Alexandra Mara Camilleri

 

The church, art and financial patronage have for long been inextricably linked together. Within this article, one will attempt to explore the intricacies of this propitious dialogue between patronage, pilgrimage and profit, exemplified through the contemporary works presented to the 2015 Mdina Biennale by Richard Shields.

Set upon a knoll placed strategically in the centre of Malta, Mdina has been inhabited since antiquity. At a first glance, one of the most perpetuated images of touristic Malta is the cupola of the Mdina Cathedral, a massive marvel of stone and engineering that occupies its skyline grandly. With a number of postcards, travel mugs, fridge magnets and dilettante paintings dedicated to it, it has become a symbol of Malta. Revisiting the most recent loss of one of Malta's most iconic symbols - the Azure Window - one is fascinated with the amount of media coverage, public outcry and scrutiny this event had undergone. It is safe to say that the cockles of this nation's heart can still be ruffled in the face of certain tragedy, be it man-made or natural. One of the first things any Maltese child is made aware of is that Mdina was once Malta's capital city. Passing through the occupation of several kingdoms, this city's name changed alternatively to suit its occupiers. During the latter period of the Arabic rule, the name Mdina was adopted derived from medina, the Arabic word for "city". Perhaps the Maltese have always had a preoccupation with the terms city and village, going as far to call the present day capital city il-Belt (the City) in colloquial dialogue. This symbol-status extends even to how the public interacts with these spaces, vacant or occupied.

The Mdina Cathedral became a central space within the 2015 Mdina Biennale, with a selection of local and foreign artists exhibiting within its baroque interior. The construction of the Mdina Cathedral was by far the most prestigious project undertaken by Lorenzo Gafà (1639-1703) and it marked an increased interest in the architect by the local church authorities. The main catalyst for the building of the new cathedral was the earthquake of 11 January 1693, which wrecked Sicily, and Malta to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, the Cathedral Chapter had at the time expressed an interest in updating the Siculo-Norman church, evidenced by plans prepared by Gafà in 1682. The interior was subsequently embellished by artists throughout the centuries, most prominently being Mattia Preti (1613-1699), Francesco Zahra (1710-1773), Pietro Gagliardi (1809-1890) and Domenico Bruschi (1840-1910), evoking the spirit and taste of its patrons.

Within the remits of the Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale 2015, just as the Cathedral is a focal point of its geography, it symbolized one of the focal points of the Biennale's statement: that of the confrontation between the old and the new. On proposing the Cathedral as an exhibition space, many artists were reluctant in accepting this challenge. While most contemporary exhibition venues utilise blank spaces and white walls as sort of lacunas to be filled with art, the Mdina Biennale proposed to exhibit art within sacred, functioning spaces. This factor proved to be an intriguing problem for many artists and for the curators.

One artist whose work enhanced both the space as well as the subject matter was Richard Shields. Site-specificity and found objects are prerogatives of this artist, along with the use of traditional media such as painting, drawing and sculpture. Within the Cathedral, Shields' presented an installation comprised of two works, titled conjunctively as From the Cradle to the Grave with Empty Pockets. Set against a green baize background, both representations are deeply religious in nature and allegorical in message. Set against the pilasters adjacent to the main altar, they flank the most central part of the whole church (or, as one can argue in a pre-Enlightenment sense of society, at the centre of the whole city). As aforementioned the use of found objects is a prime concern of the artist. Both these two works, as well as another exhibited within the Cathedral Museum, are set on billiard tables. In the artist's own words, the green baize offers an "inextricable link to the banking patronage of the art work", present since the Renaissance. Green - the so-called colour of money - presents a monochromatic scheme for the highly detailed, reflexive and delicate chalk drawings. The larger of the two depicts the figure of Christ with his arms outstretched, after William Holman Hunt's The Shadow of Death. The faint shape of a "D" drawn behind the baulk line offered the artist with an outline of a halo, a factor used within his entire billiard compositions. Set leaning against the marble cladding, the composition rests squarely on the floor, with the image of Christ seen floating within. The choice reflects not only the ideas of the ready-made but also the idea of money, gambling and debt. To mind, one immediately recalls the game of dice played by Roman soldiers for Christ's garments, just minutes prior to his crucifixion. This idea of consumerism and spiritualism were at the centre of many art movements, and the intelligent placement of such an image on a capitalist object provokes this. The other work comprising of this duo is a child's billiard board, smaller in size and somewhat more intimate. Shields depicted a copy of Raphael's Conestabile Madonna and Child. In one interview with the artists, Shields recalled how he came across this particular billiard table. He recounted how one Boxing Day, it lay outside to be thrown away, as part of the Christmas cast-offs. This sense of abandonment and forsakenness appealed to Shields in a metaphorical sense as a means to re-represent and re-integrate this item. There is a sense of the awkwardness and naivety presented within these works as well. The highly wrought finish of the baroque-ness of the interior is juxtaposed with the simplicity of a child's felt plaything and the delicacy of chalk. The connotation between the Pre-Raphaelites and the master himself are also at the core of Shields' content, coupled with the ornateness of the interior, within the most important church of the local diocese.

One other work by the artist is The Madonna in the Blue, placed within one of the halls of the Mdina Cathedral Museum, just a few steps away from the Cathedral. Set against a sort of deep periwinkle blue, the luxurious feel of the fabric is contrasted with the starkness of its white industrial border. Citing the artist, the figure was inspired by a statue of the Madonna near the Chapel of the Immaculate Virgin near the Madonna Cliffs in the limits of Mellieħa. The solemn woman, staring across the expanse of blue is surrounded by lightning and tubing, so as to recreate the imagery of the local Maltese festa. Nevertheless, the woman turns her back to the viewer and such ostentatiousness. Once again, the faint "D" shape that connects with the baulk line offers an inherent halo around the woman's head, as well as a horizon line. The objet trouvé once again intents to provoke and enkindle the discussion centring on the extant spiritual appropriation, financial fervour and expenditure. How much is too much?

The spiritual remains a core aspect of his represented works within the Biennale, reflecting both the Biennale's theme as well as the artist's own credo. The marriage of the objet trouvé with classical canons of the art world offer an intriguing view to the both the spirituality of art as well as the practice of art. As history testifies, ecclesiastic institutions were among the greatest patrons of art, creating church as exhibition spaces prior to the modern understanding of museum or curatorship. Shields' works manage to unite these aspects splendidly and with conviction. Richard Shields is a returning artist to The Mdina Cathedral APS Contemporary Art Biennale, which will begin on 13 November until 7 January 2018.

For more information visit www.mdinabiennale.com