Malta Biennale 2026: International Awards Announced, Featuring Concetta Modica and Therese Debono

The second edition of the Malta Biennale 2026 recently unveiled its first awards, underscoring its strong international vocation and its ability to blend cultural heritage with contemporary artistic expressions. The prestigious "Maltese Falcon" awards ceremony took place on the evening of March 13th at the evocative St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, with Caravaggio's magnificent "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist" serving as a stunning backdrop.

The award for Best Artwork was presented ex aequo to two prominent artists: Italian Concetta Modica, for her creation titled "Fragments of the sky of Malta: The journey of a tomato sepal to become a star," and Maltese Therese Debono, for her work "Blank." Modica's piece was lauded for its exploration of the present and its complexities, forging a contemporary epic through the use of fragments, matter, and sculptural techniques. Debono, on the other hand, was recognized for her photographic practice that captures the temporal relationship with specific places, often transformed, erased, or rebuilt, yet still bearing the imprints of past experiences and traumas.

The award for Best Pavilion was given to "Redefining. Polish Ghanaian Textile Narratives," curated by Natalia Bradbury and featuring works by Eliza Proszczuk, Ernestina Mansa Doku, and Marta Nadolle. This project features a large textile installation, a result of collaboration between Polish and Ghanaian artists, which reinterprets a lesser-known story of solidarity between the two nations, offering a vision for future cooperation. The Biennale explicitly linked this pavilion to the Ubuntu philosophy, "I am because we are," emphasizing the theme of human interdependence.

The selection of winners was entrusted to an international panel of experts, comprising curator and critic Gerardo Mosquera, artist Monica Narula, and curator and lecturer Irene Biolchini. These members were appointed by the executive board upon the recommendation of artistic director Rosa Martínez. An additional recognition, the "People's Choice Award," will be announced closer to the event's conclusion.

The Biennale officially opened on March 10th, preceded by three preview days, and welcomed the public starting March 14th, remaining open until May 29th, 2026. This edition features over 130 artists from 43 countries, with their works presented across the international exhibition, national, and thematic pavilions. The program spans 11 historical sites and museums managed by Heritage Malta across Malta and Gozo, focusing on four main hubs: Valletta, Vittoriosa, Victoria, and Xagħra.

The curatorial project, developed by Rosa Martínez in collaboration with Antoine Borg Micallef and Alexia Medici, centers around the theme "CLEAN / CLEAR / CUT" (TNADDAF / TGHARRAF / TFERRAQ). This triple action draws inspiration from the archipelago's limestone quarry landscape and serves as a symbolic response to visual overload, misinformation, and contemporary systemic inequalities. To clean, to clear, to cut: these three concepts, in the Biennale's intention, evoke ecology, critical discernment, and the breaking of dominant paradigms, with particular attention to the Mediterranean as a geopolitical and cultural crossroads.

In total, 27 pavilions have been announced: eight national, including Malta, Poland, Spain, Finland, Armenia, China, Serbia, and France, and 19 thematic ones. Alongside the international exhibition, the program features over 80 educational activities and 12 collateral events. Among the highlights that have garnered significant attention this year are the presence of internationally renowned artists such as Maurizio Cattelan and the Guerrilla Girls, as well as a special pavilion developed in collaboration with the Correctional Services Agency and the residents of the Kordin correctional facility.