Eve Cocks: What is Unfinished Art Space and why did you choose ‘Unfinished’ as a title?

Margerita Pulè: Unfinished Art Space is an independent, artist-run, nomadic contemporary art space. It is run by Unfinished Foundation, a registered NGO with three co-founders (Karen Xuereb, Karsten Xuereb and I). We’ve been running this new initiative since July of last year. We work with an open collaborative ethos, and want to facilitate the creation of contemporary and risk-taking art – something that we believe is needed in our local context. We each have our own relevant area of expertise – from contemporary art, to cultural policy and legal affairs. So far, we’ve produced four very different projects with various Maltese and international artists. For the time-being, Unfinished Art Space is ‘unfinished’ as it does not have its own space. We’re still quite new, so we are – quite literally – a work in progress. I think we will keep changing and always try to keep an experimental ethos, using different spaces and working with different people, thus we will never be quite 100% finished.

Letta Shtohryn
Ritual Crossover, installation view within Daily Bread, in collaboration with the What Do We Do Now, at The Mill, Birkirkara
2019
© Unfinished Art Space & What Do We Do Now

EC: In 2013, artist and curator Bettina Hutschek founded the NGO Fragmenta Malta as a platform to present contemporary art in the form of pop-up exhibitions across local public spaces. What prompted you to co-found Unfinished Art Space and how does it relate or differ to Fragmenta?

MP: I’m a friend of Bettina and admire her work, which I find very thoughtful but also quite light and humorous. I suppose we are similar in that we operate on an independent and nomadic basis, and in that we want to engage with topics that are slightly off the beaten track. But we are different of course, because we’re different people with different curatorial practices. I suppose you could say Unfinished Art Space is inspired by Fragmenta rather than trying to emulate it.

Following the increase in cultural activities during 2018, it did seem that during the following year there was a thirst for more of the really interesting projects that had taken place in Malta during that year. There were also a few great initiatives taking place at the same time like Fragmenta and Utopian Nights. So, there was a real need for a flexible, independent initiative that could provide a platform for artists to show their work, and that could operate on a freer basis than some of the more established organisations operating in Malta at the moment.

We also wanted to be a proactive project in that we didn’t want to bemoan problems in the local art scene without attempting to do something about them, and I think we’re not alone. In the last few months there have been a few great initiatives launched like Kixott in Mosta and DESKOin Valletta. I think the more of these initiatives there are in Malta, the better. Along with other independent spaces and galleries, and alongside larger institutions, we can all contribute to a healthier and more independent art scene with a hopefully more engaged audience.

Etienne Farrell & Charlene Galea
JOYCE (from the ‘Jien’ project to be shown by Unfinished Art Space in February 2020)
Digital Photograph
December 2018

EC: Can you tell us about your curatorial practice and your process of choosing artists?

MP: Curatorially, I’ve been working quite instinctively so far. It’s been quite refreshing – after working with two government entities – to be able to work independently and quickly, going from idea to exhibition in a relatively short space of time.

I think most people’s artistic or curatorial practice reflects their ideologies, and their character, so I presume I’m no exception. Most of the curation I’ve done with Unfinished Art Space deals in some way with socio-political issues, and obviously I enjoy collaborating with artists whose work I find exciting. In October of last year, for example, we hosted Italian artist Alex Urso, who completed the last leg of a three-part pan-European project here in Malta. His GRAND HOTEL EUROPA project explored the rise of nationalistic movements around Europe, taking its name from an old hotel on the Adriatic coast, representing a stability and unity in Europe, currently threatened by these far-right beliefs.

I’ve worked in quite a few shows with Malta-based Ukrainian artist Letta Shtohryn. Her work is interesting, both in terms of medium, and in terms of the themes of her work. For example, her video work for our Daily Bread exhibition at The Mill in Birkirkara was an exploration of shell companies and money-laundering practices, with a deceptively simple link to Old Bakery Street in Valletta. I also enjoy working with artists on a personal level – the energy they bring to a project or to a space when we’re working on a project is inspiring – ideas are traded and developed, friendships are formed, and some great artworks are made.

Roxman Gatt
My Womxn is a God my God is a Womxn (2019) – to be performed again in February 2020 as part of ‘Strangers in a Strange Land’ exhibition
Performance & Sound: Roxman Gatt
Choreography: Roxman Gatt, Sim Gray
Moving Image: Roxman Gatt, Sim Gray
Filming: Sunny Dancers, Roxman Gatt Sim Gray, Chyrsso Cosmas, Eleni Papazoglou, Rosalind Wilson
Photo credit: Bobby Whittaker

EC: What upcoming projects are you working on?

MP: We’re producing a really exciting project in February – March of this year called Strangers in a Strange Land. It’s a feminist project-exhibition, bringing together great artists to react to their experiences of living in a world designed by and for men. It’s 2020 and you would think that by now this topic wouldn’t even be interesting any more, but actually it’s still very relevant to all women and their lives, and it’s still important that we talk about these experiences and challenge the status quote. We were very happy to be awarded funding from the Arts Council’s Project Support Grant which means that we are able to put some resources into the project and fully support the artists’ work. The show is also taking place as part of Spazju Kreattiv’s Art+Feminism project, which is great as it gives it a wider international context.

Within the project, Etienne Farrell and Charlene Galea are collaborating to produce a photo-series for the exhibition. Roxman Gatt will be exhibiting work she has shown in the UK in 2019, and she’ll be showing performance that she has been looking forward to bringing to Malta. Letta Shtohryn is creating a new piece installation piece, drawing on many influences and in her typically investigative style. Barumbara Collective will be creating a new work for the exhibition; I had seen their work at Valletta Contemporary last year, and I’m looking forward to seeing a development of the performance. Bettina Hutschek will be contributing to the project’s catalogue with a new direction in her work, which I’m quite excited about too.

Lastly, in a luck twist of timing, we’re opening on Valentine’s Day (14 February with Barumbara’s performance), and closing on International Women’s Day (8 March), so our dates are easy to remember, and fitting to the project!

READ MORE about UNFINISHED ART SPACE and its upcoming exhibition here

FEATURED IMAGE: Margerita Pulè during The Cement Truck Procession (An art intervention in a busy seaside town) Photo credit: Elisa von Brockdorff