The APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale is a project that has developed over the course of two decades. From a modest exhibition focusing on Catholic-inspired art, it has been transformed into a large-scale international event that questions the role of art today and its communication with art from previous eras. Nikki Petroni speaks with artistic director Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci about the philosophy behind the APS Mdina Biennale and his thoughts on contemporary art.
Since the 2015 edition, the APS Mdina Biennale has opened up new trajectories for local and international contemporary art. This year’s chosen theme is ‘The Mediterranean: A Sea of Conflicting Spiritualities’. What are the ideas that guide your method of artistic direction?
It is imperative for me that a contemporary art biennale, and all artistic gatherings for that matter, should be a centre for the exchange of ideas and experiences with artists from all over the world uniting to challenge the particular theme. The interrelationships between artists and the theme, between artists and artists, and between artists and the space, all have to be taken into account and dealt with as the project unfolds. Every detail is considered carefully for the exhibition to be holistic and to flow from one space to the next.
How did artists respond to a theme that is both relevant to contemporary politics and that alludes to the beginnings of Western civilisation?
I am not sure whether the term ‘Western’ in your question is correct. However, it is important to underline that each project explored this inextricable link between past and present. Those that centred on immigration did so by looking back into the past, to topics such as identity and motherhood.
The sea itself was an important subject posited as a peaceful and likewise turbulent space. Myth and ubiquitous images in visual culture were debated and subverted. Abstract forms analysed conflict through juxtaposition, interrelations, and the concept of divinity by means of colour. We also collaborated with the Museum of Mediterranean and European Civilisations in Marseille, France, to display two video works from their contemporary art collection that mixed elements of traditional craft with our modern society.
The 20th and 21st centuries have given us a radical Pandora’s box of innovation but also of rubbish
Working on the Biennale was a constant learning curve. Unforeseeable problems arose on-site despite careful planning over several months. What is your reaction to this?
This is inevitable with an exhibition that explores curation as a compositional exercise. Figuring out how the theme would develop across the whole exhibition path, meaning the diverse rooms and collections of the Mdina Cathedral Museum, is a great challenge – especially since the physical components came together during the installation period.
Contingency is something one must expect in non-neutral spaces filled with historical artefacts. Issues of composition and space demand an attentive eye. There were a few instances that required us to alter the original plan.
One example was the metal sculpture by Portuguese artist Ana Caterina Pereira which did not work in the original designated space. It needed a more intimate space that could accentuate its geometrical structure and the artworks on display.
Darren Tanti’s large canvas was planned for a different area within the same hall, but the scale did not complement the artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, so a solution had to be found that did not disturb any of the works on show. These are just two examples of how one must adapt all artworks to the spatial and conceptual context of an exhibition.
This year’s Biennale included fewer artists than that of 2015. In your opinion, what were the main differences between the two editions?
The 2015 show had a more expansive spectrum that included performance, music, poetry, and many other art forms. It was interdisciplinary and was much more ambitious from the quantitative aspect as well as in the use of space. Now we inversed this; less artists and more space. This made it more challenging as each work had to compete for visibility without overshadowing the contents of each room or hall.
Did you form any ideas for the next APS-Mdina Biennale in 2019 from the experience of setting up the past two exhibitions?
The idea for 2019, although this is a vague deliberation, is to possibly direct a biennale that investigates one artistic medium. Instead of a multimedia approach, it could be one that focuses on sculpture, digital, or performance art, one that is media-specific.
The interrelationship between space and the artist must remain the predominant challenge. The theme must always focus on spirituality, this is the common denominator linking all editions. Spirituality is what I define as mankind’s relationship with existence in whatever form taken. Spirituality can be expressed through all media in an endless variety of ways.
Spirituality itself is very difficult to articulate. How is it connected with the temporal questions of a project that showcases contemporary art?
I do not like to differentiate between time periods, only quality merits distinction. The 20th and 21st centuries have given us a radical Pandora’s box of innovation but also of rubbish. I’m trying my best, first of all, to select what I think is good art, independently of the period of creation. However, I must take into consideration that 20th century rubbish is also part of art history and is part of art evolution. By contemporary, I want to specifically underline this element of evolution. Contemporary art, for me, means that which is pushing the development of art within all its conflicts and debatable alternatives.
The APS-Mdina Biennale also showcases 20th century Maltese art alongside the contemporary. This year features an exhibition of the cubist paintings of Frank Portelli and Esprit Barthet. Why these two artists in particular?
Cubism as an artistic movement grew into a global phenomenon that adapted to each region in which it flourished. Portelli and Barthet’s understandings of the idiom are replete with references to Malta and Mediterranean culture in the way that space and colour are explored and connected with personal experience. This year’s international modern art conference organised by the Department of Art and Art History will debate this theme together with counterparts from other areas of the world.
The APS Mdina Biennale runs until January 7 at the Mdina Cathedral Museum. A catalogue of the exhibits that includes essays by scholars and curators has been published by Horizons and may be purchased from local bookshops.
www.mdinabiennale.com