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7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 AUGUST 2025 CULTURE THE Call for Satellite Events to form part of the wider Malta Bi- ennale 2026 programme attract- ed 70 applications from across 22 countries around the world. This is the second in a series of three international calls to come to a close, with an encouraging number of applications received from Malta. The Malta Biennale will be held from March till May next year. The satellite events will not form an integral part of the Mal- ta Biennale but will be organised to coincide with the internation- al contemporary art platform which takes place across histori- cal sites and museums managed by Heritage Malta. The Call for Satellite Events is the second call to have been met with a resounding response. The first to close was the call for artists to submit contempo- rary art proposals to participate directly in the Biennale. That call, which closed at the end of June, attracted more than 3,200 proposals, which demonstrat- ed an increase of almost 30% in comparison to the proposals received for the first edition. At present, the curatorial process of selection to inform the main exhibitions of the Malta Bien- nale 2026 is steadily underway. The selection process for Satel- lite Events has also commenced. "The very strong response and interest we're receiving for each of the calls augurs incredibly well for the second edition of the Malta Biennale. This encourag- es us further so that, through the Malta Biennale, which is held across several museums and historical sites managed by Heritage Malta, we can provide a value-added experience to all visitors by meeting the goals and objectives set out for such ini- tiatives; firstly for Maltese and Gozitan audiences, but also for all those visiting our islands dur- ing the Malta Biennale 2026," said Mario Cutajar, President of the Malta Biennale 2026 and Chairman of Heritage Malta. Cutajar added that the first edition of the Biennale, held last year, was already a huge success, so much so that it placed Malta on the global calendar of con- temporary art, creating greater awareness of our cultural her- itage whilst also positively im- pacting art and artists in Malta. "The second edition must strengthen and build upon what we started, so that we can for- tify the foundations for future editions of the Malta Biennale which, despite being one of some 350 biennials organised around the world, was firmly es- tablished from its onset." The Call for Pavilions will close in the coming weeks; this will be the last international call for par- ticipation on this international art platform, which is being or- ganised under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency the President of Malta. The Malta Biennale is a Her- itage Malta initiative, organised in partnership with Arts Coun- cil Malta and in collaboration with Visit Malta, the Ministry of Culture, Lands and Local Government, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tour- ism. The second edition of the Malta Biennale will take place from March 11 to May 29, 2026, in Valletta, Birgu, Xagħra and Gozo's Ċittadella. 70 applications received for satellite events to be held during Malta Biennale 2026 Malta to participate for the first time at the Gwangju Art Biennale 2026 The maltabiennale.art award - the Maltese Falcon ARTS Council Malta has announced Malta's first-ever participation in the Gwangju Art Bien- nale in South Korea, taking place between Septem- ber and November 2026. The event is considered one of Asia's most prestigious platforms for con- temporary art, offering a global stage for leading contemporary artists to present experimental and innovative work. Titled BEJN / in-between, the Maltese Pavilion brings together four leading artists - Norbert Francis Attard, Sam Alekksandra, Julien Vinet, and Michael Quinton - to explore themes of ritu- al, duality, and cultural intersection through im- mersive installations. The installation is commissioned by Arts Council Malta under the auspices of the Minis- try for the Arts, Lands and Local Government, and the project was selected by an expert evalua- tion board chaired by the International Cultural Relations Directorate. Board members includ- ed Dusu Choi (Head of Exhibition Department, Gwangju Biennale), Sean Buhagiar (Artistic Di- rector, Teatru Malta), and Rupert Cefai (CEO, Fondazzjoni Kreattività). Malta's landmark debut at one of the largest platforms in Asia for contemporary art offers unprecedented reach to Malta's artists, while continuing to strengthen the country's cultural presence abroad, in alignment with Arts Council Malta's long-term strategy towards strengthen- ing internationalisation and professional growth for the sector. The Malta Pavilion will offer a conceptual and sensorial exploration of "the in- between" - a site between Malta and Korea, conflict and resolu- tion, presence and absence. It invites audiences into an artistic ecosystem where creative tension is embraced as a crucible for new meaning. The artists and installations The artistic team behind the Malta Pavilion is made up of four, leading artists who each bring their specific artistic practice to the installation: • Norbert Francis Attard: In the ArtPolygon, artist-architect Norbert Francis Attard in- troduces this sense of negotiated tension throughout the building. The work will see multitudes of thin, stretched elastic bands that reach across the walls, ceilings, and floors of the two rooms- an explosion of bands, like a firework in suspension - that gradually morph in colour, referencing Maltese individuality but also Malta's most iconic gathering of thresholds: the festa. • Sam Alekksandra and Julien Vinet (PONKS) unveil Rope Temple, a participa- tory poetry installation constructed in glass and sanctified with sacred ropes and verses by Maltese and Korean poets. It stands as a living ex-voto of collaboration and mutual respect. • Michael Quinton leads BasePolygon, an audio-visual journey in the Pavilion's lower level. Three subterranean rooms guide vis- itors through sonic explorations, mirrored cultural programmes, and a final archive of artistic responses compiled in a download- able book. The project also extends beyond the Pavilion through a series of workshops at Sangmyung University in Seoul, furthering its investigation into liminal space and shared creative ground. The 2026 edition of the Gwangju Biennale is curated by Ho Tzu Nyen, under the theme You must change your life, inspired by a phrase from Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. The Biennale will examine the transformative power of art to inspire change and expand human potential. Titled BEJN / in-between, the Malta Pavilion was chosen by an expert evaluation board after a rigorous competitive process