Ryan Falzon’s bold palette delivers a fantastical world of esoteric imagery and pop culture, furry dice and emojis at Milan gallery Young Art Hunters on 24 October 2025
The multidisciplinary artist Ryan Falzon (b. 1988) will be presenting a compelling body of work in Milan on 24 October 2025, in a three-week exhibition hosted by the Young Art Hunters gallery.
Arcana, curated by François Zammit, will present 17 oil paintings on canvas, interrogating narratives and symbols through Falzon’s unmistakable visual idiom, and his exploration of Mediterranean tropes of the sacred and profane – a longstanding fascination for the artist.
Recognised for his bold, politically charged painting practice, Falzon’s thematic shift to figurative works on plants and domestic interiors provided a contemporary visual dialogue to the still life works of the eminent Maltese modernist painter Giorgio Preca (1909-1984), at the exhibition Still Life | Life, Still, held at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta earlier this summer.
In Arcana, Falzon once again treats viewers to his unique exploration of Mediterranean religious beliefs and superstitions, through the interplay of pop culture and the profane, the use of symbolism and text, to produce a narrative of raw, existentialist emotion.
Symbolism and a garish palette
“This array of rites, rituals, and symbols, drawn from divergent belief systems, creates a striking juxtaposition that reflects the contemporary spirit of the region,” says curator François Zammit.
With this symbolism, Ryan Falzon delivers a fantastical world of esoteric imagery, from divination practices like tarot cards, to pop culture and car iconography such as furry dice and horseshoes, and even emojis, which he views as contemporary equivalents of ancient hieroglyphics. “This fusion of internet culture and esoteric symbolism is a contemplation on the intersection of virtual expression and timeless mysticism. It invites viewers to reconsider the nature of communication, spirituality, and intuition in the digital era,” says Zammit.
Through his “deliberately garish” palette, Falzon employs the imagery of talismans that conjure up both fear and protection, as author Omar N’Shea writes in his contribution to Arcana’s forthcoming catalogue. “In monumentalising these objects – snakes, eyes, dice, peppers, words… Falzon forces us to recognise them as our own. They are neither quaint superstitions, nor relics of folklore, but living hieroglyphs, marks of how we negotiate uncertainty today.”
Arcana, supported by Arts Council Malta, once again also showcases Malta’s offering in the international arts scene: Young Art Hunters (YAH) in Milan has built a reputation for curating dynamic, contemporary exhibitions that attract collectors, curators, and art professionals from across the international scene, with regular participation across major art fairs.
“Arcana was chosen as the most suitable theme for this exhibition, with past exhibitions at the gallery having explored similar conceptual approaches. We are pleased to support Falzon’s long-term artistic development through meaningful engagement, with the potential for future representation and exposure at art fairs,” said YAH curator Barbara Basile.
Digital viewing room at YAH
A viewing room will be set up on youngarthunters.com with all the works in the exhibition, giving the public the opportunity to view it conveniently online well after finissage.
Falzon’s Arcana at Milan’s YAH Gallery will precede a comprehensive solo exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv in May 2026, building upon the same conceptual and visual framework of the themes introduced in Milan.
“Exhibitions like these are reinforcing Falzon’s evolving narrative, apart from cultivating a dialogue between local and international audiences,” says François Zammit. “Falzon’s work has already been exhibited in Italy, Germany and Belgium apart from Malta. In Milan, we see yet again an opportunity to take Falzon’s visual language – in many respects uniquely Maltese even with the universality of the themes he explores – to an international audience that hungers for his distinctive mark on the canvas.”
ABOUT RYAN FALZON
Ryan Falzon (b. 1988, Malta) established a distinctive voice and style in the political art scene of Malta, with a provocative and playful use of disparate images, constructed into a visual journey with his collage-like technique.
His artistic pursuits encompass painting, printmaking, and writing.
Falzon delves into the realms of contemporary duality, narrative exploration, social media, human interaction, and existential conditions within his vibrant and expressive works.
A Fine Arts graduate of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (2011), he received instruction from professors at the Bauhaus and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, where he also participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, with his works finding their place in both public and private collections in Europe and the USA. Falzon later read for a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts, from the University of Malta.
From 2016 to 2019, notable pieces like Quick Fix: A Morality Tale (2016), We Lost the War (2017), and Culture is Past Art is Future (2018), became a point of reference in the contemporary Maltese political art scene.
Since 2020, Falzon has passionately worked on his Botanica series, a collection of domestic interiors and still lifes that garnered widespread acclaim from critics. These artworks, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, delve into central themes of domestic settings, personal growth, environmental issues, and a biophilic sentiment.
Falzon, a Sixth Form art instructor at St Edward’s College in Malta, is the author of the novel Sajf (2022, Kotba Calleja), which won him the Best Emergent Author award at the 2024 National Book Prize.
Ryan Falzon ryanfalzonart / ryanfalzonreads / www.ryanfalzon.com
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