Sofie Muller’s The Clean Room wins Best Pavilion award – Announcements

The inaugural edition of maltabiennale.art officially concluded earlier this month, with the closing ceremony hosted by Her Excellency the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, at the Verdala Palace. Organised by Heritage Malta under the patronage of UNESCO, the biennale took place across twelve historic sites in Maltese cities between 11 March and 31 May 2024. The biennale transformed Malta into an international hub of creativity, with art and dialogue focusing on the predominant themes of the Mediterranean and Malta.

More than 100 artists from 35 countries gathered for the first edition of maltabiennale.art under the artistic direction of Sofia Baldi Pighi. The biennale also featured several national and thematic pavilions.

The clean room by Sophie Müller, displayed at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta and commissioned by the Museum, won the award for best pavilion at the inaugural biennale.

Sofie Muller’s art relies on visceral sculpture and the incorporation of bodily fluids, exploring the essence of vulnerability. The clean room explores the ethical dimensions of reproductive technology and becomes a platform for critical discourse.

Conservative: Azad Asifovitch
Director of the pavilion: Asli SamadovaVice-President of the Museum (Paris)

Sophie Müller (b. 1974, Sint Niklaas) lives and works in Ghent. Her work weaves a complex narrative about the body, identity, gender and memory. Muller’s sculptures and children’s drawings embody mental states arising from the duality of body and mind. By articulating contradictions, exploring genetic transformation and reflecting on themes such as desire and exclusion, she examines the human condition. Muller’s ongoing exploration of individual vulnerability is supported by materials such as blood, smoke and alabaster, with bronze enriching her installations and works on paper. Her artistic quest strives to intimately approach human nature and the essence of life. Sofie Muller is a laureate of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts (2018).

Upcoming exhibitions: Rebel Garden: Bruges Triennial(Bruges, BE), The WatchersFox Jensen Gallery (Sydney, Australia), Birth of lifeMOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art (Krakow, PL)

Press kit here.