How does this painting make you feel? At this point, this feels like such a cliche line in the art world but it continues to be ever present within my mind, consciously or otherwise, especially when viewing CO-MA’s body of work.
My first experience with his work was his painting ‘The Perennial Supper | Gluttony’ quickly followed by ‘Does it Ever End? | Lust’. In those first moments, I felt a flood of emotion enter into my chest cavity. The seven deadly sins were captured as painful truths in excruciating detail. A feeling of disgust rose within my like bile. Yet, I couldn’t pull my eyes away as each sin was captures on canvas with a true sense of love and tenderness for the craft. CO-MA’s work is a fascinating point of reflection for every saint, sinner, and art lover willing to delve a little deeper into their morality.
CO-MA is a self-taught Maltese artist who specialises in fine art painting and furniture making. After making his debut in the art scene for a show at Lily Agius Gallery back in 2021, CO-MA has continued to make waves within the industry with his charcoal drawings and oil paintings. Many of his works take inspiration and reference from the Old Masters with his use of light, shadow and texture which are then twisted into something uniquely modern as he utilises graffiti to further highlight his subjects and themes.
In June 2025, CO-MA exhibited his very first large scale exhibition of oil paintings titled ‘EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST & EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE’ at Spazju Kreattiv, Malta, curated by Lily Agius.
My goal for the last show wasn’t just a passive view. Instead, the aim was to hold a mirror up to the viewer’s own morality—to force a moment of intense, unavoidable self-reflection.
Interview with CO-MA
What does your painting process look like? Do you have a creative routine you like to follow?
I don’t think I can say I stick to a process for long; I’m constantly changing the way I approach drawing or painting, even if it is a slight change. I generally get bored doing something I’ve already done, so I try to keep everything interesting, sometimes with minor changes in technique or the drawing tools I use. I only use a sketchbook for very quick scribbles, so those ‘what if….’ moments are usually done directly on an actual drawing or painting I’m working on. Which means, yes, I’ve ruined a few works!
The seven deadly sins is a theme that has dominated your most recent body of work. Can you tell me about what got you interested in this topic and the journey you have been on exploring each sin?
I had been discussing this topic with Lily (from Lily Agius Gallery), the curator for this exhibition, for a good couple of years. The opportunity came when the director of Spazju Kreattiv offered to collaborate with the gallery and use their fantastic space The appeal of these so-called vices extends far beyond the religious dogma of Christian tradition. These archetypes predate the monk’s writings, appearing in texts from the Ancient Greek philosophers to the Old Norse myths. They resonate not out of theological threat, but out of a shared, instinctive inner truth.
My depictions vary widely in their approach. Some pieces portray the act itself with raw realism, while others lean into a personification of the vice. In some, I tried to make the viewer feel like they are not just an observer, but are implicated—made to feel an essential, perhaps uncomfortable, part of the narrative itself.
One thing I love about your paintings is how you combine a more classical painting style with modern graffiti to reinforce the message your work is conveying, for example in ‘The Perennial Supper | Gluttony’ and ‘Does it Ever End? | Lust’. What made you decide to combine these two styles especially in a religious context?
In those two pieces especially, the vandalism is there to signify a rebellious act against the irony itself. The Church put fear on its followers for hundreds of years while being one of the biggest perpetrators. In the case of Lust, that speaks to the thousands of sexual abuse cases against the church which, for some mysterious reason, mostly vanish.
Gluttony is more political. No need to elaborate on that.
What do you hope viewers can take away with them after viewing your work?
My goal for the last show wasn’t just a passive view. Instead, the aim was to hold a mirror up to the viewer’s own morality—to force a moment of intense, unavoidable self-reflection. I wanted them to walk away feeling disturbed, perhaps, but ultimately seen, having reckoned with a difficult, uncomfortable human truth.
Alongside your painting work you’re also a furniture maker. Do you approach this craft in a similar way to your painting work or do you have a completely different creative process?
Well, yes, I only do one-off pieces that I just want to do, or sometimes I might do an interesting commission. Woodworking is like my meditation time—ironically, with all the machines buzzing. I mostly use it as the time I can think about art, or plan what to do next, or mentally solve creative problems.
The thing is, I’m not very fond of having deadlines when it comes to woodwork, so I prefer doing work to then sell, rather than commissioned work that I have to finish by a certain day.
Does your painting and furniture making work ever overlap and inspire each other as artforms or do you keep them entirely separate?
Yes, personally, they are two sides of the same coin. I wouldn’t say they inspire each other in the way of ‘a table directly inspires a painting,’ but I find it inspiring to be using a visually appealing oak mixing palette or a chunky easel which looks like it comes from a couple of centuries before. Having personalised tools to use helps you work in a more convenient and pleasant way I think.
In your free time you look after 13 cats which is any animal lovers dream! Do your feline friends take up the majority of your free time or do you have any other hobbies/passions you like to dip into?
So, to begin with, I didn’t plan it like that! I used to feed this one cat when I was finishing the work in my studio/house. She gave birth on my terrace twice in a matter of months, five each time, then another mother cat gave birth to three, so I decided I would take care of them. But, I don’t see them as taking up my free time. I don’t have a specific time for work, then hobby, etc. That’s too structured for me. I have a lot of short breaks in whatever I’m doing and shift from one thing to another.
All my hobbies are in the same spectrum: art, music, and anything else related. I’d probably need nine lives to manage all the things I plan to do.
What can we expect to see from you heading into 2026? Any exciting projects you can tell our readers a bit about?
Yes, definitely something very interesting: a sort of an audio/visual/performance collaboration with a friend who also does projects as ‘Late Interactive.’ We’re still in the early stages of planning and prototyping ideas, so I can’t say much, but getting back to sound design and music after 10 years is something I’m really looking forward to. There’s always a number of ongoing, in-progress paintings on the walls, too.
