Malta’s Unhealthy Overdevelopment Obsession Makes It To London Exhibition
When Marcin Piekalkiewicz moved to Msida in 2017, he quickly became fascinated with Malta’s unique cityscape stylings.
The urban developments mixed in near the sea, with green spaces spotted here and there, provided a compelling and interesting aesthetic to photograph. But as he began to plant roots on the island – even having a daughter in Malta – he began to realise the scope of how obsessed the island was with construction.
Today, the photography he took during his time on the island has been exhibited around the world – with his work now being shown in an exhibition in the Copeland Gallery, London.
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“In 2019, my then-landlord asked me to leave the apartment I lived in because he was planning to build another floor on top of it,” Piekalkiewicz told Lovin Malta.
“I moved to a different neighbourhood in the same town and soon discovered that my new street, which was just 80-metre long, had five active construction sites,” he continued.
“The noise and dust were everywhere: on my terrace, in the living room, and even in my bedroom.”
Unfortunately, the situation did not improve, even after his daughter was born.
“In mid-2020, while I was enjoying the first months of parenthood, the building opposite to mine was bought by a developer and destroyed,” he recounted. “Their plan was to build a luxurious block of apartments with a swimming pool on top. Playing on the terrace with my daughter became impossible because of the noise and dust from the demolition site.”
By 2021, Piekalkiewicz had left the island, and began exhibiting his perspective on Malta’s construction boom to international audiences.
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Pictured above: his work exhibited in Russia from the project ‘Built On Sand’
“The reaction is often a surprise,” Piekalkiewicz said. “People tend to associate Malta with the qualities it can offer to tourists (beautiful beaches, paradise for divers, etc.), which is understandable. However, I rarely encounter people who would know the perspective of someone living in Malta, rather than the perspective of a tourist.”
“Malta is a beautiful place – but this beauty is being lost,” he continued. “Economic progress can be good but it needs to be regulated properly in order to be socially and environmentally sustainable. Otherwise, it actually brings more damage than gains.”
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Piekalkiewicz wanted to explore the crossover of Malta’s political and environmental situation, and how it is shaped by neoliberal capitalist systems.
“I’m interested in using the photographic medium to visualise tangible effects of the invisible and abstract economic processes, like the ones driving the construction boom in Malta,” he said.
“Of course, I’d love my project to draw the attention of policymakers or local politicians. However, I have an impression that their attention has already been drawn by what’s generally happening on the island.”
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Piekalkiewicz hopes that as his daughter grows, the situation will begin to change – but he isn’t holding his breath.
“I’m rather pessimistic, but there is still hope,” he sighed. “Some activist groups, like Moviment Graffitti for example, continue their battle and sometimes thanks to their actions a controversial permit can be revoked. But is this enough… or do we need a proper political change?”
“As my daughter was born in Malta, I will definitely come back one day to show her her birthplace. Time will tell whether what she is going to witness will be an island of concrete or an island where nature is still present and one can find peace and quietness.”
You can check out more of Marcin Piekalkiewicz’s work by visiting his website.
His current installation is part of exhibition Atlas, held at Copeland Gallery, London. The exhibition was curated by Lisa Barnard and Vivienne Gamble.
Do you think Malta’s got an overdevelopment obsession?
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