Diplomazija Astuta
Caravaggio’s biblical tragedy is cast in an incandescent new light for the Malta Pavilion’s 2022 Venice Biennale show
The image of fire raining down from the heavens is universally understood as a harbinger of Earth’s apocalyptic demise. So when the Malta Pavillion drip-fed 400 pounds of incandescent molten steel per day from the ceiling of an industrial complex for the 59th Venice Biennale, that fearsome End-Times dread was almost visceral.
The site-specific installation, titled Diplomazija astuta (Cunning Diplomacy), is a reimagining of Caravaggio’s Baroque masterpiece “The Beheading of St John the Baptist.” Completed in 1608, the seminal altarpiece still hangs in the same cathedral in Malta for which it was commissioned. The melting metal—viscose, like the congealed blood of a martyr, creates streams of light that break through the darkness of the room, evoking the chiaroscuro effect synonymous with Caravaggio’s style.
The biblical execution of St John the Baptist turns the Pavillion into a reflective space for reconciliation with injustices of the past and invites audiences to experience historical tragedy in the present day. Anchored in Maltese creative talent and art history, Diplomazija astuta, elevates the potential for art to lead us forward through complex moments in time.
Arts Council Malta Executive Chairman Albert Marshall states, “This extraordinary and timely installation—an invention of the collaborative creative effort between our curators and artists—puts forth a Maltese Pavilion that layers that which is said to have passed with that which is still unfolding. Diplomazija astuta creates a palimpsest that uniquely operates within the realms of Caravaggio’s altarpiece and contemporary Maltese visual culture.”
The Malta Pavilion is commissioned by Arts Council Malta and project led by Dr Romina Delia. It is co-curated by Keith Sciberras and Jeffrey Uslip. The featured artists are Arcangelo Sassolino, Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, with music composed by Brian Schembri.
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Diplomazija Astuta
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