If you were around Malta in the late 90s, you might remember stumbling across something unusual: giant limestone and hardstone boulders glinting in the sunlight, their surfaces covered in gold leaf.

Now, over 25 years later, the Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS) is revisiting this striking work in its galleries. The ‘Thirteen Stones’ project by Maltese artist Austin Camilleri first appeared in 1999 as part of a large-scale territorial installation spread across the Maltese Islands.

The artist’s approach was simple yet bold: he sourced boulders from quarries or along the coastline, then gilded them on-site with 23-carat gold leaf, without altering their shape in any way – no carving or chiselling.

Some of the stones were placed in unexpected locations, such as the old arched City Gate in Valletta – a sight that still brings about some nostalgia for those who remember it, and offers a completely different perspective of the capital for those who don’t.

After installation, the gilded boulders were left exposed to the elements, allowing nature to slowly reclaim the gold over time. This process echoed the familiar tradition of gold leaf work seen in many of Malta and Gozo’s churches, while introducing a contemporary, site-specific twist.

Today, as part of MICAS’s exhibition ‘The Space We Inhabit’, some of these original stones are presented within the gallery walls, where they merge concepts of memory, land art, and intervention with the idea of the readymade museum object.

From the coastline to the heart of the capital, ‘Thirteen Stones’ remains a striking reminder of how art can alter our perception of the familiar, and how time inevitably reshapes even the most precious surfaces.

Do you remember this curious installation?