Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544566
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 24 APRIL 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 On the contrary, he said he just "wanted to create a playful im- age, assembled via a process of sampling and recombination. I wanted a form which is both fa- miliar and alien." He continued that WIEĦED does not offer a "single, clear reading. Nonetheless, that un- restrained openness remains important. It allows the work to evolve through the different in- terpretations people attribute to it, across time. When asked about the mixed reactions his work was receiving online, he responded by saying that like his previous installing, his work "was never meant to be universally liked." "As a result, it is not the first time that my work has sparked controversy and debate. I be- lieve that it lies within the very nature of a good work of art to raise questions. The more it does and the more these questions hit at the heart of the matter, the better it lives in posterity." Camilleri said that artists know all too well that once a work is exposed to the public domain, it is, in a way, "intruding the col- lective imaginary of the place and shifting its perception. Re- sistance becomes a natural im- pulse." In fact, Camilleri goes as far as to say that misunderstanding can be productive, "while some- times, proximity and time might also change perceptions. What I find truly intriguing is when a work slows people down to fath- om it, as it creates friction or unease, because that's where re- flection can begin and hopefully create a temporary community." Some might remember Camill- eri's previous work, from 2014, the three-legged horse in Vallet- ta called Zieme. That sculpture too marked controversy online, with many questioning the piece of art. Despite both pieces ap- pearing on the surface to be re- lated, Camilleri said that he was not "I'm not interested in cre- ating works that deliver a fixed message or a closed narrative." "Symbolism, for me, isn't about encoding a specific meaning. It is about creating a structure that can hold multiple readings, at once, at any given time. I be- lieve there's true value in a work that resists the clarity of stand- ard narratives, one that asks the viewer to stop, think and spend time with it, to question it, even to reject it. It should be less about representing some- thing and more about creating an encounter—one that remains open, unresolved, and shaped by the people who engage with it, over time." The sculpture currently sits out of the development zone in Ras ir-Reqqa. That as well, as many some commenters online un- comfortable. But Camilleri does not see the backdrop as "pas- sive." "Places such as Xwejni are nev- er just "sites" in the literal sense. They are accumulations of wind, salt, labour, memory," he said. Camilleri referenced Italian ar- chaeologist and art historian Sal- vatore Settis, who he said often reflected, that the "a landscape is not what we see, but what we in- herit and, inevitably, transform." "One can identify a number of iconic public installations dotted across the European coastline and beyond, whereby art col- laborates, at one with nature, in portending the true spirit of the subject matter." Camilleri continued that Wieħed's form traces the con- tours of the coastline, the ge- ological formations, and in- corporates also what is not immediately visible, as it mirrors the submerged Billinghurst cave, lying beneath it. "The final choice of site hinged also on a practical reason: it lies next to a road. No new pathways were required, no plinth or ar- tificial lighting have been intro- duced, thus aiming at a project which secures minimal interven- tion, while ensuring the integrity of the public landscape." Must it match the curtains? Speaking to GozoToday, for- mer Manoel Theatre artistic director and artist Kenneth Zammit Tabona reflected on the controversy surrounding the sculpture, arguing that public reaction signals a shift in how people engage with art. He noted that the piece has sparked debate and, important- ly, prompted wider audiences to reconsider the idea that art must simply "match the curtains". Zammit Tabona was also criti- cal of what he described as con- servative decision-making in public art. "I am tired of decisions dictated by 'men in suits'," he said, point- ing to what he consid- ers missed o p p o r t u n i - ties in Mal- ta's cultural landscape. He cited Aeneas by Ugo Attardi as an example, describ- ing it as the country's fin- est modern bronze, yet hidden behind trees in the Lower Bar- rakka. In his view, the sculpture deserves a far more prominent position, ideally overlooking the harbour from the site of the for- mer Grand Belvedere. Zammit Tabona referenced Camilleri's Zieme, which he said succeeded because of how its placement encouraged in- terpretation and public engage- ment. In the current debate, however, he believed the issue is less about the artwork itself and more about where it has been installed. "The real sticking point appears to be the location. Why Xwejni?" he asked. According to Zammit Tabona, public discomfort stems from deeply ingrained expectations about where certain types of art belong. People are used to see- ing religious statues in church- es or on street corners, and monuments to political figures in Valletta. When confronted with something that breaks these c o n v e n t i o n s , it creates ten- sion. As he put it, "we are confronted with something that does not fit neatly into these expectations, a square peg in a round hole". This, he suggested, raised a broader question about public art and its place in the land- scape: where should something unexpected, such as a pair of conjoined mythological horses, actually go? Sculpture in outskirts of Zebbug, sparks debate about public art Photo: Darren Cassar. Inset: Sean Mallia Former Manoel Theatre artistic director and artist Kenneth Zammit Tabona (Photo: James Bianchi/ MaltaToday)