It was a scratch and win night for artist Raphael Vella who beat censorship by unveiling his exhibition Pornolitics Remix, excluded by the Malta Council for the Culture and Arts two months ago for being potentially libellous.

The art installation at St James Cavalier, Valletta, was an interactive experience for those present: people had to scratch the digital images making up the installation, to uncover the superimposed silhouettes of pornographic poses making use of television still shots of politicians.

"It's the audience who gets to decide, physically and metaphorically, whether to remove a 'censorship layer' or not to see the installation as it was originally intended," Dr Vella said during opening night.

The audience was keen to take up the challenge, eagerly taking out keys, coins and even using their finger nails to scratch the silver coating away. It was clear, as everyone milled around, enthusiastically awaiting the outcome, that the artist - and his idea inspired by mobile phone cards - emerged as the winner in the censorship battle.

The uncovered images revealed grainy faces of politicians, some barely recognisable. Prime Minster Lawrence Gonzi, opposition leader Joseph Muscat, party general secretaries Jason Micallef and Joe Saliba, and Environment Minister George Pullicino were some of the main protagonists of the 16 digital images.

Did the artist still think he may be sued?

"I trust the majority of the politicians have more important things to do. And I am confident their level of maturity is high," Dr Vella said.

The artist went back on his initial decision not to exhibit his installation after it had been excluded from the MCCA's exhibition.

He had decided to leave it up to the people's imagination and let them fantasise, but then realised their imagination was becoming way too fertile. That was why he reversed his decision. He had to show the installation was not shocking at all.

Dr Vella claimed the target of the installation was not porn, sex or even politics, but the media: "It's a satire about the manipulation of media."

Panels of texts consisting of media cuttings discussing the controversy have also been included in this "approved" version.

"They form part of the work's history and helped to form public opinion about the piece before the work was even made public," he said.

Dr Vella said the exposure his exhibition got was totally unintentional.

"I did think the exhibition might raise a few eyebrows but not that it would grow into such a thing. The speculation became much bigger than the work itself," he said.

The audience could not understand why the installation could have been deemed potentially libellous.

"I can't understand what the fuss was all about. This is a tongue-in-cheek installation. We could do with more of this as it shows we have a sense of humour after all," Alvin Borg, 22, said.

Theresa Zahra, 32, added: "Why would any politician want to sue? I'm pretty sure they will all be coming to check if they're in it, and will be disappointed if they aren't."

The installation got the green light from St James Cavalier after Dr Vella was excluded from displaying his work in a collective exhibition, with seven other artists, entitled The Life Model.

Dr Vella had been invited and encouraged to take part by Patrick Fenech, the exhibition curator, but his decision was overridden by the MCCA.

St James Cavalier director Chris Gatt had said the exhibition presented to him was different from the one presented to the MCCA last month and had "none of the same legal problems".

At the launch of Pornolitics Remix, he said any chance of provoking people into discussing aspects of society was always healthy.

"It's very difficult for anyone to sue. Art, as we all know, is very subjective, it's all open to interpretation," he said.

The exhibition's opening was preceded by a discussion forum, chaired by Carmel Borg. MCCA chairman Adrian Mamo, who sat on the discussion panel, stressed freedom of expression had a limit set by laws.

"The council was not ready to risk the maturity of the politicians," he said defending the council's decision to exclude Pornolitics.

John Baldacchino, via video link from Columbia University, New York, said censorship was always scared of art which questioned the certainties of everyday life.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Wain questioned whether in this day and age censorship boards should still exist and Mario Vella argued Maltese society was too compliant.

The discussion was not open to the floor but the audience was encouraged to take the debate on to the exhibition floor at the centre's main hall.

Pornolitics Remix runs until October 4.