Artist-in-residence, R Gallery, 2025

I Thought You Were A Foreigner (2025)

vintage handmade malta souvenir in reverse, brushed aluminium metal keyrings & acrylic keyrings with passport sized personal archive photographs on both sides, chains

a conceptual, archival self-portrait rooted in the artist's challenge to a social misconception about their origin. The process anchors the work in a found vintage Maltese souvenir, which is transformed into a definitive statement by focusing on the stamped marking on its reverse: 'Made in Malta.' The installation’s structure presents a personal archive. Chains descend from the object, displaying keychains with highly zoomed images sourced from the artist’s own childhood. These fragments of '90s island life and cultural references serve as visual evidence of the artist's identity. Through this playful subversion, the work confronts the external gaze and emphatically asserts an identity often misjudged.