Cutting through the comfort zone | Lara Manara

What is significant about the Divergent Thinkers tradition? And what does it contribute to your work as a whole?

Divergent Thinkers is significant as it celebrates the brainstorming, planning, mind mapping processes and drafts rather than the finalised, polished work. It accepts any type of artist, giving them an opportunity to form part of the local art scene as well as providing great opportunities for artists taking part, which is exciting and refreshing.   

I’m usually further absorbed by my own thought processes and ideas than I am with my finished work, so for me it was an opening to expose myself in terms of what I think and how I feel, without boundaries or restriction placed upon the idea. I tend to focus on themes which I feel very strongly about and Divergent Thinkers has helped me kick start making my own personal work again – to expose my truth and satisfy my craving for doing what I can, with what I have, to try and make a change.  

Lara Manara sought to document and question how we perceive and engage with people from turbulent political zones

How did you interpret NAVIGATE – this year’s Divergent Thinkers theme – and what do you hope to communicate with your contribution to the exhibition?

My initial mental response when I read the title ‘Navigate’, was navigating through information, social media and the immense amount of ideas we think about on a daily basis due to this overload of information. I began exploring these ideas and boiled them down to the reflections I have constantly. 

One of these persistent thoughts was that of humanity. Every day on the news or on social media, I would watch, read or listen to stories of individuals, or better yet whole communities, trying to escape war, famine and death. I would feel sympathetic, sickened and helpless. I wondered, why am I so privileged to be in the comfort of my own home, choosing whether I want to know of these people or not, getting on with my life regardless of theirs and going to sleep in a cozy bed with food in my belly at the end of the day, with no fear of death before tomorrow arrives? I wanted to question why, even though we have what these people want, we are still dissatisfied, still seeking something more, still ungrateful for what we have. When will we become grateful? What does it take to be happy? Why do we seek so fondly to run away from the places these people are desperately trying to reach? 

I began to question my choices of travelling to a foreign land – namely India – and I deliberated on how I can use this to juxtapose my story with theirs. I wanted to show how lucky we are to choose to go to a foreign land for leisure, adventure, to experience a life outside of our comfort zone, while these individuals are fleeing for their lives, with no choice other than war, starvation, illness or death. How and why am I so fortunate? What did I do to earn this security? What did they do to deserve their realities? 

I wanted to question why, even though we have what these people want, we are still dissatisfied, still seeking something more, still ungrateful for what we have

What do you make of the local visual arts scene? What would you change about it?

I truly believe the local visual arts scene in Malta is refining itself and becoming more popular day by day. I’m excited to see where we are heading in the future, and I definitely hope to see less of ‘who you know’ and more of ‘what you do’, in regards to what gets shown and who is in charge. Education is an immeasurably crucial factor, as we cannot expect the perception of people towards the arts to change overnight, we must start from the younger generation, and instill in them the characteristics we would like to see in the future. I’d love to see more galleries and art institutions, where artists can feel comfortable showing their work. This will move artists out of their studios and into the public eye. I think art needs to move away from this idea of it being for the elite, and more for the public. It should be easily accessible to all. 

I’d love to see more galleries and art institutions, where artists can feel comfortable showing their work

Should you win the residency in Tokyo, how do you hope to make the most out of the experience?

I love travelling to learn about different cultures and to meet new people. Should I win, I will make the most out of my experience at the gallery, by getting to know the people running it, their ideas, beliefs and thoughts on art, artists and the art world. I’ll try to gain as much knowledge as I can from the people I meet there, in terms of gaining new skills for my own work as well as observing how institutions and exhibitions are structured. I’m so curious to explore their arts scene and to gain some familiarity with their local artists, and learn about the diversity of techniques in their work as well as their concepts. I believe it would just be an incredibly enriching learning experience all around. And the food... no trip is complete without lots of food!

Divergent Thinkers will be on show at the Malta Maritime Museum, Birgu from October 21 to November 18. The exhibition is curated by Raphael Vella and organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ in collaboration with Valletta 2018, with the support of the Malta Maritime Museum, EU Japan Fest and Japan Media Arts Festival