My essentials: Darren Tanti’s cultural picks

About me

I am a visual artist and educator. I lecture Fine Art and I specialise in painting, figure drawing, art theory and art education. I have been active in the local art scene for over 16 years and have exhibited in several solo and collective exhibitions in Malta and internationally.

Book

I love books, and I always find it difficult to choose a favourite. In recent years, I’ve been deeply drawn to the study of theology – both from an academic and secular perspective, as well as through the lens of faith. St Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica left me absolutely mind-blown. As an artist, I fell in love with his concept that “from Beauty one moves to Goodness, and from Goodness one proceeds to Truth”. This profoundly elegant idea could serve as a powerful tool in the analysis and creation of contemporary art.

Film

Among many critically acclaimed films I love, Ghost In The Shell stands out. Based on a 1990s anime, it explores the relationship between spirit (Ghost) and body (Shell), raising profound questions about technology’s impact on the soul. If the body becomes synthetic, could the soul be trapped in a form of immortality, losing the liberation that death offers? Once considered sci-fi, the film now feels like a prophetic glimpse into a rapidly approaching future.

Internet and TV

I discovered Bishop Robert Barron and his channel on YouTube after reading a book of his. Bishop Barron has the oratory skills and the intellectual acumen that commands the attention and respect of the most ardent atheist and the fascination of every Christian! I also follow Dr Andrew Huberman and his Huberman Lab. As an academic I really admire his work and his online persona, as he made serious academia accessible and enjoyable to millions around the world.

Music

Three of my favourite musical pieces are Odi et Amo by Jóhann Jóhannsson – I never expected to hear my favourite poem by Catullus set to music in such a haunting arrangement; Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt – simply sublime; and Max Richter's On the Nature of Daylight – a piece that, perhaps, captures the very essence of beauty. Each of these compositions moves me deeply and speaks to something timeless and transcendent in the human experience.

Place

Dingli Cliffs, on a chilly winter late afternoon, with a thunderstorm bellowing in from the sea – this is one of the most powerful memories and emotions I have ever attached to a place. The sheer vastness of the sea, the height of the cliffs, the rage of the storm, and the chill of the wind combined as one are inexplicable. Every now and then, I revisit that moment in my memory to keep it alive.

This article is supported by Arts Council Malta.