Gozitan artist, Austin Camilleri‘s new sculpture WIEĦED in Xwejni, Gozo depicts two horses driven into one another by a force of nature, their forms compressed into a single mass. It is a work that is difficult to ignore and opinions about it are far from unanimous.
Among locals, WIEĦED has proved something of a Marmite sculpture (you either love it or hate it). Some have embraced it, while others question both its form and its place within the landscape. That range of reactions is perhaps unsurprising for a contemporary artwork installed in such a well-known and much-loved setting. Personally, I love it, but I respect others’ opinions.
For me, the sculpture echoes the relationship between land and sea that defines this stretch of coast. Neither remains unchanged. The sea shapes the rock and the land shapes the movement of the sea – not least when the land gives it’s soul into the sea when there is erosion. Over time, through the steady force of nature, each leaves its mark on the other. The sculpture reflects how apparently separate elements can be shaped by the same forces and, in the process, become inseparable. In the merged forms of the horses, I see something of that relationship between land and sea, and the way nature gradually blurs the boundaries we often assume are fixed. Fierce competitors with equal abundance.
Whether one admires WIEĦED or not, it has already achieved something incredibly important. People are talking about it. They are debating it, interpreting it, questioning it and defending it. Public art rarely succeeds by attracting universal agreement. More often, its value lies in its ability to provoke thought and conversation. By that measure, WIEĦED is doing exactly what art should do.
Please take the time to go and see it when you’re in Gozo. And make your own mind up. Human life has been shaped by many things, including art, over centuries and beyond. And that is a wonderful thing.
Leave a Reply