A sculpture of an empty chair has offered a fresh perspective on one of Malta's controversial colonial monuments, located in Valletta's Pjazza Reġina. 

Siġġu, by renowned sculptor Austin Camilleri, was installed directly in front of the statue of Queen Victoria, obscuring it from where it usually dominates attention on Republic Street outside Malta's National Library. 

The eponymous chair appears to be a replica of the one the monarch sits on, appearing to invite passers-by to think about her presence in the square as well as what her absence from it might mean to Malta as a former British colony. 

Although the square is officially named Republic Square, it is still referred to as Pjazza Reġina in common parlance, such is the impact and influence of the statue's presence. 

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

In a Facebook post, Camilleri referenced the work's post-colonial influence, saying that the stone from which the sculpture is hewn is globigerina limestone quarried before 1974 - the year Malta became a republic. 

The artist said the stone had been procured by his grandfather, who intended to work on it himself.

Camilleri said he created the piece in his grandfather's studio and used his grandfather's tools to create a work that "would haunt our present, functioning as a medium to the past". 

Siġġu has been produced as part of the Maltabiennale.art which opens on March 13 and will run until May 31. 

This is not the first time the Queen Victoria monument has sparked debate on Malta's colonial heritage. 

In 2020, global anti-racism protests reignited discussions of the symbols of colonialism and how they have come to represent racism for some communities. 

Historian Charles Xuereb argued that the Queen Victoria statue had a similar legacy for the Maltese and suggested it be moved to Gozo. 

Critics of this philosophy disagree with this interpretation of colonial monuments and argue that their removal risks re-contextualising history. 

Artist Keit Bonnici had also weighed in on the debate, sending a postcard written in Maltese to Queen Elizabeth, asking her what she thought Malta should do with a statue of her ancestor.