art asks what it means to be Maltese

The art exhibition Homo Melitensis: (Still) An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters, currently showing at MUŻA and curated by Bettina Hutschek and Raphael Vella, is a contemporary exploration of Maltese identity across time and generations. It combines the work of 13 artists.

The exhibition draws from Malta’s history, culture and imagination, inviting visitors to reflect on what it means to be Maltese, or perhaps what it once meant.

Walking through the gallery, certain objects feel as though they have emerged straight from a grandmother’s chest of drawers.

The exhibition was originally presented in 2017 at the Maltese Pavilion during the Venice Biennale, where it first explored the idea of cataloguing Maltese identity through objects, images, and narratives. In this new edition at MUŻA, several works from the original show resurface, creating a sense of continuity, while newly commissioned pieces bring fresh perspectives that reflect the country’s ongoing cultural and social changes.

The title, Homo Melitensis: (Still) An Incomplete Inventory, suggests that the project remains open-ended. It implies that the story of what it means to be Maltese is never truly finished, but constantly rewritten through time, memory, and experience.

Paintings, photographs and everyday objects are arranged side by side, creating unexpected connections and contradictions. Some works evoke a familiar sense of nostalgia like et cetera, which playfully reinterprets Maltese culture through humour and memory, while others challenge what we think we know about ourselves.

An artwork by Seb Tanti Burlò

Walking through the gallery, certain objects feel as though they have emerged straight from a grandmother’s chest of drawers. Others confront us with stark reminders of unresolved societal issues, such as representations of historical injustices and social inequities. Others remind us of certain political issues which we tend to try and forget. This one is particularly portrayed playfully – a satirical cartoon of Norman Lowell. However, not all artworks are light-hearted. Some confront serious themes, highlighting moments when, as a country, we could have done more and showing how past wrongdoings continue to resonate today.

What makes the exhibition especially clever is that it speaks to everyone. While Maltese visitors might experience a sense of nostalgia, foreigners are offered an insightful glimpse into the Maltese ways through an artistic form.

Beyond celebrating elements of our identity, the exhibition also confronts moments in our history that we might prefer to forget, reminding us that the past cannot simply be erased. But rather it serves as a guide to act more thoughtfully and avoid repeating previous mistakes.

Running until November 2 at MUŻA, Homo Melitensis is free to visit.