Dates 13th May 2017 - 26th November 2017
Artist/Currators Bettina Hutschek, Raphael Vella
HomoMelitensis
An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters
About the Project
Homo Melitensis: An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters was the title of the Maltese Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
Taking its name from the Latin for "Maltese Man," Homo Melitensis presents an associative and often humorous exploration of Maltese identity and the nation's collective imagination. The exhibition reflects on themes such as territory, memory, religion, and language, reinterpreted through 19 distinctive "chapters." This so-called "inventory" hints at a taxonomy—an attempt to bring custom-made order to the chaotic complexity of reality. Yet Homo Melitensis also bears witness to a broader existential shift: from the coherence of the nation-state to a fragmented, opaque state of being. It stands, puzzled, at the threshold.
Commissioned by Arts Council Malta, the exhibition takes the form of a layered and non-linear installation, bringing together contemporary artworks, historical artefacts, and everyday objects in an achronological, non-hierarchical setting.
Works by Maltese artists and members of the Maltese diaspora are interwoven with museum pieces and quotidian items, forming a poetic and associative landscape that evokes the spirit of a Cabinet of Curiosities.
Artist-Curators: Bettina Hutschek, Raphael Vella
Participating Artists: Adrian Abela, John Paul Azzopardi, Aaron Bezzina, Pia Borg, Gilbert Calleja, Austin Camilleri, Roxman Gatt, David Pisani, Karine Rougier, Joe Sacco, Teresa Sciberras, Darren Tanti, Maurice Tanti Burlò
Contributors: Heritage Malta, Għaqda tal-Pawlini, Domus Pauli, Għaqda Każin Banda San Filep Żebbuġ, Karnival Għaqda Marija Annunzjata Tarxien, Richard Ellis Foundation
Graphic Design: Jon Banthorpe
Exhibition Architecture: Tom Van Malderen / Architecture Project
Artist Statement
L’Annalisa is an oil painting featured in Tanti’s first solo exhibition, Omen. The work merges iconography from Christian art with elements drawn from contemporary consumerist society. This portrait of the artist’s sister, Annalise, reflects the contradictions of secular Malta—a nation that strongly identifies with Catholic values yet leads a lifestyle shaped by consumerism and material consumption. The halo-like hat alludes to the sacred, while the rest of the composition critiques the influence of consumer culture. The painting can be seen as a pointed commentary on Maltese society, serving as a mirror that exposes potential hypocrisies in the national way of life.