Artists ignoed as MEIA calls for review of Malta Biennale

The Malta Entertainment and Arts Association (MEIA) is calling on newly appointed Culture Minister Malcolm Paul Agius Galea to order a transparent review of the Malta Biennale after artists raised complaints over delayed payments, unclear contracts, unresolved commitments, and silence from the event’s leadership.

In a statement issued on Monday, MEIA said Maltese and international artists, cultural organisations, and participants involved in the 2026 edition had flagged concerns over contractual processes, professional conduct, communication failures and outstanding payments, without delving into any specifics.

The association said it formally brought the complaints to Heritage Malta Chairman and Malta Biennale President Mario Cutajar, the Biennale Executive Board, and artistic director Rosa Martínez after its first public statement earlier this year.

MEIA said it received no reply.

It said further complaints reached the association as the Biennale approached its conclusion, including reports of alleged contractual breaches and participants being left without clear information on matters affecting their professional obligations.

MEIA said it contacted Cutajar again, particularly because some participants had travelled to Malta for the dismantling phase. Again, no response was received.

The association said the issue was not simply administrative, but concerned how publicly backed cultural institutions treat the artists and practitioners whose work makes such events possible.

MEIA also criticised the Malta Biennale’s public response to another statement it had published three months ago, saying it failed to address the specific experiences being reported by participants.

In fact, the entertainment industry lobby’s complaints about the second Biennale stretch back to the original edition of the Biennale in 2024, with its feedback apparently falling on deaf ears, given the almost identical nature of its complaints from two years ago when compared to today.

At the time, Heritage Malta had dismissed MEIA’s criticism as detached from reality, pointing to positive survey results from the first edition, increased applications for the 2026 edition, and insisting that the authority is willing to be scrutinised by established oversight institutions.

MEIA is now questioning why a new Malta Biennale Foundation was established before the sector was given a transparent assessment of the second edition’s outcomes, challenges and lessons. The foundation was set up at MUŻA, with Cutajar named its first president and senior Heritage Malta officials placed on its executive board.

MEIA said the findings of an independent community-led survey launched after participants raised concerns will now be compiled and made public.

It said the Biennale’s success cannot be measured only by visibility or public profile, but by “professional standards, good governance, accountability” and the experience of the artists involved.

The latest row comes as Heritage Malta continues to present the Biennale as one of Malta’s flagship cultural projects. The 2026 edition was held across 11 Heritage Malta sites and museums and featured more than 130 artists from 44 countries.

The Shift previously reported that the first edition had already cost taxpayers at least €700,000 by May 2024, according to information obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

The spending included direct orders, foreign media trips, advertising and payments linked to the event, while Heritage Malta refused to publish contracts, citing commercial sensitivity as the official excuse.

The Shift had also revealed that the Biennale’s director, Rosa Martínez, was given a seven-month contract which included a basic payment of €67,590, equivalent to more than €12,000 a month, with travel costs fully covered by the Maltese government.

Heritage Malta, which is run by one of the Labour Party’s veteran loyalists, Mario Cutajar, has long been subjected to opaque public procurement processes and dubious hiring practices.

Last year, The Shift reported on at least 28 verified family connections within the agency, alongside repeated controversies over procurement and internal management.