic for me to go there as much as I need to.