Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS)—the country’s first-ever contemporary art museum—recently announced its ambitious inaugural exhibition programme, stretching from 2024 - 2026. The programme brings many prominent Maltese and international artists to MICAS, promising to invigorate Malta’s creative scene. STIR caught up with Edith Devaney, artistic director, MICAS to explore the museum's upcoming offerings.

...this exhibition in its entirety will look at the way in which we balance the more quotidian side of life with a more spiritual outlook… – Edith Devaney, artistic director, MICAS

The exhibition programme takes off with Portuguese contemporary artist Joana Vasconcelos’ solo exhibition Joana Vasconcelos: Transcending the Domestic, which is on view from October 27, 2024 - March 27, 2025. Vasconcelos, who was recently commissioned to design the stage for the 2023 - 2024 Christian Dior Paris Fashion Week show, works with everyday objects to create large-scale installation pieces. The show will see her present four works. Audiences entering MICAS will see Valkyrie Mumbet (2020), suspended from the ceiling on the top level. The work pays homage to Elizabeth ‘Mumbet’ Freeman, the first African-American woman to file a lawsuit for her freedom successfully. Tree of Life (2023), which takes inspiration from Daphne—a figure from Greek mythology—will be visible from every floor as visitors descend Malta Contemporary’s indoor gallery. On their way, they will encounter Loft (2010 - 2017), experienced both as a floor plan of an apartment from above and as the apartment itself when visitors wander into it. Finally, Garden of Eden (2007 - 2024), which explores the relationship between art, nature and technology, will be presented in the space of its own, in total darkness.

Devaney reflects on the art exhibition, telling STIR “...this exhibition in its entirety will look at the way in which we balance the more quotidian side of life with a more spiritual outlook and how this is very much part of the human condition, as the title Joana Vasconcelos: Transcending the Domestic suggests. We anticipate that this universality of theme and the exuberance of the work occupying the new dynamic spaces will delight visitors to Malta International Contemporary Art Space."

In November, the museum will also open an exhibition of Maltese artist Ray Pitre’s work, centered around a new large-scale sculpture by the artist. While the sculpture will be outdoors, documentation pertaining to it will be presented on the fourth floor of MICAS’ gallery space. Devaney discusses the sculpture, telling STIR, “[The artwork] will be prominently positioned within the campus and will form part of Malta International Contemporary Art Space’s permanent collection. …Pitre’s work appears to fuse a sense of the artist’s memory with narratives from the site over hundreds of years. The artist, along with the creative team at MICAS, has given great thought to the selection of this work and its placement, knowing that it will have a position in this new institution’s history, where it looks towards the future while acknowledging the past.”

Beyond the Vasconcelos and Pitrè presentations, MICAS will also present Malta in Focus from May-August 2025, featuring Maltese artists Caesar Attard, Anton Grech and Austin Camilleri, and Canadian-Maltese artist Joyce Camilleri. Subsequently, the institution plans to present Milton Avery and his Influence on Contemporary Art from October 2025 - January 2026, Reggie Burrows Hodges from February 2026 - June 2026, and various artists in the group exhibition Exploring Malta’s Geographical Position from July 2026 - September 2026.

It is an exciting time in Malta. While Devaney believes that the nation’s creative scene is thriving and that there is a large group of successful and celebrated artists creating work, she admits that at this time, there are few places to show contemporary art in a formal gallery setting in Malta, and fewer yet to see international contemporary works. She ends her interview with STIR affirming that MICAS aims to change this.

MICAS' inaugural exhibition programme kicks off with 'Joana Vasconcelos: Transcending the Domestic', which will be on view from October 27, 2024 - March 27, 2025.