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7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 SEPTEMBER 2024 OPINION Connecting Malta to the international art world WHEN Malta's first contemporary arts museum opens its doors in October 2024, we will welcome you in a space that hon- ours Malta's past, present and future. This country has long been celebrated for its rugged natural beauty, history and heritage. And now with MICAS, we are starting a new chapter – one that looks outward and connects with the inter- national art world, and brings the very best of modern and contemporary art to these shores, but also looks within to celebrate the richness and diversity of contemporary art and practice in Malta. Nothing could symbolise our interna- tional aspirations more than our grand opening's exhibition from the visionary Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who was recently commissioned to out- fit the stage for Christian Dior's 2023- 2024 Paris Fashion Week show. Vasconcelos's exhibition will be col- ourful and exuberant, with a core se- lection of installations focusing on the 'domestic', presented alongside three major works which connect with the contemplative side of human existence – Tree of Life, The Garden of Eden and Valkyrie Mumbet. Like all of Vasconce- los's works, gender and cultural politics will be in evidence, constructed with everyday non-precious materials, often associated with the domestic, to create works of truly monumental scale and significance. With the excavated and historic walls visible and natural light flowing throughout the spaces of the restored 17th century Ospizio and San Salvatore counterguard, the presentation of Vas- concelos's work in the new building will also be a celebration of the completion of the heritage project and its contempo- rary architecture. All international artists who work with MICAS have been challenged to leverage Malta and its culture to inform their ap- proach to the selection and placement of work in the galleries and grounds. Vas- concelos too has formed a deep engage- ment with Malta and its history while developing her exhibition with the MI- CAS exhibition staff. For the next two years Malta Contem- porary's inaugural programme will re- flect a carefully managed selection pro- cess, designed to present exhibitions of the highest quality, which develop origi- nal ideas, honour diversity and establish relationships with global artists and mu- seums. After Vasconcelos, our spotlight will be on homegrown talent, spanning genera- tions and different media, yet all united by the common theme of exploring im- aginary space at MICAS. Following an internal museum fit-out across all three gallery levels, 'Malta in Focus' will be a curated exhibition oc- cupying all the gallery spaces and will feature the work of leading Malta-based contemporary artists, illustrating the depth and richness of contemporary art practice in Malta with such artists as Caesar Attard, Austin Camilleri, Joyce Camilleri and Anton Grech. It will also mark the beginning of regular exhibi- tions within the programme that explore and showcase Malta-based art within a global context. Milton Avery, considered one of Amer- ica's greatest 20th century colourists, has rarely been seen in Europe. Yet in Malta, a survey of Avery's work will occupy all MICAS's gallery spaces, together with a selected number of celebrated contem- porary artists which will include the art- ist's daughter March Avery, British art- ist Gary Hume and Swiss artist Nicolas Party, all of whom have been influenced by Avery's compositions and unique ap- proach to colour. Avery navigated an independent course through American Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, with his work increasingly moving towards harmoni- ous colours and simplified forms, qual- ities that were famously a source of inspiration to the younger generation of Mark Rothko, Barnet Newman and Adolph Gottlieb. A pillar of the MICAS programme will be to present the work of global artists who have earned recognition for their singular approach to creating art, which is why we are delighted that 2026 will bring African-American painter Reg- gie Burrows Hodges to develop a new exhibition specifically for the museum. Hodges' works possesses a strong visual narrative that explores questions of iden- tity, community and memory, marked by his singular technique of employing a black ground across his canvases and then developing the scene around his figures with painterly, loose brushwork. The expansive campus of the Malta In- ternational Contemporary Art Space will offer many opportunities to programme the display of sculptural work across its grounds. In addition to the landscaped sculp- ture garden, due to open in 2026, there is a large green space that leads from the entrance to the galleries, which is desig- nated for the display of sculpture, where currently the work of the British sculp- tor Conrad Shawcross, is installed, and in the near future, the relocation of Cris- tina Iglesias's Sea Cave: Entrance from Hastings Gardens. Indeed, visitors will encounter a mul- tifaceted campus that comprises indoor gallery spaces, outdoor sculpture gar- dens, restored fortifications and a café – a green belt that connects the Sa Maison gardens along a historic beltway of Flori- ana and Valletta, a forgotten space now revitalised in the grand national project that is MICAS. With MICAS, we are starting a new chapter – one that looks outward and connects with the international art world, and brings the very best of modern and contemporary art to these shores, but also looks within to celebrate the richness and diversity of contemporary art and practice in Malta. Edith Devaney Edith Devaney is MICAS artistic director