The 4th edition of the MICAS International Art Weekend is back on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October 2022.

This year’s edition will celebrate the work of American artist Michele Oka Doner: The Palm Goddess for Malta. 

Born and raised in Miami, Michele Oka Doner is an internationally renowned artist whose career spans six decades. Her work is fuelled by a lifelong study and appreciation of the natural world, from which she derives her formal vocabulary. The breadth of her artistic production encompasses sculpture, drawing, public art, functional objects, video, artist books, and costume and set design. She is well known for creating numerous permanent art installations throughout the United States. 

The Palm Goddess for Malta is a work of art that embraces the figurative tradition of the ancient past. The sculpture also draws inspiration from the monumental leaves of Phoenix dactylifera, a palm that inhabits the Maltese archipelago. This abstract but definitely female form is c.  4 metres high, a soaring figure held aloft on a c. 2 meters “trunk” that symbolises growth from the Maltese soil. Just as the vast majority of archaeological finds represent a deity, something sacred, The Palm Goddess embodies human aspiration and the desire to be lifted up and moved forward by creative expression. The Palm Goddess will be exhibited at the Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, and it will be unveiled during the launch of the MICAS International Art Weekend 2022 on Friday 14th of October. The work will be open for viewing to the public from Saturday 15th of October onwards. VIEW EVENT

The unveiling of The Palm Goddess will be followed in the evening by an art dinner curated by Maltese fashion artist Luke Azzopardi at The Phoenicia Malta, Floriana. Highlights of the evening include performances by indie singer-songwriter Alexandra Alden, soprano Gillian Zammit, and pop duo The New Victorians. VIEW EVENT

The MICAS International Art Weekend 2022 will be brought to a close by an art talk:  In Conversation with Michele Oka Doner. The art talk will be held on the morning of Saturday the 15th of October at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta. VIEW EVENT

The MICAS International Art Weekend 2022 is supported by the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Visit Malta, Heritage Malta, Corinthia Palace Malta.