Christian art on display at Mdina Museum

The basement of the Mdina Cathedral's Museum is lined with the works of 72 artists after the Sixth Biennale of Contemporary Christian Art opened yesterday.

Paintings and sculptures make up most of the exhibition, which has been mounted with the support of APS Bank. The majority of works are by Maltese artists, although three Italians and a Polish artist are also taking part.

The biennale, which aims to promote Christian art, has been organised since 1996.

Museum committee chairman Mgr Prof. Vincent Borg said a good number of artists were taking part for the first time.

He said the themes chosen for this year's exhibition are God Is Love, Mary The Mother Of The Church and The Eucharist, although the artists have been left free to choose any other Christian topic. Almost a third of the artists stuck to these themes.

Mgr Borg said the 72 works were chosen by the board of curators and consist of a good spectrum of various artistic approaches.

The museum is envisaging an extensive renewal, especially since the archives section will be moved to other premises. Mgr Borg said it is planned that the space will be dedicated to contemporary Christian art to encourage artists to continue producing this work.

The exhibition is open to the public from today until April 7, excluding Sundays and public holidays. The opening hours are 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. between Mondays and Fridays and up to 3.30 p.m. on Saturdays. The Lm1 entrance will be waived on Good Friday when the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.