Discover the works of British artist Conrad Shawcross at the MICAS Open Weekend
Visitors to MICAS’s Open Weekend over the course of Saturday and Sunday, 7th and 8th December, will be able to enjoy an outdoor and indoor tour of the MICAS complex to view the works of contemporary British artist Conrad Shawcross.
Adults can join three guided tours on both days, at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm, to discover the art of Shawcross on display around various quarters of the MICAS complex.
In 2023, three distinctive bodies of work from the artist Conrad Shawcross marked his MICAS exhibition What Is To Become Is Already Here, which served as a prelude to the opening of the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space.
And as one the first artists to visit Malta as a guest of MICAS, Shawcross found inspiration in the island’s history and geography, and the space MICAS occupies with its high views and proximity to the sea.
The Dappled Light Of The Sun (Formation 1)
Visitors to MICAS’s Open Wekened will be able to view The Dappled Light of the Sun (Formation I), which is now part of MICAS’s permanent collection. One of the artist’s most significantly mature works of his career, this composition – a floating, five-metre cloud-like structure of 6,000 welded triangles forming around 1,600 tetrahedrons – harnesses his fascination with the perpetual motion of the natural world.
Constructed in welded weathered steel, the structure encourages viewers to walk beneath it – just as if it were a large tree offering beauty and shade – to experience the changing patterns created by dappled light passing through the complex, geometric canopy.
The work also embodies the artist’s deep fascination with mathematical theory, as well as his engagement with the natural world. “The Greeks considered the tetrahedron to represent the very essence of matter,” Shawcross said of his work in 2015. “In this huge work I have taken this form as my ‘brick’, growing these chaotic, diverging forms that will float above the heads of visitors.”
MICAS Beacons
The other work on display – seen from across the Msida Creek – is MICAS Beacons (2023), an ambitious, site-specific triptych placed on the ancient battlements of La Vittoria Bastion.
Visitors will be able to view the 7.5m-high stainless and galvanised steel masts which support a pair of counter-rotating semaphoric discs.
The work, reflecting Shawcross’s fascination with movement and engineering, comes with an in-built mechanical system that powers these semaphoric, optic discs, and like a stained-glass window, are activated by the light of the sun and sky. As the light filters through a pattern of hundreds of thousands of non-repeating holes, the colours of the maritime flags’ semaphoric code spells out the word ‘NOW’ – and what appears as a naval warning system is actually a beacon heralding the opening of MICAS.
Shawcross works at the Barrel Vaults
The other works by Shawcross on display in the old Ospizio rooms are Slow Arc within a Cube (I, VI, VII, XI, XIII, XIV), Patterns of Absence, Limit of Everything and Paradigm Vex (Slender), all displayed in the series of barrel vaults at the base of the battlement walls, which have been designated for artist-in-residency spaces in the next phase of the MICAS’s site development.
Installed in a reverse chronological order, this is the largest display of these related light works by Shawcross to date, revealing the experimental approach the artist takes to exploring concepts such as time, space, and human perception.
A Day for Everyone
The Open Weekend is designed to inspire visitors of all ages. Younger children can play and imagine, teens can explore their creative potential, and families can share meaningful moments together, whether learning about art, history, or the environment.
Join us on the 7th and 8th of December for this dynamic celebration of art, architecture, history, and nature. With free admission and a packed schedule of activities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
Date: 7 & 8 December 2024
Time: 10:00 till 17:00
