Valletta 2018’s major multi-site exhibition, “Dal-Baħar Madwarha”, opens its doors to curious visitors across the Islands starting from the 10th of March. Curated by Maren Richter, large installations, performances and public interventions are taking place in both traditional and unexpected locations across Malta, exploring the idea of “islandness” in playful and critical ways.

Manaf Halbouni, a Syrian/German, Dresden-based artist invites us to imagine ourselves without a home.  What if our car, a symbol of freedom, became home due to war or misfortune? Malta’s controversial relationship with traffic congestion, real estate development, and the sense of displacement that comes with ever-increasing rental costs is here embodied in the nomadic image of the car.

Halbouni is providing shelter made of ‘veteran’ cars, which are placed in scenic places around Malta for people to book for one or a few nights, or experience as a recreational space.

Two sleeping cars will be open for booking in Valletta: 

Marsamxett Harbour – Triq il-Lanċa

Xatt il-Barriera

Other recreational cars around Malta and Gozo; 

Pretty Bay in Birżebbuġa

Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Qala (Gozo).

Book your stay today on –> https://goo.gl/forms/aCV5k8s5AUb3Hd9s1 or get in touch on –> [email protected]

 

Halbouni was born in Damascus, Syria. He now lives and works in Dresden, Germany. He gained fame with an art work titled “Monument” in Dresden, eastern Germany, where the installation made of three upturned buses (situated in the city centre) taken from the besieged town of Aleppo drew fierce criticism from far-right groups.

Check out an interview with Manaf Halbouni, who gives us an overview about his project below: