The 2003 Malta International Biennale, being held between June 14 and October 1, will be present in Malta in 15 venues and simultaneously in France, the UK, the United States, and, for the first time, in Russia.
The marvellously elegant and spacious Municipal Gallery A3 of Moscow will host the Malta Biennale from August 19 to 29, following an agreement finalised at Villa Tempra, Mgarr, between Ludmila Natchinkina, the gallery's cultural consultant and Dame Françoise Tempra, founder-president of the Malta Biennale and the vice-president, Fr Marius Zerafa, former director of museums.
Ms Natchinkina, a former cultural events adviser at the Russian Embassies in Rome and Sofia, is also a member of the Moscow Municipal Gallery A3 Art Council with other distinguished representatives of the Pushkin Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery and Director Patsukov of the Malevich Centre.
During this third visit to Malta she was accompanied by William Vahan, a writer, journalist and translator. Malta will be represented at the Moscow exhibition by some 30 artists - mostly guests of honour, recipients of previous Biennale awards and distinctions or judges.
Ms Natchinkina is also selecting the Russian artists who will participate in the 2003 Malta Biennale and has planned a donation of works to the Tempra Museum for Contemporary Art in Malta of a pictorial work by Olga Brel and a photographic work by Victor Brel, two of the Russian artists selected for the 2003 Malta Biennale.
Another Russian artist taking part in the Biennale is composer, guitarist and conductor Valery Prosandeyev, who give a performance at the De Porres Cultural Centre, Sliema.
Meanwhile, an exhibition by German Marcos, a Peruvian artist, musician and poet who lives in Canada is being held at the De Porres Centre. It will remain open until Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m.
For this exhibition, a Californian team of artists and German Marcos fans were led to Malta, in time for the opening last Tuesday, by Roxanne Ravelli, Malta Biennale delegate for California. They included interior designers, fashion designers and Salsa dancers Dalia Auren, Vivian Galleran, Isis Awad, Liliana Bocanegra and Robert Rems.
A lunch for the US and Canadian guests and in honour of German Marcos was held at Villa Tempra. Those present included Jackie Laferla, Joseph Muscat, Fr Zerafa and Dr Victor Ragonesi, trustee of the Tempra Museum for Contemporary Art and the Biennale's legal adviser.
A Californian exhibition of the Malta Biennale is planned for the first week of August, featuring works from some 20 participating countries, including Malta.