‘Stories from the Maltese Diaspora’,an exhibition which includes a mix of visual art practices that examine the stories of migration of past and present, will be held at Blitz in Valletta between the 30th of June and the 14th of July 2018.

The concept of return will be addressed through a series of artworks by Charlie Cauchi ranging from photography and audio to built structures and moving images. Each room at Blitz will serve as an individual gallery to tell a unique story of migration. This exhibition is part of Latitude 36, a Valletta 2018 project that deals with the concept of identity.

Latitude 36 invited a number of artists to create their own original work in Malta, which reflects the objectives of the project by exploring the stories and experiences of the Maltese. Apart from the exhibition, the project is giving Maltese audiences a unique opportunity to discover their national history by participating in innovative performances by internationally acclaimed artists who have exhibited at festivals around the world such as The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and La Mama in New York. Fun, creative and sometimes funny, these representations hold the Maltese national identity at their core.

Walking:Holding is a participatory representation by the international artist Rosana Cade, offering a gentle exploration of identity, contact and intimacy in urban public space. This subtle representation is an experiment which involves audience members walking around the city for a few minutes hand in hand with various artists. The experience of different identities, urban environment as well as questions on the social diversity and cultural codes in each city will be explored during this experiment where strangers share an intimate moment in public. Walking:Holding will be held on Friday 6th July between 6.30pm and 9.30pm and Saturday 7th July between 3pm and 9pm at Blitz.

Nick Cassenbaum shares stories about his upbringing in a family of Jews who live in Essex in ‘Bubble Schmesis’. The artist describes his experiences as a foreigner and the various forms of anti-Semitism encountered over the years. ‘Bubble Schmesis’ will be held on Monday 9th July and Tuesday 10th July between 7pm and 9pm at Blitz.

This project consists of three sections: departure, visit, and return, and deals with stories of migration and immigration by traveling around the world to look for stories of what it means to leave one’s country. Names after the geographical location of the Maltese Islands, Latitude 36 detects both personal and collective narratives of people who left their homeland, including Maltese communities in the UK, America and Canada. The aim of this project is to present new perspectives on issues of migration, memory and creative identity, by presenting the stories of these individuals across various artistic platforms.

The main exhibition will be held at Blitz in Valletta between the 30th of June and the 14th of July. It opens from Tuesday to Friday between 1pm and 6pm and every Saturday between 10am and 1pm.

Latitude 36 is part of the Valletta 2018 Cultural Programme. For a full list of performances and more information visit https://valletta2018.org/news/latitude-36-at-blitz-stories-from-the-maltese-diaspora/