Radioactive Ravioli And WiFi Jesus: This Maltese Artist Is Taking Everything You Know And Turning It On It’s Head
When is a luzzu not a luzzu? When it’s a spaceship.
Confused? Good. Because that’s exactly how local artist Julian Mallia, a.k.a Julinu, wants you to feel. His solo exhibition ‘Radioactive Ravioli’ is taking a creative look at words and things we interact with on a daily basis, and giving them an absurd twist.
Just like this spaceship luzzu.
By assigning alternative visual interpretations to common terms and elements from pop culture, Julinu explores the ambiguity that lies in between the visual realm and linguistic communication
The result is a set of playful yet thought-provoking and surreal juxtapositions that challenge instinctive reactions to familiar cues. Basically, you see something where it shouldn’t be and it confuses you.
The combination of a moody aesthetic shown through a realistic and traditional painting technique, merged with a cynical outlook on contemporary cultural zeitgeist, contribute to the delivery of the cheeky and dead-pan humour inherent to this project.
And we all know how much us Maltese love a healthy dose of cynicism.
Julinu is an illustrator, visual artist and graphic designer who specialises in realistically-executed visual ideas. His most representative work is typically concept-driven, characterised by atmospheric and surreal imagery and occasionally laced with dry humour and graphic wit.
Julinu’s Radioactive Ravioli is on display between the 26th of April and the 26th of May
At the upstairs galleries (Space C) of Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, and entry is free.
To see more of Julinu’s work, check out his Facebook page and his website.