Caesar Attard : the emergence of participatory live art in Malta

Abstract

This dissertation examines the emergence of participatory live art in Malta through the pioneering works of Caesar Attard (b.1946). With a longstanding interest in interventive contemporary strategies and a commitment to evaluating artistic development within the Maltese context, this case study brings my personal and academic motivations together. Scholarly engagement with Caesar’s work has thus far been primarily carried by biographical and retrospective studies, particularly those authored by Joseph Paul Cassar, whose critical analyses of Caesar’s oeuvre form a foundational point of reference for this research. Although Caesar’s avant-garde contributions have been noted within studies on the emergence of experimental art in Malta, his socially engaged work has not yet received the scholarly attention it deserves. This dissertation addresses that critical gap by positioning these early participatory interventions as conceptually ambitious and culturally significant. Far from occupying a marginal place within his practice, these works confronted the prevailing resistance to experimental forms within the local context, while also developing in parallel with international developments in participatory art. In doing so, Caesar articulated a compelling counter narrative to enduring perceptions of Maltese cultural peripherality and artistic insularity. In this study, an editorial decision deviates from the commonly accepted convention of referring to artists by their surname; instead, it opts to use the artist’s first name specifically in the case of Caesar. This choice is mainly due to the fact that this is how he is addressed within all artistic circles. Initially, the realisation that only four participatory works were executed by Caesar between 1975 and 1978 raised concerns regarding the scope and viability of this research. However, what first appeared to be a limitation soon revealed a much broader and underexplored trajectory. As the investigation deepened, the challenge shifted from scarcity to navigating the richness and complexity of material that had long been overlooked. While Caesar drew extensively on theoretical literature, particularly in relation to his algorithmic methodologies, the emergence of these works cannot be attributed solely to textual sources. Their development must be situated within the cultural conditions of the time and within a personal trajectory that not only shaped his artistic thinking but posed considerable challenges to which he responded with a distinct visual and conceptual language. Alongside the realised projects, several unrealised proposals further illuminate the intellectual precision of his approach. The depth of Caesar’s practice is reinforced by a meticulously archived collection comprising preparatory notes, diagrams, sketches, and photographs. This body of documentation, preserved with exceptional precision, has been central to this study’s theoretical framework and analytical structure. While the participatory works form the central focus of the research, they represent only a partial manifestation of a broader and more intricate process. In this sense, the notion of emergence in the title of this dissertation assumes particular significance. It is to be acknowledged that what follows is my interpretation, shaped by the nuances and necessarily interpretive demands of the subject. This dissertation does not propose a definitive account but offers a historically situated and critically engaged perspective, responsive to the openness characterising Caesar’s practice. The following chapters are informed by close engagement with the artist, a detailed study of his archive, and ongoing dialogue with the cultural and institutional contexts wherein his work was produced. Notably however, Caesar does not align his work with fixed influences or singular meanings. His practice is conceptually rooted in ambiguity, responsiveness, and resistance to resolution, an ethos which is not only central to his work but is also the methodological stance adopted throughout this study.