One of Malta’s most ambitious projects for the arts and culture, the Malta International Contemporary Art Space, will be officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Abela on Friday 25 October.

MICAS is a Government of Malta infrastructural legacy project for the culture and the arts that is part-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020.

The ambitious restoration project brings back to life the 17^th century Ospizio as well as the Floriana Lines’ Knights-era fortifications, namely the San Salvatore Counterguard and the La Vittoria bastion, with an intervention that has delivered a multifaceted campus of indoor gallery spaces.

Marking this historic date will be the exhibition of celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, whose large-scale installations will bring to life MICAS’s four-storey galleries in a colourful and exuberant show presented in the beauty of the ‘raw’ building with natural light flowing throughout its excavated and historic walls.

The iconic element of the new MICAS space is surely its new structure, capped by a monumental roof of welded steel beams that seamlessly overcomes the conflict between the historical fortress and the contemporary arts museum.

In this dialogue with the historic, 17th century Bastion of Provence, the MICAS roof can be seen vertically and then turning into the main façade, highlighting the contemporary character of the intervention.

Internally, the four levels of the MICAS Galleries appear like terraces in between the bastions and under the same roofing, with natural ventilation and lighting all provided by the functionality of the MICAS steel roof.

The forthcoming opening of MICAS on 25 October will host dignitaries and special guests, with speeches by Prime Minister Robert Abela, and Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici, as well as MICAS executive chair Phyllis Muscat, artist Joana Vasconcelos, and Restoration Directorate’s director-general, Norbert Gatt.

An open day follows on 10 November for the public to view the exhibition and the architecture of MICAS.

“MICAS will strengthen Malta’s cultural infrastructure by providing a platform for contemporary art and internationalisation. With its launch, Malta is about to take a great step forward and become a proactive player in the contemporary art world,” said MICAS executive chair Phyllis Muscat, who has stewarded the project ever since inception.

“Most importantly, this is a community project that has liberated a massive expanse of historical fortifications once used as a store for the national utility company. This land is now returned to the public, who can enjoy its rich, historical landscape, apart from offering Malta a cultural destination attracting international artists and audiences,” Muscat added.

Please visit www.micas.art for more information and follow @micasmalta on Instagram to follow MICAS’s journey to opening.

READ MORE

A vision realised: MICAS chair Phyllis Muscat reflects on Malta’s forthcoming contemporary arts space

Bringing art, architecture, and nature together: the MICAS Sculpture Garden

Inside the fortifications housing MICAS

Layers of MICAS (Part 1): the story of the Ospizio complex

Layers of MICAS (Part 2): the Floriana lines and San Salvatore bastion

More information about Joana Vasconcelos

Craftwork XXL: how Joana Vasconcelos decontextualises the ‘feminine’