In Malta, a new biennial is joining the European art ecosystem. Based on the particularities of the Maltese territory and identity, the inaugural edition of maltabiennale.art reflects on the Mediterranean condition and the region’s past and present challenges. A historical point of cultural crossroads, from which different histories of conflicts, colonial ventures and strategies of political struggle can be traced, the Maltese islands become the stage for the creation of new local and global narratives, between 13 March and 31 May 2024.

Under the theme of white sea olive groves, a reference to the country’s agricultural and island quality, the biennial is organised around four curatorial nuclei: Can You Sea?: The Mediterranean as a political body, which proposes thinking of the maritime space as a place of socio-political-economic continuities and discontinuities; Decolonising Malta: Polyphony Is Us, a dive into the ongoing decolonisation process in the country, positioning Malta as a unique case that offers a vital perspective for the broader decolonial discourse; The Counterpower of Piracy, a look at the history of piracy in the territory, in parallel with a set of contemporary practices of resistance and activism; and, finally, The Matri-archive of the Mediterranean, which projects a new archive dedicated to women’s thought and creation, a vector for the conception of new temporal models and the transmission of memory.

Curated by Italian Sofia Baldi Pighi, the biennial brings together 80 artists from 23 nationalities – including established names such as Cecilia Vicuña, Tania Bruguera, Laure Prouvost or Pedro Reyes, as well as Portuguese-Angolans Mónica de Miranda and Edson Chagas – and 11 national pavilions, representing Austria, China, French Germany, Italy, Malta, Palestine, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. In addition to the exhibitions, one can expect a vibrant programme of talks with artists, workshops, shows, film screenings and other public activations.

In an effort to combine contemporary arts and heritage sites, enhancing and updating Malta’s tangible and intangible legacy, maltabiennale.art is spread across the capital Valletta (Auberge d’Aragon, Main Guard, National Library, St. Elmo, Underground Valletta, MUŻA, Grand Master’s Palace, Tal-Pilar Church, National Archaeological Museum), but also in Cottonera (Dock 1, Fort St. Angelo, The Armoury, Villa Portelli, Inquisitor’s Palace) and Gozo (Gozo Cultural Centre, Grain Silos and Ġgantija Archaeological Park). This moment of artistic freshness for the country will be followed in October by the opening of Malta’s first museum dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art, the Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS).

maltabiennale.art is an initiative of Heritage Malta through the MUŻA museum, in partnership with the Malta Arts Council. The biennial is also presented in co-operation with the Ministries for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, and Gozo, as well as Visit Malta, Malta Libraries, MCAST, Malta Festivals, Valletta Cultural Agency and Spazju Kreattiv. The full programme can be consulted on the institution’s website.