Blitz Valletta has announced its first fair participations in special international platforms dedicated to non-profit art spaces.
The occasions are Contemporary Istanbul (held between September 12 to 15), where Blitz Valletta presented an exhibition featuring Maltese artists Matthew Attard, Alexandra Pace and Tom Van Malderen, and Barely Fair Chicago (running until October 20) where it is showing a project by Pierre Portelli. Both exhibitions were curated by Sara Dolfi Agostini.
The participation in these events reflects Blitz’s commitment to fostering strong ties with the international art scene by supporting and showcasing Malta-based artists through selected fair participations for non-profit spaces, while simultaneously showcasing international artists within the Blitz galleries.
Besides the participation at the annual Contemporary Istanbul, Blitz founder and director Alexandra Pace was invited as part of the artist and institution in residency programme to create a stronger cultural bond between Malta and Turkey, two countries that are at the crossroad of cultures and people.
Under the direction of curator Anissa Touati and through the participating galleries and artistic programme, the ambition of Contemporary Istanbul is to show the dynamism of Turkey as a geographic hub closely tied to Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
As part of this programme, Blitz Valletta participated in the art fair with a group show featuring Attard, Pace and Van Malderen in a new section dedicated to art initiatives that have an innovative approach to the institution and are developing original projects in extraordinary or remote locations.
Contemporary Istanbul also coincided with the 16th Istanbul Biennial curated by Nicolas Bourriaud.
Through curator Dolfi Agostini’s international network, Blitz has also been invited to participate in Barely Fair, a miniature art fair hosted by renowned art space Julius Caesar in Chicago. The fair presents two dozen selected contemporary art galleries, project spaces and curatorial projects during the annual Art Week in Chicago from the US, Canada and Europe.
Included spaces are exhibiting works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard fair and Blitz Valletta is presenting a special project by Portelli.
In six years of activities as a contemporary art space, Blitz has organised more than 25 exhibitions, plus conferences, workshops and talks, including a three year residency project (2015-18) which received mentions by ArtBasel Crowdfunding initiative and Tate Art Exchange Programme.
Since 2019, Blitz has kicked off a new series of exhibitions with established international artists such as Rossella Biscotti, Rob Pruitt, Cory Arcangel, Amalia Ulman, Sara Cwynar and Simon Denny.
For Blitz, Malta is an inspiring artistic laboratory offering a bridge between past and future, from the Megalithic temples, Baroque churches and masterpieces by Caravaggio, to the growing internet, fintech, blockchain and new media industries.
Cwynar’s solo show Good Life, currently on display, carries on this project by interacting with design, pictures and visual media strategies to explore the ways they shape our identity and infiltrate our consciousness.
Blitz is found at 68, St Lucia Street, Valletta. For more information, visit http://thisisblitz.com/. Opening hours: Tuesdays to Friday from 2.30 to 6.30pm, Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. Sundays, Mondays and public holidays, the venue is closed.