CO-MA is a self-taught Maltese artist who presented his firstcollection of work at Lily Agius Gallery in November 2021. Devoidof colour, the artist favours a world of black and white – hence,no unnecessary distractions, just plays of light and shadow, whichhe uses to his advantage, almost effortlessly, to portray textures,surfaces, a healthy, vis-à-vis a decaying or rotting body.Also surprising are the plentiful references to the Old Masters,or to the occupational or psychological portraits as propagated bythe Northern Renaissance artists.CO-MA’s medium of choice if charcoal. The artist’s command of hispreferred medium is quite astonishing; details deserve inspection,scrutiny. He has the ability of the most seasoned of artists atunderstanding how and where the light hits, and where highlightsneed to be applied, whether this be on a tuft of hair, on aglistening areola, or on the tip of a nose. His work isdeliciously and carefully orchestrated; yet it is done in asurreptitious, rather than overtly discernible manner. And hisstatement is clear – the body, irrespective of its outwardlybeauty, is merely an object, and empty vessel. You can paint it,manipulate it, mask it. But it remains just that.Written by Lisa GwenARTIST STATEMENT “Charcoal gives me the ability to have a full range of controlwhen working with values, textures and intricate details. I’mdrawn to the medium because it feels natural, especially whendealing with skin textures.”