Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg inaugurated two of the winning projects from the Art in Public Spaces competition which took place in 2015. 6 different projects intended for 6 particular spaces had won this competition.
The two projects inaugurated are in Gozo, where ‘Reflections and Connections’ is a public staircase which has been adorned with mosaic in Għajnsielem and ‘Ħaġarna’ is a contemporary sculpture in Xagħra. Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana was also present for the inauguration of the second project.
“I fully believe in the importance of giving public spaces to the people and I believe that these public spaces should have a pleasing aesthetic. I think art is one of those things that colour our lives, one of the best ways in which we can identify with our culture. The second edition of the competition “Art in Public Spaces” that we launched this year has seen a considerable number of applications being submitted and it is therefore a true satisfaction for me to see that both artists and local councils are willing to work together in favour of art and also for the benefit of our communities,” said Minister Ian Borg.
He praised the artist Mary Portelli for the colourful staircase that has embellished a facility that is used both by residents and tourists and said that this staircase has breathed new life into this area, while he commended her for her creativity.
At the same time, he also spoke about the art in Victor Agius’s ‘Ħaġarna’ sculpture which reflects the identity, history and cultural heritage of Xagħra, which has a strong identity that goes back to prehistoric times. He also commended the use of poetry and performance, which bring to this work the Maltese language and folklore, through which people can culturally identify.
“I think that the Government is doing good work in its work towards public spaces of a constantly improving quality. As a Ministry, from 2017, we will have given almost 70 new or embellished public spaces to people and I am happy that we also had this initiative to promote the unique identity of these communities while giving space to the artists to express their vision. Our communities are close to our hearts and I feel that we represent them better when we create spaces that improve the quality of life and standard of living of the people,” concluded Minister Borg.