Ryan Falzon

PRINTS

We Can't be Lovers

May 2018

We Can’t Be Lovers is personal as much as political – it goes beyond depictions ofintimate interiors, suggestive scenes and bold statements. Dynamics of relationshipsare changing so fast that on one barely has time to take in the changes and updates,let alone analyze the impact on our overall well-being.

We Can’t Be Lovers presents auniversal insight of imagery which is relatable on a personal level, just as much as aFacebook Wall is. What was considered private is nowadays exposed and flauntedwithout much assessment, with Tinder operating as a meat market and Instagram as a24/7 window shopping portal.Monoprinting as a technique is a delicate balance between a harsh, delicate line,haziness and accidental marks, perfectly illustrating the relation between onlinepersonas and possible virtual deceptions, as opposed to the underlying, harsh truth.Just like Internet memes, these monoprints blur the boundaries between text andimages; a staple in Falzon’s works.

This body of work sees a departure from theheavy political context presented in his previous solo shows.We Can’t Be Lovers The exhibition was curated by Michael Fenech.

Dirty Pictures

2017-18

This series deals with transgression and identity, blurring the boundaries between the physical and the virtual.

Vintage images of lust are juxtaposed onto found sources, to build dreamy, incomplete narratives. The images are portraits of lust for intimacy, while online sources and apps serve as a cheap, easy alternative. The individual feels detached from real world while ephemeral virtual reality is immediate and more significant. The unlimited possibilities made available by the virtual platform build tense situations based on the promise of more excitement and fulfillment. As on the free-flowing digital media, where adrenaline is fed to the mind via a screen, the dynamics of relationships are changing so fast that one barely has time to take in the changes and updates, let alone analyze the impact on our overall well-being.

Various works from the series have been exhibited in a number of collective exhibitions. All prints are one offs, with a majority being intervened on with different media.