An installation by artist Vince Briffa is inviting visitors to reflect on faith, belief and the search for something greater than themselves at the Chapel of St Anne at Fort St Elmo.
Titled AMEN, the installation is presented by the Archbishop's Delegate for Culture and runs until October 8. Curated by Andrew Borg Wirth and Sera Galea, the work revisits an installation originally created by Briffa in 2002.
The original AMEN consisted of 24 testimonies, corresponding to the 24 occurrences of the word "Amen" across the pages of the Old Testament. The testimonies brought together 24 people speaking towards a shared desire: to become one with something larger than themselves.
More than two decades later, Briffa returns to the work in a Malta that, as the curatorial note observes, is no longer the same as it was in 2002.
The new installation considers how ideas of belief have changed, and how the word nemmen - the Maltese word for "I believe" - can take on different meanings in contemporary society.
The work builds on the original installation's exploration of personal testimony and encourages visitors to confront their own beliefs simply by coming into close proximity with the certainty expressed by others.
At the Chapel of St Anne, the work takes this reflection further, opening up a broader conversation about faith beyond formal religious structures. The installation places the individual at the centre, rather than a religious leader or spiritual director, and explores the shared human desire to be faithful to something and to have faith in something.
According to the curatorial concept, AMEN extends beyond the boundaries of interfaith dialogue to consider belief as part of the wider human condition. Through the use of media, Briffa creates a space in which the artist, speakers and audience can collectively contemplate questions that may not have straightforward answers.
The installation also returns the Chapel of St Anne to a setting in which questions of faith and belief can be experienced not simply as religious concepts, but as personal and human experiences.
AMEN is open till 8 October at the Chapel of St Anne, Fort St Elmo. Fort St Elmo's opening hours apply, from 9am to 7pm, with last admission at 6.30pm. Entry to the installation is included in the €10 Fort St Elmo admission ticket.
The project is supported by Heritage Malta, APS Bank, Visit Malta and the Archdiocese of Malta's Digital Presence Office.
Photos by Nina Musumeci