By Harrison Jacobs
March 11, 2026
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.”