The Mqabba Wall’s design, prepared by The Malta Walls (TMW) Foundation, features 12 blocks forming a circle, representing a contemporary megalithic temple. It is a wall that unites spaces and that is not intended to exclude, isolate or put up borders. In fact, the site hosting this artistic project is a roundabout in the outskirts of Mqabba, close to the neighbouring village of Qrendi, home to the temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnadrja; UNESCO world heritage sites. The said roundabout is surrounded by baroque sculptures and leads to the Paleo-Christian Catacombs located in Mqabba.
In October 2018, the Mqabba Wall, which is a celebration of contemporary art and culture, will start to take shape. In the coming years, local and foreign artists will be requested by the Mqabba Local Council and by TMW Foundation to submit their sketches in order to sculpt one block yearly. This will render the site a living art space, hosting various pieces by artists of different age, background, artistic formation and thinking. TMW Foundation, with its limestone wall, will be leaving a contemporary artistic footprint on the Maltese islands. The limestone will be obtained from quarries surrounding the village, as Mqabba is well-known for its limestone quarries.
The Mqabba Wall is commissioned by the Mqabba Local Council and is an original creation of TMW Foundation, founded by Mr Antoine Farrugia, a local sculptor, Mr Volker Hauswirth, a German Sculptor and Mr Andreas Wil Gerdes, an entrepreneur. This artistic project will be inaugurated in October 2018 as part of the activities forming part of the Mqabba Day and is endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, thus forming part of the artistic programme of the European Capital of Culture.