For the third time we have been involved in activities related to visual arts at Malta Festival Poznań (21-30 June, 2019). Taking place since 1991, it is probably the most recognizable cultural event in Poznań, as well as one of the most important theatre festivals in Europe.
This year, for the first time, the curator of the festival is an artist from outside the Old Continent. Nastio Mosquito is an Angolan author of performative and visual works, which include video projects, audio-visual installations, stand-ups, happenings and politically involved performances. He has presented his works at Tate Modern in London, MoMa in New York, as well as museums, theatres and festivals in Belgium, France, Germany and Portugal. His performance also opened this year's Venice Biennale.
Michał Merczyński, Malta Festival director: The 29th Malta Festival Poznań is taking place in an unusual time when the world around us, both the global and the local one nearby, is breaking down into many incompatible narratives and images. As Europeans, residents of democratic countries, we have become used to the concept that we live in the most peaceful times since World War II. What we tend to forget is that conflict is what determines the dynamics of our lives, our relationships within society and our opportunities. This why conflict, a tension between two states: war and peace, informs the Malta programme this year.
The Malta Festival is a unique meeting place for artists and intellectuals, people of diverse worldviews who share their knowledge, experience, passions and circumstances. The ten Festival days will be an amalgam of various projects: the Army of the Individual Idiom (curated by Nástio Mosquito), the community art programme Generator Malta, outdoor performances and theatre premieres (including Hańba, based on John Maxwell Coetzee’s novel Disgrace, coproduced by Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce), and the Art Stations Foundation dance programme. All this will be accompanied by film shows, discussions and concerts. The diversity and general accessibility of the events is what gives Malta its special character and provides abundant opportunities to meet at the intersection of various disciplines, forms and expectations.
For the purposes of the festival, we have donated almost 200 m of faux leather Urban in the colours: Abysse (navy blue), Reglisse (black) and Tomate (red), which will be used to create festival gadgets, backpacks and hip pouches. We have selected this material due to its durability, easy maintenance and a wide range of colours. Our fabrics will also be present in Plac Wolności (Freedom Square) as building materials for the festival village.
We are happy to locally support this large-scale international cultural event as part of our cooperation programme with cultural institutions. More information about the events that we support can be found here.
photo: Maciej Zakrzewski