In 2016, Aude Franjou was invited to contribute to “The Rabbit-Duck Illusion“, a project presented by AP Valletta (Architecture Project Valletta) for the Venice Architecture Biennale, exhibited at Palazzo Mora. This thought-provoking installation explored the layered relationship between architecture, memory, and myth through an evocative collection of objects displayed in a purpose-built cabinet, reminiscent of an ethnographic museum.
Aude Franjou, alongside artists Madeleine Gera and Aaron Bezzina, was invited to respond artistically to a series of found objects collected from Malta’s architectural past — including wax heads, religious figures, and sculptural fragments. Her contribution embodied the idea that art can serve as a form of preservation, translating forgotten or discarded elements of the built environment into poetic forms. The project offered new interpretations of the past while calling attention to the fragility of cultural memory in the face of rapid development.
As reported in The Malta Independent, the work was not only a reflection on Malta’s architectural transformation but also a statement on the wider role of artists and architects in giving meaning to a changing world. The article notes that this installation “opens up history to a future of possibilities” and underlines the capacity of artists like Franjou to reinterpret collective heritage with sensitivity and imagination.
Franjou’s participation in the Biennale aligns with her ongoing artistic inquiry into material memory, transformation, and the living trace — themes at the core of her sculptural practice.
📍 The Venice Biennale – International Architecture Exhibition
Palazzo Mora, Venice
Year: 2016
Project curator: Architecture Project Valletta (AP Valletta) – Konrad Buhagiar, Tom van Malderen, Guillaume Dreyfuss, and Erica Giusta
