In the Throne Hall in the Palace in Valletta, the maltabiennale.art opened. This biennale, also under the patronage of the President of Malta, is being held for the first time in Malta. It should run until the end of May with contemporary art performances all over the country.
For the next two and a half months Malta will be at the center of the world cultural and artistic calendar. With the theme of the Mediterranean, ‘White Sea of Olive Groves’, in this biennale organized mainly by Heritage Malta, MUŻA and the Maltese Council for the Arts, over a hundred artist will take part.
Prime Minister Robert Abela, the Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici spoke at the opening ceremony which was graced with a wonderful visual of everything Maltese. -Chairman of Heritage Malta Mario Cutajar and the Curator of this biennale, Sofia Baldi Pighi.
Prime Minister Robert Abela explained how this biennale is being held in a region that is the natural home of artists. The Mediterranean, the theme of this biennale, is a region that Malta has always given visibility to and a constant voice about. The Prime Minister said that Malta is proud to welcome the artists in this first biennale which is also being held under the patronage of UNESCO. “Art is inclusive, access to it is everyone’s right”, claimed Dr Abela who noted how this biennale across the country will give families a wonderful opportunity to enjoy contemporary art. The Prime Minister not only spoke about the investment in art and culture with top level projects as a result of the largest allocation of funds in the cultural sector but he stressed that this is being done because the Government believes that the -culture is an important asset for the country.
The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici explained how while we are currently living a time of wars and tension in Europe and the Mediterranean, culture represents the values of peace, of creativity and cooperation. He said that Malta, thanks to its culture, is playing a role in bringing together various artists and countries, so much so that when the international call for artists came out, the numbers of artistic proposals were large and surprising. So much so that Heritage Malta received more than 2,500 proposals from 118 countries. “I have no doubt that the large number of artists who applied to take part in maltabiennale.art 2024 shows that artists want their space to express themselves and as a Government we are proud that through maltabiennale.art this we will be giving him the space”, said Minister Bonnici.
The Chairman of Heritage Malta and President and founder of maltabiennale.art, Mario Cutajar, explained how maltabiennale.art is not only art. This cultural event of the year is an opportunity to recognize ourselves as Maltese and to care and think about our surroundings. In his speech, he stated, “We are marrying our history through the historical sites that Heritage Malta has scattered all over Malta with contemporary art and this makes this Biennale unique”. Mario Cutajar added that it is important to look at yesterday in order to understand more today, we understand each other and thus help to look forward with more confidence.
In two words on the occasion, the curator of the Maltese Biennale, Sofia Baldi Pighi, said that art is not decoration. It is an active and vibrant creature capable of sprouting in society and awakening critical and independent thinking. She said that she truly believes that art is always political, and contemporary art must be brave enough to address current issues. She added stating that the aim of art is never to give answers, but to raise questions.
Photos: DOI/OPM
