Fire Rains As Melted Boundaries Pushed Into Malta Pavilion At Venice Biennale
Some of the finest of the islands are preparing for a spectacular display at the Malta Pavilion at the 59th La Biennale di Venezia 2022 International Art Exhibition.
Always a key point in the international artistic calendar, the Malta Pavilion in Venice this year is entitled Clever diplomacyand you will see a reimagining of Caravaggio’s seminal altar The beheading of St. John the Baptist as “an immersive and sculptural installation that unites the biblical narrative on the present that runs from 1608 to 2022, from noetics to metaphysics”.
“With the transposition of the zeitgeist of the Decollato Oratory in Valletta on the Malta Pavilion, Clever diplomacy re-introduces Caravaggio’s immanent themes into modern life, prompting viewers to share a space where the tragedy and brutality of St. John’s execution are now experienced, the injustices of the the past will be reconciled and common humanist principles can be upheld in the future, ”said the post-Pavilion team.
This year, the Pavilion will be turning up the heat, literally, with an installation of “rain of fire” that will be turning its head.
Using induction technology, Italian artist Arcangelo Sassolino created a kinetic installation that raises molten steel droplets falling from a structure on a head in seven water basins, each representing a subject in Cutting the head.
Upon contact with water, the orange embers bright yellow, cool and fade into darkness.
Composer Brian Schembri created a “percussive score” based on a number of motifs.
He led “Ut queant laxis, ” the hymn of Gregorian Chant attributed to Guido d’Arezzo in honor of John the Baptist; rhythmic motifs derived from Carlo Diacono’s two hymns composed on the same Latin text; and Charles Camilleri ‘Missa Mundi, ” to choreograph the time and frequency of each descending ember.
Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci’s engravings in the installation itself (sculpted ciphertext) propose a “heartbreaking salute that brings knowledge beyond and into our grasp”.
Clever diplomacy postpones that the rapid evolution of the industrial progress of Modernism has reached its climax in the capacity of humanity to destroy itself.
For its part, for society to incorporate its future self into the present, the signal material of Modernism — steel — must be melted down physically, metaphorically, and spiritually to create a space for new progress.
“This extraordinary and timely installation — an invention of the collaborative creative effort between our curators and our artists — brings a Malta Pavilion that refines what is said to be past with what is still unfolding. A clever diplomacy creates a palimpsest that operates uniquely within the realms of Caravaggio’s altar and contemporary Maltese visual culture, ”said Albert Marshall, Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for the Arts.
Curated by Keith Sciberras and Jeffrey Uslip, a project led by Nikki Petroni and Esther Flury and supported by the Arts Council Malta, this visionary installation is a must-see for everyone in Venice from April 23rd to 27th. November.
Find out more following this link.
Portraits: Agostino Osio
Mark someone who wants to go to Venice to capture this impressive Pavilion