Two Moons and Two Suns: New international exhibition reimagines the archive in Valletta
The exhibition will run between Thursday 3rd July and Wednesday 20th August.
An immersive art experience is heading to Valletta this July, as the Malta Society of Arts hosts Two Moons and Two Suns – a powerful, thought-provoking exhibition that explores the fine line between fact and fiction.
Opening on Thursday 3rd July 2025 at Palazzo de La Salle, this multidisciplinary exhibition brings together 13 international artists delving into the concept of the ‘fictive archive’ – archival materials reimagined or invented to tell new, often unsettling, stories.
Curated by Claire Ducène and Margerita Pulè, ‘Two Moons and Two Suns’ is the result of a two-year research-led initiative called Fictive Archive Investigations. The project gathers artists of different backgrounds and practices, each examining how memory, identity, and truth can be shaped – or distorted – through archived material.
From poetic installations and speculative cartographies to augmented reality and nostalgic memorabilia, the exhibition spans themes of mapping, islandness, ecological crisis, and the blurred boundary between real and imagined landscapes. Visitors can expect a narrative experience structured like a book, unfolding chapter by chapter.
‘In an age of misinformation, the archive has become a contested space,’ says co-curator Claire Ducène. ‘This exhibition invites visitors to question how stories – and even facts – are constructed, and how fiction might sometimes reveal deeper truths.’
The venue itself, Palazzo de La Salle, Malta’s oldest arts institution, becomes a key part of the show’s storytelling. With its own layered history and historic architecture, the building sets the stage for a rich conversation between past and present, memory and imagination.
A companion symposium, Fiction(s) in Archives, will be held at the same venue on 4–5 July, offering deeper insights through talks and panels by participating artists and guest speakers.
Featured artists include: Elise Billiard Pisani, Balthazar Blumberg, Josephine Burden, Anna Calleja, Céline Cuvelier, Katel Delia, Claire Ducène, Axel Fourmont, Bettina Hutschek, Margerita Pulè, Stéphanie Roland, Matthew Schembri, and Raffaella Zammit.
'This is not just an exhibition of artworks,' explains Margerita Pulè. 'It’s a constellation of perspectives that encourages viewers to question what we take for granted as ‘truth’—and to embrace uncertainty as part of our cultural experience.'
Two Moons and Two Suns runs until 20 August 2025 at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta, and entrance is free.
For more information, visit www.artsmalta.org/two-moons-two-suns-exhibition or follow the Malta Society of Arts on Facebook.