The history of the Floriana fortifications which today host the Malta International Contemporary Art Space, will be the focus of a new exhibition featuring a rich display of photography and documentation on the genesis and development of Malta’s newest cultural destination – MICAS.

Beyond The Bastions opens to the public on Saturday, 20 August 2025, with an exhibition of historical documents from the National Archives and the Bibliotheca, photographic and audiovisual documentation, plans and drawings of the historic and present site, and scale models of MICAS.

The exhibition, hosted on MICAS’s first-floor gallery, details the story-arc of an important military site that has now been repurposed into a welcoming, public space for Maltese and international contemporary art.

MICAS executive chairperson Phyllis Muscat said the exhibition celebrates not just the conviction that inspired an institution that honours Maltese contemporary art, but also the vision to turn the Floriana Lines into a new, creative space.

“These fortifications, once shaped by the logic of defence, beckoned for transformation into spaces of creative possibility. Today MICAS stands as proof that small nations can dream large dreams, with Malta claiming its rightful place in the international cultural conversation.”

While the creation of a suitable contemporary arts museum had always been a long-held wish for Malta’s artistic community, it was only in 2013 that the Coordinating Board for Cultural Projects, chaired by Ms Phyllis Muscat, embarked on the creation of the MICAS agency. MICAS broke ground in 2018, and was finally delivered in 2024 with a grand opening exhibition by the celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.

Deputy chairperson Dr Georgina Portelli said the exhibition – the third one in 2025 – will delight those with a passion for history and architecture, but also the general public, who will learn how these ancient walls were brought to life once again.

“Many of Malta’s historic sites remain underused or unrestored. The MICAS board took the decision to integrate rather than reinvent the old Ospizio site here in Floriana. Instead of pursuing the ‘Bilbao effect’ with a high-profile landmark for spectacle, we preserved our Maltese heritage and enhanced it.”

Dr Portelli will host a MICAS Art Talk on Saturday, 20 August with a panel of speakers who have closely worked with MICAS on its development: they include IPO Studio architect Prof. Carlo Terpolilli, architect Jean Frendo from the Restoration and Preservation Department, curator and architect Konrad Buhagiar, and MICAS Artistic Director Edith Devaney.

“MICAS’s design acknowledges the site’s military history. Barbara’s Arch, which once marked the boundary between the fortified land and the sea, is today a visual gateway that links the museum to Marsamxett Harbour,” Dr Portelli said.

“Carlo Terpolilli and his team at IPO Studio understood this poetry of place. The glass and steel roof, and the contemporary galleries, embrace the ancient limestone, integrated within the terraces of the Ritirata itself. The MICAS design has allowed us to reveal the history of the Floriana Lines, inside a space where contemporary art can flourish.”

More information on how to visit MICAS, admission times and prices can be found at Micas.art/visit-us