Venice Biennale: Malta's Pavilion.
4:31 p.m.The Maltese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale presents Diplomazija astuta (Cunning Diplomacy), a re-imagining of Caravaggio's iconic 1608 piece "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist", a work he did for the Co-Cathedral of Saint John of Valletta, in Malta.
It is presented as a site-specific, kinetic and immersive installation that overlaps the biblical narrative with the present, rewriting what defined Caravaggio's 17th century altar with contemporary visual culture. For this, the curatorial team includes us in the composition and in the space of the depiction of such a complex moment of tragedy and brutality. How? The semi-dark atmosphere of the painting was recreated and the characters were represented with iron basins that simulate altars. Everything is in perfect compositional harmony, as it results in Caravaggio's work. This austere scenery places us inside what was a prison in the 1600s. But to recreate the artist's light, a program was used that activates a system that melts steel at 1500 degrees Celsius. Every once in a while it drops the glowing metal into the tubs containing water. Once the fiery red metal cools the entire venue is dark again.
Diplomazija astuta (Cunning Diplomacy), by Arcangelo Sassolino (2022)
Materials: steel, water, electric system
This is one of the most visited pavilions due to its spectacular nature, but few delve into everything that is hidden behind the bars, which, for security reasons, separate us from the center of the installation.
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