A photographic exhibition by Martin Bertrand titled ‘Refuge and Reconstruction’ is currently on display at the Archbishop’s Palace in Valletta. It explores what happens after migrants arrive in Malta—covering the waiting, learning, relationships, and daily life processes through which those seeking protection begin to rebuild their lives in Malta.
The exhibition is being organized by the French Embassy in Malta and the Migrants Commission, in collaboration with the Archbishop’s Delegate for Culture and MELA. The exhibition was launched by Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi. In his speech, he said: “When we see these photographs, we become aware of the people behind these images, who call us towards hospitality, responsibility and solidarity.”
Situated at the centre of the Mediterranean, Malta brings together many of the tensions surrounding migration in contemporary Europe. While arrivals by sea have declined significantly in recent years, questions of asylum, accommodation, integration and belonging remain part of the lived reality of the island.
Bertrand’s project initially set out to document how Malta was responding to migration in the Mediterranean: meeting people being received, observing the structures surrounding them and tracing the human consequences of European migration policies. As the work developed, however, its focus gradually shifted. The question was no longer simply one of reception or waiting, but of what comes afterwards.
Working alongside organisations including the Migrants Commission and its Welcoming Centre in Balzan, SkateUni and Spark15, Bertrand encountered different spaces and experiences of rebuilding life in Malta. His work also explores the contrasting reality of the state-run centres at Ħal Far: geographically isolated spaces where architecture, roads, fences and the surrounding landscape themselves become part of the experience of waiting and exclusion.
The exhibition unfolds as a journey through these different spaces.
Moving beyond familiar representations of Mediterranean migration centred on boats, borders and moments of emergency, Refuge and Reconstruction turns its attention towards what follows: relationships being formed, languages and ways of life being learned, periods of uncertainty endured, and initiatives through which people gradually regain agency over their lives.
In doing so, the exhibition invites a wider question: what does it mean not simply to receive someone, but to make belonging possible?
The exhibition runs until 25 October 2026. It is open daily from 9am to 12:00pm. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, it is also open from 4pm to 8pm. Admission is free.
