This book captures the essence of the Spazju Kreattiv Art Collection as it stood on the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the organisation entrusted with the legal remit to operate Malta’s national centre for creativity since 2000. It is intended primarily as a point of reference for the organisation’s permanent art collection, ensuring that the works contained within it remain as visible and accessible as possible to the public.

The Spazju Kreattiv Art Collection contains a relatively large number of works of art gathered by Fondazzjoni Ċentru Għall-Kreattività since its inception as Malta’s millennium project. When the historical building known as St James Cavalier, which is part of the Valletta fortifications built by the Order of the Knights of St John in the late 17th century, was converted into the national centre for creativity was highly evident that one of its major functions was to host exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Almost all of the works in the permanent collection have been acquired after they appeared in exhibitions hosted by the organisation.

This publication contains a presentation of the findings from a five-year research project led by Toni Sant, Spazju Kreattiv’s former artistic director. The general “art as archive” approach that drives this book is captured primarily in the written documents reproduced in the first part of this book. The second part of the book contains full-page images of works in the collection, along with curatorial notes and relevant contextual images from the organisation’s archives. Most of the works acquired between 2000 and 2020 are presented here. Some exceptions include works on which archival discovery is still being made. The third part of the book provides a glimpse into the collection’s future care.