A stellar roster of visionary artists is poised to redefine Malta’s cultural landscape this year, with the Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS) preparing for its grand debut with an inaugural line-up of artists that will thrust Malta onto the global art map.
The Portuguese conceptual artist Joana Vasconcelos, African-American artist Reggie Burrows Hodges, as well as a Milton Avery survey with work by contemporary artists inspired by Avery, are the sensational highlights of Malta’s first-ever contemporary art museum and its meticulously-crafted programme of five diverse exhibitions stretching into 2026.
MICAS opens its doors in October 2024, when the public will enjoy the restored 17th-century Ospizio fortress in Floriana, with its expansive indoor gallery spaces, outdoor sculpture gardens and a café.
Artistic director Edith Devaney says the carefully developed selection process has been designed to present exhibitions of the highest quality.
“It develops original ideas and honours diversity, forging relationships with global artists and museums,” Devaney, who until recently was senior curator at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, says.
With Vasconcelos – recently commissioned to outfit the stage for Christian Dior’s 2023- 2024 Paris Fashion Week show – Malta Contemporary’s opening exhibition will be colourful and exuberant, with wide resonance and relevance to the museum’s visitors, both local and international.
“A core selection of installations that focus on the domestic will be presented alongside three major works that connect with the contemplative side of human existence – Tree of Life, The Garden of Eden and Valkyrie Mumbet,” Devaney said.
Vasconcelos will form a deep engagement with Malta for her exhibition, which also celebrates MICAS’s contemporary architecture. Her work will be presented in the ‘raw’ building, before the internal museum structure is installed, revealing the natural beauty of the excavated and historic walls of the Ospizio, washed in the natural light that flows throughout.
“A Joana Vasconcelos exhibition presents the perfect opening for MICAS as it invites visitors to step into her magical vision, and in doing so, explore the museum and its campus,” Devaney says, adding that all international artists working with Malta Contemporary are challenged to leverage the island and its culture to inform their approach to the selection and placement of work in the galleries.
In November, MICAS will also celebrate a major, newly commissioned sculpture by the celebrated Maltese artist Ray Pitre, which will be prominently positioned within the campus as part of its permanent collection.
“Our programme establishes an identity for this contemporary museum in a crowded global art scene, while reaffirming our artistic independence.”
MICAS CEO Ohyillis Muscat
“We are proud that our programme establishes an identity for this contemporary museum in a crowded global art scene, while reaffirming our artistic independence,” said Phyllis Muscat, CEO and chair of the MICAS board.
“This sets MICAS apart from other government-funded cultural organisations and aligns us with international not-for-profit museums.”
Future exhibitions
Future exhibitions will feature works from American master colourist Avery – who influenced artists like Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko – and Burrows Hodges, with a new exhibition of work, much of which has been created for Malta Contemporary.
A core body of paintings from the hugely respected Avery will also mark a first for Malta in 2025: rarely has Avery’s work been seen in Europe.
With, among others, Harold Ancart, March Avery, Gary Hume and Nicolas Party, the exhibition will be a captivating study of how contemporary art remains rooted in Modernism, revealing these artists’ debt to Avery’s compositions and unique approach to colour.
In 2026, African- Burrows Hodges will bring a visual narrative that explores questions of identity, community and memory.
“A pillar of the programme will be to showcase the work of global artists who have earned recognition from their singular approach to creating art,” Devaney said.
Maltese contemporary art
In 2025, Malta in Focus will host the island’s leading contemporary artists, illustrating the richness of contemporary Maltese practice from Caesar Attard, Austin Camilleri, Joyce Camilleri, Anton Grech and more.
“This marks Malta’s Contemporary’s commitment to celebrate Maltese art at its highest form and bring it to a wider international stage,” Devaney said.
Malta in Focus will be a curated exhibition, occupying all the gallery spaces, and will feature the work of leading Malta-based contemporary artists.
Selected and installed around the concept of imagined space, the exhibition will include artists from several generations, working across differing media and it will illustrate the depth and richness of contemporary art practice in Malta.
It will also mark the beginning of regular exhibitions within the programme that explore and showcase Malta-based art within a global context.
The €30 million MICAS, part-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund, is set to strengthen Malta’s cultural infrastructure with its platform for contemporary art and internationalisation.
“The MICAS mission is to be an advocate of contemporary art by raising public awareness to the significance of the visual arts in contemporary life, and by bringing to the forefront the way art and artists help mediate and interpret the world we live in,” said Muscat, who has seen MICAS coming into shape over the last five years of construction.
Leading up to 2024, MICAS has displayed works in several outdoor spaces across Malta from artists including Conrad Shawcross, Ugo Rondinone, Pierre Huyghe, Cristina Iglesias and Michele Oka Doner.
