The Malta Pavilion will be presenting a curatorial project titled ‘Diplomazija Astuta’ which was selected by a team engaged by the Pavilion Commissioner which is Arts Council Malta within the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.
This project is curated by Prof. Keith Sciberras and Jeffrey Uslip, with the participating artists being Arcangelo Sassolino, Prof. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci and Maestro Brian Schembri, with Dr Nikki Petroni, and Esther Flury onboard as project managers. The project will be translating Caravaggio’s ‘The Beheading of St. John the Baptist’ (1608) to modern times through a site-specific artistic installation that ties biblical narratives with contemporary culture.
The Valletta Cultural Agency and the Valletta 2018 Foundation before it, works regularly with a number of these renowned artists as well as with other members of the team. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci has served as Artistic Director of the Strada Stretta Concept since 2015 where, together with Nikki Petroni – who is a Coordinator within the Strada Stretta Concept – and the entire team created and produced a number of artistic events that give life to Strada Stretta. The Agency has also worked closely with renowned international conductor Brian Schembri on a series of highly-popular music performances in the community.
This installation will honour historical art exchanges, that date back centuries, between Malta and Italy. It will also be addressing important challenges that the world is facing today: inequality, justice and peace. The modern representation of the tragic and violent execution of St John, which will be set in the present day, will allow viewers a thorough examination of justice and peace.
