BOV and curator Elyse Tonna announce call for contemporary artists

‘Moving with the wind, like waves’ – a contemporary exhibition at the Inquisitor’s Palace

Bank of Valletta and curator Elyse Tonna are inviting contemporary artists to participate in an open call for ‘Moving with the Wind, Like Waves,’ a contemporary art project culminating in a site-specific collective exhibition that will be held at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu in November 2025.

The call is open for emerging and mid-career contemporary artists or collectives based in Malta between Saturday, 7th June 2025, and noon Tuesday, 1st July 2025. Artists are invited to submit conceptual frameworks for new, large-scale interventions that will be developed in dialogue with the curator and the site. Rather than proposing finished works, artists/collectives are asked to respond to the layered, often unseen qualities of the site, producing work that is site-specific, adaptive and embedded in context.

“Moving with the Wind, Like Waves is both a curatorial framework and a methodology – one that invites artists to engage with what often remains unnoticed or undocumented,” says Elyse Tonna. “The process values adaptability, attentiveness, and conceptual depth, encouraging artists to think with the site and propose work that resonates with its less visible layers. Contemporary art interventions on historic sites can open up new ways of relating to them – not through direct representation, but through gestures that uncover subtler meanings and connections.”

The initiative forms part of Bank of Valletta’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, which continues to support the growth and visibility of Malta’s contemporary art community. Ernest Agius, Chief Operations Officer at BOV, states, “This contemporary art project highlights the Bank’s long-standing commitment to supporting the arts and fostering cultural dialogue in Malta. As a staunch supporter of local culture and the arts, BOV is proud to launch this exhibition, which promises to be a unique platform where artists can express themselves and bring contemporary art closer to the general public.”

The curatorial framework, full guidelines, and submission form are available here. Selected artists will receive curatorial mentorship, production support, and a project budget. The collective exhibition will be accompanied by a publication and public programme. For questions, applicants may contact the team on mwwlw.exhibition@gmail.com by 23 June 2025.

This contemporary art project is commissioned and supported by BOV and is being developed and curated by Elyse Tonna, a curator and architect whose interdisciplinary practice focuses on site-specific, research-led approaches to contemporary art.