‘Comino will be different next summer’, an exhibition being organised by Valletta Contemporary in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Malta (FoEMalta) and il-Forn ta’ Kemmuna, curated by Maria Eileen Fsadni, aims to spotlight issues on Comino. It brings together the works of Joanna Demarco, Lisa Attard, Inigo Taylor, Mario Asef and Sheldon Saliba which are complemented by an excerpt of text written by Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Emerging from vastly different artistic disciplines, their work has been brought together to tell the story of an island which is strictly protected but one which has endured decades of disrespect due to lack of enforcement. It echoes the calls from civil society to safeguard its natural heritage. The exhibition begins with a short paragraph drawn from a Taste article written by Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2005. 

It pinpoints the moment that businesses were given a stronghold over Comino when the island’s early 20th century history, as a close-knit farming community, was radically disrupted with the arrival of the hotel in the 1960s. This historical context underscores the ongoing repercussions of past decisions. 

Exhibition Curator Maria Eileen Fsadni explains, “This is precisely the moment to present an exhibition about Comino. We are at a moment where decisions made in the past can be overturned, with new insight authorities now know that what is being done is causing irreparable harm.” Maria stressed that authorities are not doing enough, and the exhibition highlights recent actions by local activist groups such as FoEMalta and Moviment Graffitti on Comino. 

Photography by Inigo, Joanna and Lisa as well as a video piece by Mario Asef sheds light on the work of civil society to protect the island. In addition, a speech written by Christine Cassar in 2022, on behalf of Graffitti, is being presented to showcase how little action has been taken by the Government in the face of public uproar. Maria shares that, “The title of the exhibition, Comino will be Different Next Summer, is a quote drawn from a 2022 interview with Malta’s tourism minister Clayton Bartolo.”

She explains that it was chosen because it lends itself to the question, how will Comino be different next summer? Installations by Sheldon pay focus to the issues faced by the island in its recent history, touching on points like the hotel redevelopment proposal, the issues of over tourism and the vast amount of rubbish which is left to rot on the island, a conversation which is continued through Inigo’s photography. Maria adds, ‘ultimately, my hope is that the exhibition will further the conversation surrounding Comino and Malta’s wider environmental landscape’.

More information can be found here.