One of the thematic sections forming part of maltabiennale.art is the Matri-archive of the Mediterranean curated by Sofia Baldi Pighi ­– a collection mostly residing within the walls of the Grand Master’s Palace and the Bibliotheca in Valletta

In the spring #5 issue of AD you will find a lot of art. We wonder where the contemporary fascination with surrealism and the return of young artists to this aesthetic come from. We went to Malta to see the first edition of the local biennial and the Polish accents of this event. In addition, we have for you: a rich collection of photographs with Warsaw in the background, a Portuguese artist who portrays underwater worlds with crochet, and Riken Yamamoto, an architect who received the highest distinction in his field, although few people have heard of him before.

President Myriam Spiteri Debono made a visit to maltabiennale.art at Villa Portelli in Kalkara, where numerous national pavilions are housed. During her visit, she engaged with embassy officials, artists, and curators responsible for the pavilions. 

Malta, the setting for the Malta Biennale 2024, is an archipelago of three islands in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a rich fusion of history and culture. In the past, its central position in the Mediterranean made it a constant target for empires wishing to control important trade routes between Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

One of the thematic sections forming part of maltabiennale.art is the Matri-archive of the Mediterranean curated by Sofia Baldi Pighi ­– a collection mostly residing within the walls of the Grand Master’s Palace and the Bibliotheca in Valletta

Gozo, the second largest of the Maltese islands in the Mediterranean Sea and located between Northern Libya and Southern Italy, was the latest site of Mexican artist Pedro Reyes’s collaborative project “Artists Against the Atomic Bomb.” For years, Reyes has commissioned artists to produce posters calling for nuclear disarmament. 

Will there ever be another edition of Documenta? Last November, the entire selection committee responsible for selecting the esteemed quinquennial’s next artistic director resigned en masse, showing solidarity with Ranjit Hoskote, a committee member whom Documenta denounced after he signed a letter (issued by the Indian division of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement) comparing Zionism to Hindu Nationalism.

The island of Malta has launched its inaugural Biennale, but in a world of hundreds of Biennale’s can this new event make a mark? And most importantly can it make Malta stand out on the busy International art calendar, and drive visitors who come for the history and architecture to engage with its contemporary art scene?

Biennales hold up a mirror to ourselves. And while the forthcoming Venice Biennale currently faces criticism from the artist community for those it chooses to platform, Malta’s inaugural Art Biennale – running from now until the end of May

Fittingly, the eve of the three-day preview of maltabiennale.art’s inaugural edition coincided with a new moon—a “super new moon in the watery sign of Pisces” at that—as a group of us learned from the invitation to the women-only new moon gathering hosted by artist Roberta Esposito. 

The inaugural Malta Biennale 2024 invites exploration into contemporary art within the Mediterranean’s rich heritage landscapes. Featuring an impressive lineup of international artists, this event promises to challenge perspectives and foster dialogues through the theme “White Sea Olive Groves.”

Pensée comme une enquête sur la pensée insulaire, à rebours de l’imagerie des cartes postales, « Baħar Abjad Imsaġar taż-Żebbuġ (White Sea Olive Groves)