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9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 APRIL 2025 CULTURE Successful MICAS Open Weekend sets stage for 2025 line-up of Maltese contemporary artists and Milton Avery showcase MALTA Contemporary opened its doors to the public with free access over the weekend of March 29-30, which saw large numbers of visitors enjoying fully-subscribed, curated tours of its three ongoing exhibitions, and open-air games for children and families. The visiting public was treated to special VIP tours by MICAS Artistic Director Edith Devaney for the current exhibition Transcending the Domestic by the acclaimed Portuguese artist Joana Vasconce- los, and other exhibitions of work by the the late Maltese artist Raymond Pitrè (Figure in Rods) and the British contemporary artist Conrad Shawcross (What Is To Become Is Already Here). "Once again the Maltese public has responded ex- tremely positively to the Malta International Con- temporary Art Space's open weekend. Visitors of all ages enjoyed outdoor activities on the esplanade, our ongoing Vasconcelos exhibition, Ray Pitrè's unique artworks at MICAS's top floor space, and Conrad Shawcross's inimitable creations inside the vaults beneath the San Salvatore bastion," said MI- CAS executive chairperson Phyllis Muscat. The Open Weekend attracted the general public for guided tours of the exhibits, art activities for children, guided historic trails, open-air games, and educational activities. "MICAS is Malta's newest cultural destination with over 6,000 square metres of historic landscape here at Floriana – one of our missions was to repur- pose this once-inaccessible part of the fortifications as a space for art and culture," Muscat said. 2025 is set to be a major year for MICAS, with two major exhibitions that will showcase Maltese art and attract more international artists to the galleries. Edith Devaney, MICAS Artistic Director, said preparations are underway for The Space We Inhab- it, an exhibition by six contemporary Maltese art- ists, many of who will be showcasing new work, and an unprecedented retrospective survey of the great American master colourist Milton Avery shown alongside other European contemporary artists. "MICAS is at the heart of the international con- temporary art scene this year: all eyes are on our small island as we prepare for a rare, European showcase of Milton Avery alongside major contem- porary artists who have been influenced by Avery's work, such as Nicolas Party, Gary Hume, March Avery and more, as well as for our grand exhibition of Maltese contemporary art that we believe will be breaking new ground. "It is an exciting moment for MICAS, and our core mission of internationalisation is driving us further to attract big names to Malta while also being the platform to the world for Malta's contemporary art- ists." MICAS Open Weekend welcomes visitors and families ahead of its Malta exhibition The Space We Inhabit and rare Milton Avery retrospective in 2025