My essentials: Diellza Ilgner’s cultural picks

About

I’m a Malta-based transdisciplinary performance artist working across theatre, multimedia, and audience-engaged work. My practice explores themes of migration, disability, and climate justice. Whether I’m directing, acting, moving, or singing, I let art move through me in many forms. As co-founder of ConsciousArtDuo and D.Shows, I combine therapeutic approaches with socially and politically conscious storytelling.

Book

If I’m honest, books are something I wish I gave more time to. Lately though, I’ve been slowly making my way through the work of Gabor Maté, When the Body Says No and The Myth of Normal. His insights into the link between mental stress and physical illness resonate deeply with my interest in the body-mind connection. Poetry remains my constant companion, Rainer Maria Rilke, Pragya Bhagat and Spoken Word Poetry. And as a personal ritual, I carry a small Maltese dictionary with me as I’m still determined to learn the language of this country, I call home.

Film

A film I keep coming back to is Into The Wild. It moves me deeply and reminds me of the weird construct we call society and how we have lost touch with ‘the wild’ we once called home. Another unforgettable film is La Vita è Bella, the way humour becomes a lifeline during the Holocaust, transforming unbearable tragedy into bearable humanity. Growing up in Germany, carrying the guilt of our terrible history is normalised and the use of humour and hope touches a different side in me.

Internet and TV

Although I was born in 2000, I grew up in a tiny German village without TV or Internet. I wasn’t allowed a phone until I was 17 and I hated that. But now, watching younger generations connected to the world, yet disconnected from each other, I’m deeply grateful for it. It’s fascinating how the same technology that can isolate us also creates countless opportunities for artistic collaboration and cultural exchange across continents. I often browse On the Move, a brilliant platform listing international open calls, residencies, and funding for artists. I also enjoy watching ARTE documentaries on YouTube.

Music

Jazz, neo-soul, world music, indie, classical music; I don’t limit myself to one genre. Music follows my mood and curiosity. Having a background in classical vocals and music theatre, made me study music throughout genres and times.

One artist that continuously shapes me is Wiebke Gottstein and her album Space In Between which explores how to live freely while celebrating the growth that arises from facing our fears.

Place

Of all countries I've encountered, spending nearly a year in India fundamentally altered my worldview. After traveling extensively through Europe and America, where every supermarket felt depressingly identical, I craved radical difference. India initially shocked, then gradually fascinated me as an eye-opening revelation of how life dramatically varies depending on your birth coordinates. Despite immense challenges, India overflows with extraordinary beauty and the most generous souls I've ever encountered.

But the place I chose, out of all those places, is Malta. It’s here that I’ve planted roots. I fell in love with the sea, the light, the rhythm of the island, but most of all, the people. There’s a deep sense of connection here, a rare openness. Opportunities feel within reach, and collaboration often begins with a simple conversation. Unlike many places where ambition sharpens elbows, Malta carries a spirit of sincerity.