Malta’s leading institution for the contemporary arts, the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space in Floriana, is set for a major group exhibition of Maltese artists that will place the island’s leading art scene well in focus.

Following on from the success of its grand opening with Portuguese international artist Joana Vasconcelos, MICAS will internally fit out its three gallery levels to exhibit the work of leading Malta-based contemporary artists for its show The Space We Inhabit.

'This exhibition includes artists from several different generations, with art pieces – some of which has never exhibited been before, some being specifically created for the MICAS show – selected and installed around the concept of imagined space,' said MICAS Artistic Director Edith Devaney.

'These artists are working across differing media and their work illustrates the depth and richness of contemporary art practice in Malta. The Space We Inhabit also marks the beginning of regular exhibitions within the MICAS programme that explores and showcase Malta-based art within a global context,' Devaney added.

MICAS has already showcased the final work specifically commissioned from the late Maltese artist Ray Pitrè, Figure in Rods, an endeavour that formed part of the museum’s commitment to document this contemporary art project from its genesis to production.

'MICAS is thrilled to be able to celebrate Maltese art at its highest form, bringing it to a wider international stage and contextualising it within the overall exhibition programme,' Devaney added.

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Here are the six artists at the MICAS show The Space We Inhabit:

Caesar Attard

Caesar Attard (b. 1946) has remained consistently active since 1969 in the Maltese art scene, participating in exhibitions in Malta and abroad, and teaching visual art and history at the Junior College of the University of Malta.

Besides painting, Attard experimented since the 1970s in non-traditional art-forms such as participatory art and installations. More recent works shown in group shows are the participatory art event and installation B/s/b at Human Matter, M.S.A, Valletta, 2017; the exhibition rajt ma rajtx – naf li rajt at Valletta Contemporary, Valletta, 2021; and Life & Passion Revisited at Valletta Contemporary, Valletta, 2024.

Vince Briffa

Prof. Vince Briffa (b. 1958) is a multimedia artist, curator and researcher. His cross-disciplinary and trans-mediatic work consists of gallery and site-specific artwork, sculptural objects, video and installations. He has been the recipient of a number of art residencies, including the sculpture studios at the Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland in 1996, the Leeuwarden Capital of Culture in 2018 and the Ranieri Castle in Umbria in 2018 amongst others.

He was awarded the prize Omaggio all’Arte ed all’Innovazione a Venezia 2019 by the Union of Honorary Consuls of Italy (UCOI) and the National Association of Young Innovators (ANGI) at the 2019 Venice Art Biennale.

Austin Camilleri

Austin Camilleri (b. 1972) is a visual artist working simultaneously and non-hierarchically in installation, painting, drawing, video and sculpture. Drawing mainly on Western art history, popular culture and power image traditions, he explores the tension between the material and the digital, the personal and public, by layering techniques and modalities.

He has exhibited in the Venice Biennale, Ostrale Biennale in Dresden, the Mediterranean Biennale in Tunis, ArtRaker Biennale in Valletta, Biennale for Young Artists in Rome and in Art Knows no Frontiers in Trier.

Camilleri has also curated a number of contemporary shows and worked with choreographers, musicians, authors and theatre practitioners in many collaborative projects. His work has been published in books and publications internationally and found in public spaces, public, corporate and private collections worldwide.

Joyce Camilleri

Joyce Camilleri (b. 1980) is a member of the Department of Visual Arts of the Faculty for the Built Environment at the University of Malta and runs the Jo Borg Gallery in Sliema.

Camilleri’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in drawing and printmaking, both of which inform her painting method, with work that pushes the boundaries of graphic elements, creating representational and quasi-abstract visual metaphors that blur the line between the real and the imaginary. She explores visual concepts of poetic space through ongoing material research, with an emphasis on artistic process rather than subject matter. Artistic intent and process-led practices remain interchangeable within her work.

Her work is part of permanent collections, including MUŻA – the Malta National Community Art Museum – and the NI Institute and Museum Bitola.

Anton Grech

Anton Grech (b. 1965) studied at the Malta School of Art, at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf where he was a member of the artistic academic staff. Grech teaches at the Malta School of Art and at the University of Malta, where he is Head of the Department for Visual Arts within the Faculty for the Built Environment.

Personal exhibitions include: Argos, a public sculpture for the Cottonera Waterfront (2008); Anton Grech, Drawings, National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta (2005-2006); Anton Grech, Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, Berlin, Germany; Anton Grech, Pittura, Vilhena Palace, Mdina (2001) and Anton Grech, Malerei, Ballhaus, Düsseldorf (1999).

Grech represented Malta across Europe and in China in several exhibitions of his work.

Pierre Portelli

Pierre Portelli (b. 1961) works mainly in installation, sculpture, video and mixed media art. He explores and makes use of various media, including new technologies and repurposed objects amongst others, to investigate processes of change, interaction and the temporary meeting of social worlds through sculpture, site-specific work, language and sometimes playful tongue-in-cheek undertones.

Pierre Portelli has originated cross-disciplinary research-based projects with music composers and performers, choreographers, actors, authors and is a frequent collaborator in theatre productions. He is the co-curator and co-researcher of the ongoing REL•INK Indelible Narratives project initiated in 2016, that researches and explores the tattoo history and narratives of Malta and the links with other Mediterranean port cities.

Visit MICAS and immerse yourself in these stunning works of art!