The OmenaArt Foundation and LuginsLand of Art return to the Malta Biennale with a thematic pavilion titled Redefining. Polish-Ghanaian Textile Narratives.
The pavilion explores intercultural relationships across past, present and future perspectives, while simultaneously interpreting the central theme of Malta Biennale 2026 – CLEAN | CLEAR | CUT – which refers to ideas of repair, connection and purification.
Curated by Natalia Bradbury, the exhibition features large-scale textile installations by Marta Nadolle, Eliza Proszczuk and Ernestina Mansa Doku, created during their artistic residency in Malta. The artists, coming to Malta from Poland and Ghana, will intertwine the historical narratives of both countries, drawing on weaving traditions and the island’s local heritage.
Their collaboration began during Accra Cultural Week 2025 in Ghana, where, together with local artists Moses Adjei, Cornelius Annor and Raphael Adjetey Adjei Mayne, they conducted art workshops for children exploring the textile art heritage of Poland and Ghana. The workshops took place at Kids Haven School, built by the Omena Foundation.
“Our exhibition explores the theme of historical bonds and solidarity between Poland and Ghana. Through the artists’ works, we want to show that despite distance and differing experiences, we are united by shared emotions and values,” curator Bradbury said.
“Mansa Doku brings to the project an organic approach to material and nature; Proszczuk contributes a reflection on memory, emancipation and the body, while Nadolle offers a perspective focused on interpersonal relationships and observations of tensions between the public and the private. The juxtaposition of these three practices makes it possible to create works that operate both through personal narrative and through the universal language of contemporary art, legible within the international art circuit,” Bradbury emphasised.
“Our exhibition explores the theme of historical bonds and solidarity between Poland and Ghana”
The OmenaArt Foundation’s thematic pavilion will reference the philosophy of Ubuntu – “I am because we are” – emphasising interdependence, community and mutual respect. This idea links the artists’ collaboration with historical Polish-Ghanaian relations that have developed since the 1960s. The artworks will be accompanied by a premiere sound installation by composer Mariusz Szypura.
The pavilion will also feature a public programme including debates, panel discussions and meetings with international experts.
The OmenaArt Foundation is dedicated to fostering relationships and promoting artists from Central Europe and West Africa.
In 2025, the foundation presented its African art collection for the first time at the Top Charity Art exhibition at the Orangery of The Wilanów Palace.
OAF also supported the creation of a monumental work by Ibrahim Mahama, which was exhibited at Zachęta – National Gallery of Art.
The foundation works closely with Phenomenaa Gallery in Warsaw, consistently strengthening the presence of African and non-European artists on the Polish art market.