After Arts Council Malta’s launching of RETOLD earlier this month—an initiative through which a number of projects by Maltese artists and creatives that had found success beyond our shores over the past few years are now being exhibited in Malta to be enjoyed by the Maltese—today, the project Revisiting Maleth was launched at the Natural History Museum in Mdina.
Revisiting Maleth is a reiteration of the project which represented Malta in 2019 at the 58th Arts Biennale in Venice.
This project evokes the primordial origins of this island’s existence, its historical origins, and its spatial presence in the Mediterranean Sea’s contemporary reality.
Arts Council Malta Executive Chairman Dr Luke Dalli explained how Arts Council Malta’s vision is built on a number of layers. The foundation always remains that of celebrating and giving a push to Maltese talent in all its forms and shapes. Dr Dalli stated that the Council chose that art should be everyone’s and not for the few who can afford or access it. RETOLD was born precisely out of this aim.
Dr Dalli stated that a central pillar in this strategy which the Council will be following is that art is accessible to everyone in the heart of Maltese and Gozitan towns.
He explained how, to this end, projects which were exhibited at the Venice Art Biennale and the London Design Biennale will come back to Malta, the place they were born, and where they will now find their natural home.
He said that a clear example of this is the project being inaugurated today, where a project which was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2019 is being exhibited here at the Natural History Museum in Mdina.
Dr Dalli said that contemporary art engages audiences by prompting contemplation and critical thinking whilst prompting viewers to question and engage in dialogue.
Annabelle Stivala, the Head of the International Cultural Relations Directorate within Arts Council Malta, stated that, in the last 10 years, Arts Council Malta has shifted the arts from a mere afterthought into a national priority. She explained how today we have arrived at a point where arts and culture are giving a substantial contribution to the country’s economy—both directly, through the creation of jobs in these sectors, as well as indirectly, through ancillary services which these sectors require.
Stivala stated that, last month, Malta, through URNA, won the London Design Biennale and so Malta attained the best possible kind of fame in arts design, with international media giving us prominence in their coverage.
Annabelle Stivala explained how the International Cultural Relations Directorate within Arts Council Malta will continue working to invest more in local artists, so that more local artists enjoy this investment, so that more Maltese artists and creatives make their passions the source of their livelihood, and so that Malta continues to excel on the international stage, and, moreover, to continue to ensure that the work of Maltese artists reaches our local communities.
The projects which constitute RETOLD are:
Urban Fabric – contextualises the traditional heart of the Maltese village by combining two elements—traditional city planning and the Phoenician-Maltese tradition of clothes dye production. This project was exhibited at the London Design Biennale and was the first project which was exhibited by Malta at this prestigious Biennale. Exhibition Dates: 30th June until 2nd August. Location: Imdina Ditch
Revisiting Maleth – evokes the primordial origins of our island’s existence, its historical origins, and its spatial presence in the Mediterranean Sea’s contemporary reality. This project was exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Exhibition dates: 15th July until 31st August. Location: Natural History Museum, Imdina
URNA – the winning project of the London Design Biennale 2025, an innovative project which explores the fascinating and distinct subject of cremation. Exhibition dates: September to November. Location: Ħaġar Qim, Qrendi
The Ship (unseen) – builds on and re-imagines the concepts explored in I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP, exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Exhibition dates: 4th October until November. Location: Inquisitor’s Palace, Birgu
Homo Melitensis – this 2025 version of Homo Melitensis provides a compacter yet more incisive investigation into the perennially unfinished process of the construction of identity in Malta. The project was exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Exhibition dates: 3rd October until 30th October. Location MUŻA, Valletta
BURNING WATERS – Diplomazija Astuta – places anew Caravaggio’s immanent themes in modern life, while spurring the audience to voyage through a space where the tragedy and brutality of the execution of St John are experienced in the present, where past injustices are reconciled, and where shared humanist principles can be respected in the future. Exhibition Dates: 9th October until 3rd January. Location: Victor Pasmore Gallery, Valletta
Special thanks
RETOLD is being led by the International Cultural Relations Directorate (ICRD) of Arts Council Malta with Annabelle Stivala as the Executive Head and Dr Romina Delia as Head of International Cultural Relations. Special thanks to the hard-working team that made RETOLD a reality: the ICRD team, project managers, coordinators, site officers, architects and engineers, and students from MCAST and the University of Malta.
For more information regarding where these projects will be exhibited, we suggest that you subscribe to our newsletter, follow our social media, and visit www.artscouncil.mt.
