My essentials: Sarah Maria Scicluna’s cultural picks

1. Book

I really good book that I read recently was “Playing to the Gallery” by Grayson Perry. This was a light read and is an insightful introduction to the world of contemporary art, written in a humorous and cheeky tone. While provocative, it is not pretentious and as a bonus, there’s even funny illustrations.

2. Film

Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” – This star-studded, interpretation offers an interesting take on the classic tale we grew up with. In addition to being visually stunning, it goes on to explore aspects of human life such as tragedy and death. I also appreciated that the character of Pinocchio wasn’t portrayed throughout as the sweet and lovable child that so many people associate with the story.

3. Internet/TV

I don’t watch TV but I do listen to a lot of podcasts. One that I listen to regularly is “The Other Castle” where they discuss video games and the lore and delves in the underlying themes one might miss when playing. There are some video games which I would want to learn the story, but I either don’t have time to play them or would be scared to since they belong to the horror genre.

4. Music

Although my music choices are fairly eclectic, the album I always come back to is Globular’s “Entangled Everything.” I love a multi-layered, trippy, psychedelic sound, mostly composed through rhythmic sampling, creating a unique experience. Although I love all of his albums, this is one is definitely my favourite.

5. Place

A really special place for me is Venice, Italy. While the city itself is beautiful, what I’m always impressed with is what has to offer when I go there every two years for the Venice Biennale. It constantly changes for the exhibition, showcasing the work of many artists and seemingly taking a new life every time.