Sergio Muscat: 'I am a curious person, always pushing boundaries'

Sergio Muscat is a Maltese visual artist whose work explores memory, legacy and technological transformation. With a background in computing and photography, he uses digital imaging and installation to examine how images construct, erode and reconfigure personal and collective histories. His ongoing project Memorial Immortal reflects a research-driven, reflective practice grounded in long-term experimentation. This exhibition is curated by Sue Falzon, an approach that brings together her work as a Gestalt psychotherapist with her commitment to creating meaningful encounters with art.

1. What’s been the most defining moment in your career so far?

I am a curious person, always pushing boundaries. There are moments when I feel that I’ve managed to get through a wall, opening a whole new world of possibilities. I cannot say that there is one specific defining moment, but these breakthroughs are what keep me excited for more, and the thought that there is no limit. The Memorial Immortal project was one of these major breakthroughs, stemming from many that came before it. I have always been interested in what can be achieved through the merging of artistic media (particularly in the digital age) and technology. Being able to take photographs, inject them with my code and create infinite derivatives, while at the same time creating a social (and self-examining) commentary is what really drove me to keep working on this project for so long. I also feel I have barely scratched the surface, and just that thought is career defining. The digital medium has enormous potential to take a life of its own, offer new experiences and distinguish itself from more traditional media, and this quest is a big driving force for me.

2. As an artist, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media?

Thinking about it, it affects me in polarly opposite ways. Coming from a technology background, I am quite comfortable with the digital world. I feel that there are many possibilities it offers to reach beyond borders, redefining in many ways the world and societal structures themselves. I watch it evolve with curiosity, and I try to use it to my advantage. On the other hand, I am a private person, who often enjoys quiet solitude. I look at the world and see how many of us are caught up in this web of scrolling, immediacy, greed, stress, traffic, anger. I often see a society with blinkers, not looking around and realising that life is for living; that it is not the material things that will make us happy, but the happiness we give to each other. This then reflects in a social media presence which is somewhat sporadic. I’ll share some little (or large) breakthroughs as they happen, and then go silent for a while as I’m introspecting, experimenting, and just living.

3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity?

This is a question that I get very often. I have discussed AI with many people from technical and artistic backgrounds. Of course, it’s a highly polarising argument that often generates very emotional reactions. I look at it with the same curiosity I do most other things. I see AI as a tool, like any other. It can be used, over-used and abused. It is up to us individually what to do with it. I am excited about the potential of AI and how it can help and assist us in creating things and speed up progress, especially in rapid prototyping and testing new ideas. From a philosophical standpoint, the question about man versus machine—the soul—and whether one can definitively deny the work produced with the assistance of AI as being soulless even when indistinguishable from that produced by a human artist remains an open question to be explored.

Memorial Immortal does not make use of AI; however, I have often asked myself the question, at which point does a work stop being that of the artist and becomes that of the machine. In the end, it very much remains, in my mind, a factor of how much influence an artist has in co-creating and co-curating work with the assistance of technology. This very much overlaps with intangible tools such as chance and serendipity which have been and are still used by artists extensively. Wendy Ross states: “Chance without skill is not enough on its own to support creativity.” I think this encapsulates all aspects of the creative process, including the use of AI as a tool.

4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard?

I have struggled with this for many years in the past. My interest has always been in the digital world. Starting from photography, I was always intent on pushing the limits, and using it as a medium for artistic expression. I consciously never took up commercial photography, both as a statement to myself and to the world. I needed to remain as free and unencumbered as possible to experiment, bend and break rules. Unfortunately, I felt that this put me right in between two worlds, belonging to none, and it caused many a doubt as I was developing, evolving and yet seemingly being alone in this journey. It is often a lonely path, and sometimes quite painful to remain unseen and continue without external recognition. It is only when I truly started to internalise and view my art as a personal journey that I started to really be proud of my work and take much greater leaps. It takes time and effort to free oneself from the constrictions of social acceptance, and only when we do that can we truly create something new.

5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators?

Indeed, I do not think that as artists we can ever be completely freed from the gratification of recognition and acceptance. I know that it is something that still affects me, sometimes more deeply than others. I have shied away from exhibiting my work for a while, because when doing so it creates a strong vulnerability and exposure to the elements of society, which is difficult to escape. I deal with it mostly by giving weight to my own feelings and expectations, and by relying on the support and feedback of my family and my closest friends, who have a deeper understanding of my being. In particular, I rely deeply on Sue, my partner, who is and has been of exceptional moral, emotional and practical support throughout—the anchor I need to keep me in balance, grounded and centred when I start veering off course and risk getting lost in the ocean of societal noise.

6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow?

A while ago I read an article by Yuval Noah Harari about how different kinds of people approach new projects, tasks and deadlines. Some artists must keep momentum going and work through a block. I fall into the other category that has to plant the seed and wait for it to sprout. For many years I tried pushing myself to work on something new once I felt that what I was doing was exhausted, resulting in frustration, exhaustion and emptiness. I now learnt that those in-between periods are as important as the productive ones. It is the time of reflection, observation and living which will eventually lead to new “what-ifs”. I usually work on long term projects that last many years, but trying to push them beyond their lifespan would be flogging a dead horse and produce meaningless work. I have often been asked to continue working on old projects, but for me those are done and dusted—the only way is forward.

7.Can you let us in on some of the future projects, works?

I feel that Memorial Immortal project is nowhere near done as yet. I felt it was the right time to expose a snapshot of where I stand, however I still have great excitement to experiment and take this into new directions for as long as is needed. I feel that there is so much left to explore, and technology is giving us new interesting ways to experiment and produce new genres of art and experiences. I have also recently started experimenting with art that is purely code-based, providing more interactive experiences and delving a little more into conceptual art. It has taken me many years to find a door that leads to many roads. I feel that right now I’m in the right place, and very excited about what comes next.

Bonus round

Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your work?

If I had to mention one name, it would be Mark Rothko. I have always admired his ability to convey emotion without physical representation. I am in general very influenced by the modernist era, and in particular the abstract expressionists. I think that contemporary art has lost a little of the guttural emotional feeling that highlighted the art of the late 19th and most of the 20th century. I see it as a reflection of how society in general has detached from looking inward, driven by the constant feed of external information, expectations and stress. I want my art to connect with those who experience it at such guttural level, unearthing emotions, memories and raw feelings that are personal to each and every one of us.