Malta Art Biennale Set to Shine With World-Renowned Artists
maltabiennale.art’s launch on March 13, 2024, marks the beginning of an intriguing dialogue between contemporary art and heritage, featuring renowned artists from 23 countries.
This much-anticipated cultural event, which is already attracting global attention, boasts a stellar line-up of some of the world’s foremost contemporary artists working in diverse artistic vocabularies, ranging from painting and drawing to installation, sculpture, video, and more. Reflecting on the theme “White Sea Olive Groves,” this thoughtprovoking exhibition is set to challenge global perspectives on art and society within the Mediterranean.
Among the 80 artists hailing from 23 countries participating in this event are a distinguished group of internationally acclaimed artists who have collectively exhibited works in major museums and cultural events globally.
Having graced prominent venues in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and beyond, these artists are now bringing their inimitable talent and vision to Malta where they will unveil specially curated artworks and installations at some of the island’s most prestigious heritage sites, transforming familiar landmarks into new and compelling contexts.
“On behalf of the maltabiennale.art team, it is a huge honour and privilege to be hosting such visionary international talent during this inaugural event on the Maltese islands. These artists contribute unique voices and perspectives to the interwoven themes of maltabiennale.art, and each installation invites audiences to appreciate the artwork, reflect on its meaning, and participate in meaningful conversations or dialogues inspired by the art and surrounding heritage sites. With such a high calibre of local and international talent presenting, this promises to be a fascinating arts and cultural experience that will enrich and inspire everyone who attends,” expresses Mario Cutajar, President and founder maltabiennale.art.
Among the leading artists exhibiting at maltabiennale.art are:
Tania Bruguera
Tania Bruguera is leading international artist and activist from Cuba who examines political power structures and their effect on injustice with her politically engaged art practices. A Senior Lecturer at Harvard University and the founding director of INSTAR, she has been awarded with The Velázquez Prize, Arnold Bode Prize, Robert Rauschenberg Award, and the Herb Alpert Award. She has shown at Documenta (2002, 2022), Venice Biennales (2001, 2005, 2009, 2015), Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, Tate Modern, MMK and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana. During maltabiennale.art, Bruguera will participate in the Main Pavilion, under the theme of Can You Sea?: The Mediterranean as a Political Body.
Austin Camilleri
Austin Camilleri is a Maltese artist who works simultaneously and nonhierarchically in painting, installation, sculpture, video and drawing to present ideas of time and transience. Drawing mainly on Western art history, popular culture, and power image traditions, he has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows in museums, private galleries and public spaces in Europe, America and Asia. His works have also been shown at the Mediterranean Biennale, Ostrale Biennale and the Venice Biennale. Throughout maltabiennale.art, Camilleri’s work will be on display as part of the Main Pavilion, reflecting on the theme of Decolonising Malta: Polyphony Is Us.
Ibrahim Mahama
Ibrahim Mahama uses the transformation of materials to explore themes of commodity, migration, globalisation and economic exchange. In recent years, Mahama opened the artist-run project space Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA), Red Clay and Nkrumah Volini, all in his home country of Ghana. He presented internationally at the 22nd Biennale of Sydney; Stellenbosch Triennale; 6th Lubumbashi Biennale; 58th Venice Biennale; 56th Venice Biennale; Tel Aviv Art Museum, Israel; and others. At maltabiennale.art, Mahama will display his artwork at the Main Pavilion, focusing on the theme of Decolonising Malta: Polyphony Is Us.
Guadalupe Maravilla
Salvadoran artist Guadalupe Maravilla grounds his transdisciplinary practice in activism and healing. Often resembling mythic creatures or ornate reliquaries, his works examine issues of migration, disease, and generational trauma, while creating new rituals for care, healing, and regeneration. Among the many galleries holding his works are MoMa, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofÃa; the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo; among others. Maravilla’s work will be showcased at the Main Pavilion at maltabiennale.art, under the theme Decolonising Malta: Polyphony Is Us.
POST DISASTER
POST DISASTER is an interdisciplinary collective from Italy whose practice intersects spatial, performative, and editorial actions. Their research uses the metaphor of disaster as a territorial lens for understanding global dynamics and tensions. In 2018 they started ROOFTOPS, a critical spatial practice staged on the rooftops of Taranto in Italy; a city manifesto whose ecological crisis is the lens through which to investigate the role of extraction/production processes in relation to a wider Mediterranean context. Their work has been awarded by the Italian Ministry of Culture (2021) and exhibited, among others, at MAXXI Rome (2023), Venice Biennale of Architecture (2023), and CÃ Foscari University Venice (2022). POST DISASTER will present in the maltabiennale.art Main Pavilion, under the theme of The Counterpower of Piracy.
Laure Prouvost
French artist Laure Prouvost is known for her complex film installations that muddy the distinction between fiction and reality. She represented France at the 58th Venice Biennial in 2019 and participated in the Sydney Biennial in 2020. Her solo exhibitions have been featured at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Denmark; MUHKA, Belgium; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Bass Museum in Miami; among many other galleries. At maltabiennale.art, Prouvost will showcase her installation as part of the Main Pavilion, under the theme of Can You Sea?: The Mediterranean as a Political Body.
Pedro Reyes
Hailing from Mexico, Pedro Reyes designs ongoing projects that propose playful solutions to social problems in what he describes as Social Sculptures. His solo exhibitions were held at SITE Santa Fe; MARTa Herford; Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey; MAAT, Lisbon; Museum Tinguely, Basel; SCAD, Georgia; Creative Time; Dallas Contemporary; La Tallera; Hammer Museum; ICA, Miami; The Power Plant, Toronto; Walker Art Center; Guggenheim Museum, New York; CCA Kitakyushu, and Bass Museum and San Francisco Art Institute. During maltabiennale.art, Reyes will participate in the Main Pavilion, under the theme of The Counterpower of Piracy.
Cecilia Vicuña
Cecilia Vicuña is a Chilean poet, artist, activist, and filmmaker whose work addresses pressing concerns of the modern world, including ecological destruction, human rights, and cultural homogenization. Her work has been exhibited at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago; Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson; Tate Modern, London; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; among other museums and galleries of note. At maltabiennale.art, Vicuña will display her artwork at the Main Pavilion, focusing on The Matri-archive of the Mediterranean theme.
The excitement for this two-month long cultural celebration continues to build as artists add final touches to their installations. Before the official unveiling of the artists’ works to the public, a special inaugural ceremony will take place on March 12 in the Throne Room of the Grandmaster’s Palace, presided over by His Excellency the President of Malta, Dr. George Vella.
