Troy’s legacy meets international audiences in Malta

ISTANBUL

The “Troy Pavilion,” organized by the Çanakkale Biennial Initiative (CABININ) and curated by Deniz Erbaş, has opened as part of the official program of the second Malta Biennale.

According to a statement from CABININ, the pavilion was inaugurated at the Old Armoury building in the historic Maltese city of Birgu, presenting Troy’s multilayered heritage to the contemporary art scene of the Mediterranean.

The opening ceremony was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Valletta Barkın Kayaoğlu and Heritage Malta Chair Mario Cutajar.

Speaking at the event, Kayaoğlu said the project was not merely an exhibition but a “gesture of cultural dialogue” built within the shared contemporary art context of the Mediterranean.

Curator Erbaş also highlighted the connection between the exhibition and the Malta Biennale.

“Like the Malta Biennale, the Çanakkale Biennial has for nearly 20 years pursued a mission to bring the rich cultural, social and natural heritage of our city together with the international contemporary art scene and to position Çanakkale as an important art and cultural city in the Mediterranean basin,” Erbaş said.

The exhibition presents Troy not only as an ancient city but also as a point where mythology and contemporary art intersect.

Works by artists David Blandy, Georgios Katsagelos, Jakob Gautel, Katrin Korfmann, Jens Pfeifer, Pınar Yolaçan and Seyhan Boztepe are featured in the exhibition.

Through different disciplines, including video, photography and installation, the artists reinterpret Troy in relation to today’s world.

The exhibition was realized with the support of the Dr. Gökhan Gündoğdu Museum and Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, in cooperation with the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Çanakkale Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Fine Arts and the Troy Excavations.

Project consultancy for the exhibition was undertaken by Troy Excavation Head Professor Rüstem Aslan and Professor Didem Çatal.

The exhibition will remain open in Malta until May 29 and will conclude with a talk on Troy by Professor Rüstem Aslan. It will later reopen in Adana at the Dr. Gökhan Gündoğdu Museum with the participation of additional artists.