Contemporary art space MICAS to officially open

The Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS) is set to officially open on Friday, with a line-up of artists and exhibitions aimed at putting the island on the art map.

A few hours ahead of the official opening ceremony, MaltaToday was granted access to the newly finished art gallery and its inaugural exhibition; Transcending The Domestic, by Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos.

The exhibition offers visitors a colourful and exuberant exhibition with wide resonance and relevance to visitors, both local and international.

Future exhibitions will feature works from master colourist Milton Avery – who influenced artists like Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko – and Reggie Burrows Hodges with a new exhibition of work, much of which has been created for Malta Contemporary.

A core body of paintings from the hugely respected American artist Milton Avery will also mark a first for Malta in 2025: rarely has Avery’s work been seen in Europe. With, amongst others, Harold Ancart, March Avery, Gary Hume and Nicolas Party, the exhibition will be a captivating study of how contemporary art remains rooted in Modernism, revealing these artists’ debt to Avery’s compositions and unique approach to colour.

In 2026, African-American artist Reggie Burrows Hodges will bring a visual narrative that explores questions of identity, community and memory. 

According to MICAS' artistic director, Edith Devaney, a central pillar of the programme will be to showcase the work of global artists who have earned recognition from their singular approach to creating art.

In 2025, “Malta In Focus” will host Malta’s leading contemporary artists, illustrating the richness of contemporary Maltese practice from Caesar Attard, Austin Camilleri, Joyce Camilleri, and Anton Grech, and more. “This marks Malta’s Contemporary’s commitment to celebrate Maltese art at its highest form and bringing it to a wider international stage,” Devaney says.

“Malta in Focus” will be a curated exhibition occupying all the gallery spaces and will feature the work of leading Malta-based contemporary artists. Selected and installed around the concept of imagined space, the exhibition will include artists from several different generations, working across differing media and it will illustrate the depth and richness of contemporary art practice in Malta. It will also mark the beginning of regular exhibitions within the programme that explore and showcase Malta-based art within a global context.