A new art space at a lay-by on the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass was inaugurated on Wednesday, featuring artwork created by MCAST students and staff.
The area is Malta’s first outdoor exhibition space and follows along the recently installed 350-metre vertical garden covering the retaining walls of the southbound carriageway on the seven-lane bypass.
It features ten large square frames which currently hold works created by students and lecturers at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. Artwork will be changed every six months, with the plan being to eventually open the space up to other local and foreign artists for exhibition as well.
The first collection for the gallery was steered forward by art lecturers Carmen Aquilina, Pierre Mifsud and Darren Tanti, who developed the concept with Infrastructure Malta.
Inspired by the adjacent green walls surrounding the space, the artists were inspired by the effort to reintroduce nature to an urban environment.
Artwork features local endemic flowers such as the Maltese rock-centaury (widnet il-baħar) and the Maltese spider orchid (brimba sewda) and was created through photography, painting and digital manipulation.
The outdoor art gallery was inaugurated by Education Minister Justyne Caruana and Transport Minister Ian Borg.
A Selection of the artwork currently on exhibition. Swipe right to see more photos.
A Selection of the artwork currently on exhibition
A Selection of the artwork currently on exhibition
A Selection of the artwork currently on exhibition
A Selection of the artwork currently on exhibition
The bypass represented an unprecedented investment in upgrading the road network and improving the traffic situation in the area, Borg said.
“While having grey walls is necessary to the structure of this project, from day one Infrastructure Malta was in talks with various entities to keep the area dynamic and visually interesting,” he said.
Caruana said that MCAST has always been at the forefront in making sure that students developed skills that were practical and relevant to finding work.
“Art and creativity has a crucial role in communicating visions and ideas that cannot be expressed through words alone, we have seen this more than ever during the trying times brought by pandemic - creative expression is necessary,” Caruana said.
“We must continue encouraging students to take opportunities to express themselves and develop skills over an array of artistic disciplines.”