Art historians and architects argue that Renzo Piano’s building should have a professional curator to manage the exhibition space and works on display

Artists are calling for professional curatorship of Renzo Piano’s parliament, which they say has been “desecrated” by recent exhibitions put up in the building’s foyer.

“Putting something on display there that does not have the appropriate artistic quality is like framing a Caravaggio in plastic,” art historian Francesca Balzan told this newspaper.

Ms Balzan was speaking following the launch of an exhibition last Monday by Phillipe Agius, which was “addressed to the visually impaired”.

This follows the opening exhibition called Love, Faith and Forgiveness, a display of 10 professionally-designed curtains sewn by prison inmates.

The Renzo Piano parliament building at Valletta’s City Gate. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said the artist’s message to the visually impaired was that it did not matter who you were. What mattered was that the message you wanted to get across reached your audience.

However, Ms Balzan believes the Parliament’s foyer is no place for such exhibitions. She criticised the amateurish display of both displays including the “distasteful” orange ‘tablecloths’ of the current one. “You cannot desecrate a piece of art like Piano’s building in that manner. It is an insult to Piano’s artwork and a condemnation of our sense of taste,” she said. Piano’s parliament is a work of art in its own right, so anything displayed in it has to be of the highest artistic quality, she added.

Ms Balzan insisted it was crucial to have a curator for this prominent space.

You cannot desecrate a piece of art like Piano’s building in that manner

“I hope the authorities will consider this carefully because failure to do so will show that they are completely ignorant of the role of a professional art curator.”

The call was reiterated by architect Chris Briffa, who said the place needed a curator to manage the choice of the works on display, the exhibition programme and the space itself.

“The Parliament’s foyer is the first thing you see when you enter the city and it was designed as a public space. The building’s architecture urges passers-by to go around it and look in at whatever is behind the glass,” he said.

Instead, railings have been set up around the foyer and people cannot even get close.

For artist Celia Borg Cardona, the place is being used for exhibitions just like a parish hall would. “Any exhibition should have a proper curator, no matter what it is. Instead, the exhibitions there are being put up haphazardly.”

While everyone should have the opportunity to exhibit, exhibitions are put up in particular places depending on the context of the display.

“If there is no curator, then it should not be used for exhibitions at all,” she said.

Other experts suggested that such exhibitions should have been displayed at the Health Ministry, for example, or else put up at the parliament’s foyer if MPs were discussing a law related to the visually impaired. When contacted, the Clerk to the House said the use of the exhibition area was being handled by an “internal commission of three employees that takes care of the relative logistical arrangements” to address requests submitted to his office.

“Communication with the Malta Arts Council and Heritage Malta has already taken place to bring on board representatives who can provide professional consultancy in this regard for upcoming exhibitions,” Raymond Scicluna said when asked about the lack of curatorship.

Meanwhile, part of the foyer is being earmarked for the setting up of a long-term exhibition to cultivate the institutional memory of Maltese parliamentary and constitutional history.

sarah.carabott@timesofmalta.com