Clever diplomacy – Announcements – e-flow
Clever diplomacy is the title of the chosen curatorial project that will represent Malta at the 59th Venice Biennale.
The Maltese Pavilion, curated by an international team led by Keith Sciberras (Malta) and Jeffrey Uslip (US), contains a collaboration between artists Arcangelo Sassolino (Italy), Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci (Malta) and composer Brian Schembri (Malta), which will re-articulate Caravaggio’s seminal altar Removal of St. John the Baptist (1608) as an immersive, kinetic, sculptural installation.
Through their signature artistic vocabularies, Sassolino, Schembri Bonaci, and Schembri will connect this biblical narrative with contemporary culture, transposing the zeitgeist of the Decollato Oratory in Valletta, Malta (the site of Caravaggio’s innovative canvas from the 17th century) on Malta Pavilion. Clever diplomacy it subsequently puts Caravaggio’s immanent themes back into modern life, addressing many of the global challenges we face in today’s world, from inequality to justice and peace.
Anchored in Maltese creative talent and art history, Clever diplomacy, raises the potential for art to move us forward through complex moments in time. The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government José Herrera states, “With the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in mind, this iteration of the Maltese Pavilion shows how art can represent the ideologies and ideals of society. Our Malta project presents a transcendental cultural experience where viewers imagine a path to reconciliation; we are very proud to present this outstanding project in one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary art in the world. “
The Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for the Arts Albert Marshall states, “This extraordinary and timely installation – an invention of the collaborative creative effort between our curators and artists – brings out a Maltese Pavilion that puts what is said to have passed with what is still unfolding. A clever diplomacy creates a palimpsest that operates uniquely in the areas of Caravaggio’s altar and contemporary Maltese visual culture. ”
Arts Council Malta, under the auspices of the Malta Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, has been entrusted with acting as the Commissioner and Contracting Authority of the Malta Pavilion at the 59th International Exhibition of Art of the Venice Biennale. Arts Council Malta is the national agency for development and investment in the cultural and creative sectors. Its central task is to effectively fund, support and promote the cultural and creative sectors in Malta.