The second edition of the Malta Biennale opened in previews this week, and it was not without controversy. Women on Waves, a nonprofit that provides information on safe abortion in restrictive settings, accused the Biennale’s organizers of “censoring” an artwork by the organization just before the opening on Tuesday.
The work originally featured a banner reading Need Abortion Pills? in English and Maltese. According to a press release from Women on Waves, the banner was altered, at the Biennale’s request, to read Do You Need a Safe Abortion?, with the word Pills crossed out. The nonprofit said organizers then informed them that these changes were “not suitable” and that a new banner would need to be produced. The following day, Women on Waves said they were told the artwork would be removed because it did not meet “minimum aesthetic quality standards to be shown in an international biennale.”
The Biennale, however, told ARTnews that the artwork is “still in place in its entirety.” Lisa Gwen Chetcuti, director of communications for the Biennale, said in an email, “It is a shame that they are mistaking curatorial direction for censorship, as they did not follow the agreed curatorial input for parts of their installation.”
Women on Waves pushed back on this framing when it was presented by ARTnews, writing in an email that organizers “tried to take it down on Tuesday. However they needed a scaffold and it seems they have not been able to organise this. And perhaps the press coverage dissuaded them.”
Malta has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the European Union. Until 2023, abortion was illegal in all circumstances. An amendment passed that year allows the termination of a pregnancy if the mother’s life is in grave jeopardy or immediate risk that could lead to death.
In a statement, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, founder of Women on Waves, said, “There is nothing uglier than censorship. Abortion with medication is the only safe method available to Maltese women. By censoring the word ‘Pills’, the Biennale is harming these women by withholding critical health information pertaining to their health. This violates women’s right to scientific information and our right to expression and free speech.”
A video filmed by a Women on Waves member and reviewed by ARTnews appears to show a man attempting to take down the artwork but being unable to do so because he did not have a tall enough ladder. A man who appeared to work for the Biennale then chastised the member for filming the attempt to remove the banner.
