Facts contradict MEIA
Over the past two years, during both editions of the Malta Biennale, it has become customary for MEIA (Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association) to repeatedly disparage everything related to the Malta Biennale. MEIA has never found anything positive to say about the Malta Biennale. While the Biennale serves as another international platform for Maltese artists, MEIA chooses – instead of offering constructive criticism – to publicly tarnish the Biennale through a vague list of alleged shortcomings that are never substantiated. In fact, all the evidence clearly demonstrates the opposite of what MEIA claims about the Malta Biennale.
The second edition of the Malta Biennale, held between March and May of this year, was an even greater success than the inaugural edition held in 2024. The success of the second edition has laid solid foundations for the third Malta Biennale, which will be held in 2028. The establishment, last May, of the Malta Biennale Foundation within Heritage Malta is another step towards ensuring the permanence of this distinctive contemporary art festival, which has placed Malta at the heart of the global contemporary art calendar. MEIA has now also spoken out against the establishment of this Foundation. Whatever happens within the Malta Biennale, MEIA appears determined to oppose it.
Facts show that the Malta Biennale is attracting artists from every corner of the world. Artistic proposals to participate in the Biennale continue to increase rather than decline. Many curators, some of them internationally renowned, apply to lead the Malta Biennale. Applications to host pavilions during the Biennale have increased substantially, and this year even works from other biennales participated in the Malta Biennale. The number of visitors, in their thousands, to the Malta Biennale was significantly higher than two years ago. On more than one occasion, international sources identified Malta as one of the world’s most desirable destinations during the Malta Biennale.
The Malta Biennale strives to improve itself continuously, and therefore independent studies and surveys are carried out at the end of each edition to identify what worked well so that it can be built upon, and what could have been done better so that it can be addressed. The Malta Biennale places great importance on accountability in its processes and therefore has no difficulty with scrutiny by oversight entities regarding what took place during the Biennale. The Malta Biennale considers itself a national initiative and effort, and therefore seeks to remain open to ideas and to constructive criticism intended to strengthen and improve this Maltese international contemporary art festival.
The Malta Biennale thanks all those who continue to support it: the various entities that partner with Heritage Malta in delivering the Biennale, the hundreds of individuals who participate in it in one way or another; and above all, Her Excellency the President of Malta and UNESCO, who once again granted their patronage to the Biennale. The Malta Biennale is the only biennale, among approximately 350 biennales worldwide, to have been selected by UNESCO to receive its patronage.
Verżjoni bil-Malti
Il-fatti jmieru lill-MEIA
Matul dawn l-aħħar sentejn, fiż-żewġ edizzjonijiet tal-Malta Biennale, saret drawwa li l-MEIA (Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association) ripetutament toħroġ tmaqdar dak kollu li hu l-Malta Biennale. Il-MEIA qatt ma sabet xejn tajjeb fil-Malta Biennale. Meta l-Biennale huwa pjattaforma oħra għall-artisti Maltin fl-isfera internazzjonali, il-MEIA tagħżel li minflok tfittex li tqiegħed ’il quddiem kritika kostruttiva, tipprova ttebba’ pubblikament lill-Biennale b’elenku vag ta’ suppost nuqqasijiet li mkien ma jiġu sostanzjati. Anzi l-fatti kollha juru biċ-ċar il-kontra ta’ dak li tgħid il-MEIA fuq il-Malta Biennale.
It-tieni edizzjoni tal-Malta Biennale, li saret bejn Marzu u Mejju ta’ din is-sena, kienet suċċess ikbar mill-ewwel edizzjoni li saret fl-2024. Is-suċċess tat-tieni edizzjoni poġġa fuq sisien sodi t-tielet edizzjoni tal-Malta Biennale li se tkun qed tittella’ fl-2028. It-twaqqif, f’Mejju li għadda, tal-Fondazzjoni għall-Malta Biennale fi ħdan Heritage Malta huwa pass ieħor biex jagħti permanenza lil dal-festival ta’ arti kontemporanja b’differenza, li poġġa lil Malta fil-qalba tal-kalendarju dinji fejn tidħol l-arti kontemporanja. Il-MEIA issa ħarġet ukoll kontra t-twaqqif ta’ dil-Fondazzjoni. Dak kollu li jiċċaqlaq fil-Malta Biennale, il-MEIA toħroġ kontrih.
Il-fatti juru li l-Malta Biennale qed jiġbed lejh artisti minn kull rokna tad-dinja. Il-proposti artistiċi biex jipparteċipaw fil-Biennale jiżdiedu qegħdin, mhux jonqsu. Kuraturi, uħud minnhom ta’ fama mondjali, japplikaw bl-għexieren biex imexxu l-Malta Biennale. L-applikazzjonijiet biex jittellgħu padiljuni waqt il-Malta Biennale żdiedu bil-kbir u saħansitra dis-sena kien hemm il-parteċipazzjoni ta’ xogħlijiet minn biennali oħra fil-Malta Biennale. L-eluf li żaru l-Malta Biennale kienu akbar minn sentejn ilu. Għal iktar minn darba pajjiżna ġie indikat minn sorsi internazzjonali bħala destinazzjoni mill-favoriti nett fid-dinja għal waqt il-Malta Biennale.
Il-Malta Biennale jfittex li jtejjeb lilu nnifsu u għalhekk fit-tmiem ta’ kull edizzjoni tiegħu jsiru studji u stħarriġ indipendenti biex jinħareġ dak li sar tajjeb ħalli nkomplu nibnu fuqu u jiġi rranġat dak li seta’ sar aħjar. Il-Malta Biennale jagħti importanza kbira lill-kontabbiltà fil-proċessi li jħaddem u allura m’għandu l-ebda diffikultà li entitajiet ta’ skrutinju jħarsu lejn dak li seħħ matul il-Malta Biennale. Il-Malta Biennale jqis li hu inizjattiva u sforz nazzjonali u allura jfittex li jkun miftuħ għall-ideat u wkoll għall-kritika kostruttiva intiża li ssaħħaħ u ttejjeb dan il-festival internazzjonali Malti tal-arti kontemporanja.
Il-Malta Biennale jirringrazzja lil dawk kollha li kontinwament jagħtuh sostenn: lid-diversi entitajiet li jissieħbu ma’ Heritage Malta għall-Malta Biennale, lil dawk il-mijiet kollha li jipparteċipaw fih b’xi mod jew ieħor, u fuq kollox jirringrazzja lill-Eċċellenza Tagħha l-President ta’ Malta u lill-UNESCO li għal darb’oħra taw il-patroċinju tagħhom lill-Biennale. Il-Malta Biennale huwa l-uniku biennale minn madwar 350 biennale madwar id-dinja li l-UNESCO għażlet li tagħtih il-patroċinju tagħha.