Valletta Contemporary presents “comino will be different next summer” through April 20.

The Comino Island of the Maltese archipelago was a small rural community until industrialization began in the region with the arrival of hotels in the 1960s. Since then, tourism has increasingly grown, causing rapid destruction of the island’s nature. The exhibition tells the story of the decades of destruction the island has endured and emphasizes the civil call to protect its natural heritage.

The show’s title is a quote from Clayton Bartolo, Malta’s tourism minister. In 2022, in response to increased pressure from activists, Bartolo announced “Comino will be different next summer,” promising that the government would address the issue of environmental degradation. However, the exhibition argues that the promise has proven empty over the past two years and asks how Comino can truly be different.

Curated by Maria Eileen Fsadni, the show features artists Joanna Demarco, Inigo Taylor, Mario Asef, Sheldon Saliba, and Daphne Caruana Galizia. The exhibition is organized as part of the Malta Biennale 2024.