Identities Beyond Borders, curated by Benedetta Carpi De Resmini, continues its European journey with its fifth chapter which opened on 17 June 2026 at MUŻA - The National Community Art Museum, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Valletta and with the support of the Embassy of Italy in Malta.
Promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the occasion of the twenty‑fifth anniversary of the Farnesina Collection, the project offers a layered reflection on identity in the contemporary world-an identity shaped by ecological crises, migratory movements, geopolitical tensions, and deep cultural fractures. Originally conceived as a three‑stop travelling exhibition, it has gradually evolved into an open space for exploring how individual and collective identities are formed, transformed, and continuously redefined across geographies where cultures, languages, and worldviews intersect.
Following its Paris chapter, the exhibition arrives in Valletta, a city that symbolises Southern Europe and its encounter between Mediterranean culture and environmental challenges. Malta's geographical and cultural position places it at the heart of urgent conversations on climate change, migration, and the future of communities. Here, art becomes a lens through which to consider the environment, belonging, and the shifting identities that emerge from these pressures.
The exhibition opens with Fibonacci by Mario Merz, a metaphor for organic, non‑hierarchical knowledge that expands through connections and branching paths. The journey unfolds through three thematic sections-Roots of Resistance, Unstable Ecologies, and Geographies of Detachment-each addressing contemporary tensions from radical and plural perspectives.
Roots of Resistance brings together pioneering figures of the female avant‑garde, including Tomaso Binga, Carla Accardi, Ketty La Rocca, Maria Lai and Elisa Montessori, in dialogue with Elena Bellantoni, Silvia Giambrone, Marinella Senatore and Loredana Di Lillo. Here, subversion becomes a living practice in which body and language act as tools of emancipation.
Geographies of Detachment explores rupture as lived experience. Works by Gea Casolaro, Agnese Purgatorio and Sarah Ciracì trace maps of urban, social, and emotional wounds, while Ra di Martino, Marta Roberti and Paola Gandolfi depict figures suspended between the human and the non‑human-liminal presences that question identity as a process of continual becoming.
In Unstable Ecologies, works by Letizia Battaglia, Silvia Camporesi, Martina Della Valle, Iginio De Luca, Elena Mazzi and Laura Pugno position the landscape as a vulnerable yet regenerative organism, inviting reflection on new modes of coexistence.
As in previous chapters, the Maltese edition includes site‑specific interventions and additional works that deepen the dialogue with its host context. The poem selected for this chapter, Rima di Mari (2002) by Tomaso Binga, resonates with Malta's relationship with the Mediterranean, amplifying the presence of the sea as a space of transit and identity redefinition.
Gea Casolaro presents Chi utilizza più lettere vince (2019), a work that invites viewers to consider how the construction of meaning can open pathways to cultural change grounded in dialogue and openness. She also presents the video Prima che la notte duri per sempre (2015), addressing oil exploitation and its environmental consequences, underscoring the urgency of collective action.
The exhibition also features Ammophila arenaria (2025) by Laura Pugno, an amphora engraved with the image of the coastal plant essential to dune stability. In dialogue with the Maltese shoreline, the work reflects on nature's resilience, regeneration, and resistance.
The opening event included a special conversation with artists Laura Pugno and Gea Casolaro, who discussed the themes and works presented in the exhibition. The exhibition will close on 16 August, 2026.