In October this year, the first institution dedicated to contemporary art will open on the Mediterranean island of Malta: the Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS). The new MICAS campus is located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ospizio, a 17th century fortress overlooking the capital Valletta, and will occupy over 90,000 square meters of space, including just over 15,000 square meters of indoor gallery space as well as outdoor sculpture gardens, restored Ospizio fortifications, a store and a café.
Image above: Rendering of new MICAS entrance. Photo: IPO Studios. Courtesy of Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS).
“MICAS will help to strengthen Malta’s cultural infrastructure by providing a platform for contemporary art on a local and global level and by raising public awareness of how art and artists help to communicate and interpret the world we live in,” said MICAS Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board, Phyllis Muscat.
In the run-up to the opening, the first exhibition program was presented, which covers the first two years of the exhibition.
The first exhibition is a solo show by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, which will be on display from October 2024 to March 2025. It features a selection of installations dealing with themes of the domestic sphere, as well as three large works that explore ideas around human existence. The two works, shown in conjunction with each other, illustrate Vasconcelos’ skillful explorations of the everyday and the need for emotional and spiritual understanding to navigate life.
“Two of the many reasons we wanted to work with Joana Vasconcelos on our first exhibition are her unique ability to captivate audiences with her large-scale installations that appropriate many traditional craft techniques and explore universal themes such as gender and cultural politics,” said MICAS Artistic Director Edith Devaney. “We also think she would enjoy showing these works in the unfinished gallery spaces with their dramatic and beautiful exposed walls before we undertake the interior design.”
Following the Vasconcelos show, MICAS will present the comprehensive group exhibition ‘Malta in Focus’ in May 2025, featuring leading contemporary artists from Malta, underlining the museum’s commitment to promoting Maltese art on the international art stage. In October 2025, the exhibition ‘Milton Avery and his Influence on Contemporary Art’ will open, exploring the seminal American painter’s position as an ‘artist’s artist’, featuring works from the many decades of his career together with a selection of works by contemporary artists such as Harold Ancart, Gary Hume and Nicolas Party.
Later in the exhibition program, the museum will host a solo exhibition by Reggie Burrows Hodges in 2026 as well as another group exhibition exploring the history, culture and geography of Malta through the lens of contemporary art. At the same time, the Sculpture Garden will be inaugurated, which will include a newly commissioned sculpture by Maltese artist Ray Pitre. Prior to the opening in November this year, an exhibition of drawings, paintings and small sculptures by Pitre related to the commissioned work will be on display free of charge. The work by British sculptor Conrad Shawcross is already installed on the ramparts above the harbor.
Both the opening of MICAS itself and the dynamic, wide-ranging exhibition program mark a pivotal moment for Malta. Not only will the museum bring world-class contemporary art to locals, but it will also cement the island nation’s position as a major player in the international art scene – and it promises to be a must-see for art lovers.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: from October 2024
Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm
WHERE?
MICAS (Malta International Contemporary Arts Space)
Ospizio Complex
Bieb il-Pulverista
Triq Joseph J. Mangion
Floriana FRN 1830
Malta
