We are delighted to announce the imminent opening of the exhibition ‘The Space we Inhabit’, which will open to the public on 14 June.

This is the second exhibition at MICAS, following on from our wonderful inaugural exhibition of the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, and like our first exhibition it signals our commitment to the strength of our artistic programme.

We at MICAS know that it is imperative that we make a mark for the museum both here in Malta and globally by presenting innovative exhibitions of significance and quality which make an impact on the world art scene and raise the bar nationally. We have worked hard on putting together a programme which is characterized by excellence, relevance and rigour, aware that this approach will help to put MICAS on the global art map – an address our remit for internationalisation, but that it will also attract artists of the highest calibre to work with us. Such a programme is also designed to delight, inform and educate our audiences, giving them a world class experience of contemporary art of a consistent quality here in Malta.

We are excited by this forthcoming exhibition, and also for those which follow. Later this summer we open a focused exhibition on our 2nd Floor Gallery space on this Building, its architecture and the heritage project it is a part of and in October we open a very ambitious exhibition featuring the work of Milton Avery with responses to his work by seven leading international artists, most of whom have created new work to show here in Malta. There has been much global interest in this groundbreaking Avery exhibition which we hope to tour to international venues.

That exhibition is followed in March 2026 by a solo exhibition of the work of the African American painter Reggie Burrows Hodges who is producing a body of new work here in Malta. All these gallery-based exhibitions – and others in the programme beyond – reveal our commitment not only to show great contemporary art, but to assume a position within the international art dialogue and to put MICAS and Malta into the position as a global player and leader in this field.

This forthcoming exhibition presents the work of six celebrated artists Caesar Attard, Vince Briffa, Austin Camilleri, Joyce Camilleri, Anton Grech and Pierre Portelli. It has been a privilege for me to get to know each of them and gain an understanding of their practice.

All are part of the lineage of decades of a thriving arts and culture period in Malta which saw its contemporary art scene emerging from a rich historical tapestry shaped by diverse Mediterranean and British influences, with its modern development gaining momentum after independence in 1964. Throughout the 20th century, Maltese art evolved from traditional academic styles toward modernism, with its artists frequently training in European centres, engaging with global themes while maintaining connections to the island’s unique cultural heritage. For many, this has led to recognition and opportunities well beyond Malta.

The six artists featured in this exhibition are all examples of this achievement, with almost all establishing far-reaching reputations.

Arranged around the theme of space – both real and imagined – each has responded in different ways, with some evoking a sense of a landscape and others taking a more conceptual view on the idea of space, and by extension, place.

Set across all three main exhibition floors of the museum, the works by each artist will interact, creating a visual discourse exploring the concept and reality of the space that each of us perceives and inhabits. All artists will be represented by numerous works, many of which have been produced and adapted specifically for this exhibition.

We are very excited to present this exhibition of exceptional work, and excited too to bring it to a global platform so that it can enter into a meaningful engagement in the global dialogue on contemporary art.