Joana Vasconcelos’ exhibition at Malta’s International Contemporary Art Space, ‘Transcending the Domestic’, will open to the public on October 27, marking the debut of the island’s first museum dedicated to contemporary art. The show will feature some of Vasconcelos' most iconic installations, including 'Valkyrie Mumbet', 'The Garden of Eden', and 'Tree of Life', exploring themes of domesticity and spirituality.
The exhibition will take place at MICAS' newly restored Ospizio complex, a 17th-century fortress overlooking Marsamxett Harbour in Valletta.
"It is really an honour and a privilege to be the first artist to present an exhibition that will be opening MICAS, not only because of the incredible contemporary art program, but also because of the amazing historical background of Malta, regarding women as artists, connected to the old temples and contemporary culture. I am really delighted to do this wonderful show in Malta next fall."
– Joana Vasconcelos
“Vasconcelos’s appropriation of traditional crafts in the making of many of her works will echo several cultures, including her own in Portugal, but also that of Malta. The decision to present her work in the ‘raw’ building, before the internal museum structure is installed, thereby revealing the natural beauty of the excavated and historic walls, with the natural light freely flowing throughout, will also be a celebration of this new heritage project and its contemporary architecture.”
–Edith Devaney, MICAS’s Artistic Director.
