Artist Ryan Falzon set for Milan showcase with Arcana series

The multidisciplinary artist Ryan Falzon will be presenting a compelling body of work in Milan on 24 October 2025, in a three-week exhibition hosted by the Young Art Hunters gallery.

Arcana, curated by François Zammit, will present 17 oil paintings on canvas, interrogating narratives and symbols through Falzon’s unmistakable visual idiom, and his exploration of Mediterranean tropes of the sacred and profane – a longstanding fascination for the artist.

Recognised for his bold, politically charged painting practice, Falzon’s thematic shift to figurative works on plants and domestic interiors provided a contemporary visual dialogue to the still life works of the eminent Maltese modernist painter Giorgio Preca (1909-1984), at the exhibition Still Life | Life, Still, held at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta earlier this summer.

In Arcana, Falzon once again treats viewers to his unique exploration of Mediterranean religious beliefs and superstitions, through the interplay of pop culture and the profane, the use of symbolism and text, to produce a narrative of raw, existentialist emotion.

“This array of rites, rituals, and symbols, drawn from divergent belief systems, creates a striking juxtaposition that reflects the contemporary spirit of the region,” says curator François Zammit, who coordinates the exhibition with advisory support from Malta-Italy based artist Matthew Attard.

Ryan Falzon, Lovers' Gambit, 2024

With this symbolism, Ryan Falzon delivers a fantastical world of esoteric imagery, from divination practices like tarot cards, to pop culture and car iconography such as furry dice and horseshoes, and even emojis, which he views as contemporary equivalents of ancient hieroglyphics. “This fusion of internet culture and esoteric symbolism is a contemplation on the intersection of virtual expression and timeless mysticism. It invites viewers to reconsider the nature of communication, spirituality, and intuition in the digital era,” says Zammit.

Through his “deliberately garish” palette, Falzon employs the imagery of talismans that conjure up both fear and protection, as author Omar N’Shea writes in his contribution to Arcana’s forthcoming catalogue. “In monumentalising these objects – snakes, eyes, dice, peppers, words… Falzon forces us to recognise them as our own. They are neither quaint superstitions, nor relics of folklore, but living hieroglyphs, marks of how we negotiate uncertainty today.”

Arcana, supported by Arts Council Malta, once again also showcases Malta’s offering in the international arts scene: Young Art Hunters (YAH) in Milan has built a reputation for curating dynamic, contemporary exhibitions that attract collectors, curators, and art professionals from across the international scene, with regular participation across major art fairs.

“Arcana was chosen as the most suitable theme for this exhibition, with past exhibitions at the gallery having explored similar conceptual approaches. We are pleased to support Falzon’s long-term artistic development through meaningful engagement, with the potential for future representation and exposure at art fairs,” said YAH curator Barbara Basile.

A viewing room will be set up on youngarthunters.com with all the works in the exhibition, giving the public the opportunity to view it conveniently online well after finissage.

Falzon’s Arcana at Milan’s YAH Gallery will precede a comprehensive solo exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv in May 2026, building upon the same conceptual and visual framework of the themes introduced in Milan.

“Exhibitions like these are reinforcing Falzon’s evolving narrative, apart from cultivating a dialogue between local and international audiences,” says François Zammit. “Falzon’s work has already been exhibited in Italy, Germany and Belgium apart from Malta. In Milan, we see yet again an opportunity to take Falzon’s visual language – in many respects uniquely Maltese even with the universality of the themes he explores – to an international audience that hungers for his distinctive mark on the canvas.”